At Mansley Serviced Apartments, sustainability is not a mandated requirement but an intrinsic part of our culture. A collective commitment to doing the right things for the right reasons.
Our journey began with a Green Tourism assessment in 2022, where we achieved a Silver award. More importantly, the assessment became a springboard for new ideas. After gathering and organising the data required, we realised it wasn’t a big leap to produce our first carbon footprint report. With the expert guidance of Green Tourism, we were able to create the report, identify reporting gaps, and put processes in place to capture more accurate data. Our second carbon footprint report addressed these gaps and has now become our benchmark.
Green Tourism’s support during these early reports was invaluable and helped us develop our own carbon reporting dashboards. These dashboards allow us to track key sustainability metrics month by month, making annual reporting easier and, crucially, enabling us to spot trends, identify hotspots, and plan targeted reductions.
Two initiatives have come directly from this detailed oversight. First, we introduced a “train-first” policy for business travel. Flights dropped from 58% of journeys in 2023/24 to just 11%, while train travel increased from 36% to 89%, resulting in an estimated 10-tonne reduction in CO₂e. Second, we trialled retrofittable energy-management technology at our Braid Apartments in Edinburgh. Over the first eight months, this led to a 13.3% reduction in gas bills and an average 11% reduction in kWh consumption per month. Comparing properties with and without the technology provides valuable data to guide future investments.
We also created the Mansley Environmental Fund. For every direct room booking, £1 is contributed to the fund, which is distributed quarterly to partners including JUST ONE Tree and CleanHub. So far, this initiative has helped plant over 2,600 trees and remove around 2,500 kg of plastic from waterways, giving our guests a cost-free way to support important environmental targets.
Looking ahead, 2026 will see the rollout of the Mansley Carbon Reduction Plan, which aims to further embed sustainability across all departments. Reducing carbon emissions requires collective effort, and we remain committed to monitoring our impact, supporting key environmental projects, and continuing to do the right things for the right reasons.
“Green Tourism has played an instrumental role in starting our journey, and we encourage other hospitality businesses unsure of how to begin to explore how Green Tourism can assist. As with all journeys, the first step is the most important.”
