Green Business Awards

Green Win for Luxury Hotel

Battersea based Hotel Rafayel is the 2011 Wandsworth Green Business Champion.

The hotel was named overall winner at theWandsworth Green and Heartbeat Awards ceremony at the Civic Suite, attended by the Mayor of Wandsworth Cllr Jane Cooper.

The five-star hotel uses the latest "green" technologies including:

• Room automation that monitors hotel and individual guests' electrical consumption.
• Energy saving light bulbs throughout the hotel
• Energy management ventilation and air conditioning systems that circulate outside air into guests rooms.
• A strict no plastic policy

Owner Iqbal Latif is the driving force behind the hotel's green success. It was also named winner in the Best Environmental Innovation category and runner-up in both the Carbon Reduction Achievement and the Best Green Business/Team categories.

Other winners and runners up were:

• Carbon Reduction Achievement - Putney Wharf (Winner) Hotel Rafayel (Runner-up)
• Best Individual Green Champion - The Hive Honey Shop (Winner) and 123 Contracting (Runner-up)
• Best Green Business/ Team  - Delphis Eco (Winner) and Hotel Rafayel (Runner-up)
• Best or Most Original Waste / Recycling Project - New Vintage (Winner) and What on Earth (Runner-up)
• Best Sustainable Transport Change - The Cheese Cellar (Winner) and Aqua Amore (Runner-up)
• Best Environmental Innovation - Hotel Rafayel (Winner) and Southside Shopping Centre (Runner-up)
• Best Green Beginner - Osteria Antica Bologna (Winner) and Southside Shopping Centre (Runner-up)
• Experience Greener - Independent Mindbodysoul (Winner) and What on Earth (Runner-up)
• Overall Green Business Champion - Hotel Rafayel (Winner) and Delphis Eco and What on Earth (Runners-up).

The awards were hosted by celebrity chef and farmer Rachel Green and sponsored by Wandsworth Council, the European Regional Development Fund and Steve Pinto from Access Self Storage in Merton Road.

The council's Go Green Plus programme has helped several winners become greener. This is a free service that offers companies an intense support, mentoring and advice service to help business reduce their environmental impact, meet the latest legislation and enhance their profile while reducing energy costs.

Find out more at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/gogreenplus

Green Business Champion Award sponsor: