Sustainability strategy

At Van der Valk Hotel Veenendaal, we are committed to operating from a sustainable and socially responsible perspective. From the initial sketches of the building to our current operations, we consider how we can provide our guests with an optimal stay and also be of added value to our surroundings.

Involvement

Timo & Toco
Van der Valk Hotel Veenendaal has two "own" toucans in Ouwehands Zoo: Timo & Toco. With the adoption program, we contribute to the care of our toucans and to the preservation of the natural habitat of their counterparts in the wild.

Hotels For Trees
As a partner of Hotels For Trees, we make a tangible contribution to a greener hotel industry. When a guest chooses to skip room cleaning during their stay, a tree is planted for each skipped cleaning. As a beneficial side effect, this also saves water, electricity, and cleaning products.

EARTH Water
In our rooms, we offer guests a bottle of water from EARTH Concepts upon arrival. The packaging of these bottles is made of 88% plant-based material and is 100% recyclable. EARTH Concepts donates the entire net profit to water projects in areas where it is most needed.

Inclusive human resources policy
We have a personnel policy in which we look at the individual and focus on the qualities that a (new) colleague brings with them. Van der Valk Hotel Veenendaal has, partly thanks to the partnership with the Inclusive Entrepreneur Network (ION Vallei), employed individuals with a distance to the labor market. In addition, we offer a group of interns from De Blink special secondary education the opportunity to get acquainted with the hotel industry on a weekly basis.

Charities
Every year we make a number of overnight stays, dinners, and brunches available for charities that are close to our hearts and with which we feel connected.

Sustainable installations

Solar panels
The roof of the hotel is equipped with no less than 331 solar panels, with which we generate a part of our own energy in a climate-neutral way.

Charging stations
Van der Valk Hotel Veenendaal has an intensive collaboration with Allego. The hotel is therefore part of Allego's international fast charging network. Together, we are taking steps in the mobility transition to make electric driving more accessible.

WKK Installation
In other words, combined heat and power generation: a combustion engine with a power plant. A combined heat and power generation system simultaneously produces both energy and heat.

CAT System
In other words, Kitchen Air Technology. In the kitchen, a lot of heat is produced by ovens, grills, heat lamps, etc. The warm air generated in the kitchen is captured by the extractor hood, filtered, and then used in the system to help heat the tap water and for air treatment.

Use slim installations
The start-up times of our installations, such as the ventilation system, are set as efficiently as possible. This way, in large spaces that are not used, for example at night, unnecessary energy is not consumed.

Insulation of pipes and fittings
By insulating pipes and all connections, the heat remains in the pipes and is not lost.

Copper/silver ionization water
This system prevents legionella in the tap water. This means that we do not have to flush the pipes preventively and save a lot of water. In addition, the temperature of the hot water can be reduced to 50 degrees, which saves a lot of energy. Double win.