Our eco-hotels show daily how travel and sustainability can be combined. This can only be achieved through the people behind the scenes, who are dedicated to a greener world – we introduce them to you in our new series.

We start with Hotel manager Ben Förtsch from the Creativhotel Luise in Erlangen. The Creativhotel is one of the most environmentally friendly city hotels in Germany, was certified in 2010 as the first climate-neutral hotel in Franconia and 2015 as the first climate-positive hotel in Germany. Besides, the hotel always inspires with its creative ideas – such as the renewable hotel room (Das nachwachsende Hotelzimmer®).

Ben Förtsch, third-generation hotel manager at Creativhotel Luise since 2014. The hotel was founded by the Förtsch family in 1956 and since 1988 there has been a strong focus on sustainability.

For me, sustainability means… 

“real quality – and real quality only exists if it doesn’t harm anyone. For me, sustainability is like a game. I always want to reach the next level.”

I am particularly proud of this green project in the hotel: 

“The renewable hotel rooms that we started in 2016. The rooms are designed according to the ‘cradle-to-cradle®’ principle, which means that all components are either 100% recyclable or 100% biodegradable. For example, the ceiling is made of straw and the carpet is made from recycled fishing nets.”

This makes the Creativhotel Luise so special: 

“We want to convey our enthusiasm for sustainability to our guests without missionizing but by making the sustainable concept tangible through stories. The best examples are probably our renewable rooms. Who can say he showered like an astronaut and slept on algae and coconut fibers? We also pay attention to small details in the hotel to offer our guests a special stay. That means we have living plants throughout the hotel or plotted lettering (such as ‘good night’ over some beds) at various points in the hotel.”

Our plans for the future: 

“Our goal for the entire hotel is to adapt the concept of renewable rooms which means not only individual rooms are designed according to the concept, but the entire hotel. With our renovation in 2018/19, we have already taken further steps in this direction. For example, there is a new courtyard that has been equipped with many recycled materials, such as a bridge consisting of former roof beams and steel girders, or plant tubs that consist of discarded boilers. And also in the hotel itself, we try to give discarded things a new meaning, like candles in old wine bottles, deer antlers made from recycled cardboard, plants in old jam jars and much more.”

Are you curious? You can find more exciting information about the Creativehotel Luise on greenpearls.com.

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