Sustainability

As part of the international luxury hotel group Kempinski Hotels, and with the unique location in the Berchtesgaden Alps, we pay particular attention to the environmental impact and have a high sense of responsibility towards our employees, guests and the local population. Therefore, we are constantly working to improve our operations for the protection of the environment and to expand our cooperation network with local suppliers and service providers in order to be able to offer you, our guests, an optimal luxury travel experience for many years to come.

In cooperation with the renowned EarthCheck Certified Programme for hotels, we are committed to more sustainable hotel management processes. Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden has held bronze certification since 2017 and since then has documented data on water and energy consumption, waste management and other indicators annually in order to compare consumption per room/guest year on year and derive specific measures from this. To ensure optimal implementation, the internal Green Team works with the management to promote the continuous development and optimisation of our operating processes in accordance with the sustainability guidelines. Together, we strive to minimise and continuously reduce our impact on the environment wherever possible.

How we make a difference

Social Responsibility
Being part of the Berchtesgaden community, our social responsibility is very important to us. Therefore, we are actively involved in various social projects to support the region as well as local businesses and residents in the best possible way.

As part of the BE-Health organisation, our guests voluntarily donate EUR 1 per overnight stay to the Berchtesgaden mountain rescue service. We work closely with the mountain rescue service, also knowing that the voluntary work of the mountain rescue service can be vital for any of us in a possible emergency on the mountain.

Anyone who joins the Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden as an employee is making a conscious decision in favour of the region as a place to live. We are aware of our responsibility to offer our employees a beautiful home as well as our guests. For this reason, the MY TEAM Apartments were built 2 minutes from the hotel, making it not only a place to work but also a place to live. In addition to the fitness and bouldering room exclusively for employees, the Activity Concierge team offers a wide range of activities. In keeping with the ZamSportln philosophy, employees can enjoy great experiences as a team.

Responsible Business
As a member of the Berchtesgadener Land Business Service's 'Responsible Business' corporate network, we are working with local companies to increasingly improve the systems in the region and create new value chains within the network. The 17 sustainability goals of the United Nations, which are broken down into questionnaires for each company, serve as the basis for the collaboration. 

We also support the surrounding communities by sourcing local products and working with regional service providers. To ensure that we can guarantee the excellent quality of our products at all times, we regularly check our suppliers for sustainability and animal welfare. In addition, the philosophy of our restaurants promises both seasonality and regionality at the breakfast buffet and on the menus.

With the Berchtesgaden National Park on our doorstep, we see it as our duty to personally inform local guests about respectful behaviour around nature and the responsible use of natural resources. To do this, the Activity Concierge team sensitises guests and employees to the traditional culture, and Alpine flora and fauna on excursions. In this way, guests can already make a difference for the environment during their stay at Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden and proactively opt for a more sustainable lifestyle.

Partnership initiative with Berchtesgaden National Park 
Berchtesgaden National Park is not only our neighbour but also our partner. As a founding member of the Berchtesgaden National Park Partner Initiative, we are part of a network that has set itself the goal of preserving and protecting the national park in Berchtesgaden. Together with you, our guests, we contribute to the sustainable use of the national park and its resources. Only in this way can we continue to enjoy the only Alpine National Park for many years to come. 

Click here for more information about Nationalpark Berchtesgaden.

 

Our measures

Surroundings of the hotel
Proactive participation in nature conservation and the promotion of social initiatives starts on our doorstep: from the natural design of the surrounding landscape to smart innovations that minimise our carbon footprint and to supporting preventative health measures. For a direct sustainability approach, we have already taken the following measures around the hotel: 

• Using only sustainable building materials in the construction of the building in 2005/2006 and in the construction of the new staff houses in 2021/2022
• Energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions in energy management 
• Hornbeam tree row at the hotel driveway, which offsets the CO2 emissions of all arriving and departing guests
• E-charging stations for electric vehicles directly at the hotel and BMW e-vehicles for business purposes
• Support for Bergrettung Berchtesgaden e.V. through a donation of EUR 1 per night from our guests

One project that is very close to our hearts is the bee meadows. These adorn the hotel in spring and summer with native wildflowers and plants to create the best conditions for the preservation of healthy flora and fauna around the hotel. All kinds of insects can do their important work in peace. The lawn is only mowed twice a year. This is the only way we can ensure that the bee meadows will continue to provide a habitat for insects, bumblebees etc. in the future.

 

Regionality
As the basis of the culinary concept at Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden, chefs Ulrich Heimann at Gourmet Restaurant PUR and Hendrik Franz at Restaurant Johann Grill attach great importance to using high-quality products from local producers and main suppliers within a radius of 30 kilometres.

The aim is to inspire our guests with the products of the region, support local businesses and keep delivery routes short to reduce emissions and support the region as a whole. 

Examples of regional partners are:

• Dairy products from the Berchtesgadener Land dairy 
• Bread from the Neumeier bakery 
• Bad Reichenhall salt with alpine herbs
• Fish from the Resch fish farm
• Meat from organic farms in the Salzburger Land region
• Local spirits from the Grassl gentian distillery
• And many other suppliers from the region

 

Waste management
For luxury hotels, waste production is inevitable. This emphasises the importance of dealing responsibly with the disposal and reuse of waste products to ensure the sustainable use of resources. At our hotel, we attach particular importance to the following:

• Waste separation, inspection and documentation of waste
• Recycling of waste products where possible, e.g., cardboard packaging, bottles, glasses, printer cartridges
• 'Plastic Ban' initiative: avoidance of single-use plastic products in all areas of Kempinski hotels, e.g., no plastic packaging for bathroom amenities or glass straws in the restaurants

'Clean The World' is a special initiative. Together with the organisation, Kempinski recycles care products and soap bars that have been used by guests. Liquid hygiene products are extracted from the hygiene bottles for further use, while the bottles are recycled. The soap bars are disinfected, converted into new soap bars and distributed to communities in need such as emergency shelters, children's homes, refugee camps, etc.

 

 

Energy management
Sustainable energy management is essential in our hotel operations to guarantee energy efficiency when carrying out our activities. To this end, we focus on:

• Monitoring and documentation of total energy consumption
• Purchasing electricity from the hotel's own combined heat and power plant, which generates up to 50% of our daily energy requirements (The additional demand is covered by green electricity)
• Motion lights and the use of LED lighting everywhere at the hotel
• Large windows for more daylight, enabling electricity savings
• Centralised ventilation system instead of air conditioning for air circulation

 

Water utilisation
Efficient water use is very important to us in our effort to promote sustainable practices, conserve resources and minimise our impact on the environment. To ensure efficient use, we pay attention to:

• Checking and documenting our water consumption
• The use of water-saving taps and fittings
• Towel-on-the-floor policy and Green Linen Artefact for changing linen 
• No artificial planting in the hotel facilities, so no watering is necessary

One of the latest initiatives is the introduction of Purezza water. With this, we support an innovative and sustainable solution for purifying water from the tap using high-quality filters. The Berchtesgaden mountain water is specially purified by the special filtering process and carbonated if necessary so that it can be enjoyed chilled and in the highest quality at all times. In addition to the quality of the water, we do not use external water suppliers, which saves on transport costs and reduces the hotel's carbon footprint.