Sustainability at Renthof Kassel

Sustainability is a broad term that we encounter everywhere. But what exactly do we mean by it? Since 1298, people have been at the heart of everything we do at Renthof, and to ensure it stays that way in the future, we have embarked on an exciting journey toward sustainability that we would love to take you on. At Renthof Kassel, we strive to understand and implement sustainability in all its dimensions. We focus our efforts primarily on:

Reducing our ecological footprint and continuously saving CO2, energy, waste, and water per guest, as well as strengthening biodiversity and animal welfare. We are aware of our responsibility toward the environment.

Supporting our region by sourcing goods & services locally. We are interested in long-term partnerships with partners who share our values. We are regionally rooted but globally inspired.

Being a social and fair employer who is there for its employees just as much as for its guests. Our house should be open to everyone and barrier-free – we are only closed to exclusion.

Because we are convinced that only with this holistic approach can we operate successfully in the long term.

We support the UN Sustainability Goals

At Renthof, we align our sustainability commitment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2015, all 193 members of the United Nations signed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, agreeing to a plan for a sustainable future for all. The 17 goals are also called Agenda 2030 because they are to be achieved by 2030. Sustainable and eco-conscious action is an elementary task that we must tackle collectively and can achieve together.

The SDGs provide global guidance for overcoming our global challenges and cover all three areas of sustainable development: ecological, economic, and social.

For us at Renthof, living and implementing sustainability specifically means contributing to the achievement of as many of the 17 sustainability goals as possible. On this page, we want to give you an overview of which SDGs we are already contributing to, how, and to what extent.

The Building

Even when first considering establishing a new hotel in Kassel, the choice of location fell on the Renthof and its original masonry. The decision was made to convert this historically significant building into a hotel, thereby breathing new life into an existing structure. To make the building accessible and enjoyable for all our guests, careful attention was paid to barrier-free access throughout the renovation — despite the building’s listed heritage status.

We want to contribute to reviving forgotten places in Kassel, preserving them, and making them accessible to the public once again.

Existing buildings also offer enormous sustainability potential, which we have embraced through the corresponding conversion and continued development.

Our Energy Supply

We would like to invite you to embrace sustainability alongside us and to use resources such as water and energy mindfully.

Together, we can ensure that your ecological footprint — and ours — is kept as small as possible during your stay. In the heart of our restaurant, the kitchen, we currently still work with climate-neutral natural gas. However, we are already looking for a solution that produces no emissions whatsoever. We are also currently exploring the use of PV self-generated electricity.

Our rooms

All of our 55 individually designed hotel rooms have one thing in common: here you will always enjoy the comfort of our wonderful bed linen, which is made from 100% fair-trade organic cotton. In the bathrooms, you will find refillable soaps and shower gels, which are produced vegan in Germany.

To further reduce our environmental impact, we do not provide automatic room cleaning for stays of more than one night. This saves water, energy, and cleaning products. As a thank-you for each guest’s personal contribution to environmental protection, we invite our guests to enjoy a complimentary drink at our bar.

With regard to energy consumption and the large number of electrical appliances, we have also made the conscious decision to forgo minibars in individual rooms.

Housekeeping

Our premises are cleaned using environmentally friendly cleaning products that carry the Blue Angel certification.

Our Menu

The proportion of locally sourced ingredients continues to grow steadily.

We select our suppliers and producers with great care — so much so that our kitchen crew personally knows some of the farmers and their farms. What could be more wonderful than knowing the origin of the ingredients you work with so intimately? Culinary variety awaits you on every visit to the Renthof restaurant, as our kitchen is guided by what is seasonally available. We work with the products that are currently growing in the fields and meadows — ensuring there is something to suit every taste.

Any food scraps that do arise are used for generating organic energy. We strive to minimize food and kitchen waste by making full use of ingredients and offering guests the option to take leftover food home in reusable containers.

We also work together with Heidi, who volunteers for foodsharing kassel e.V. and visits us at a moment’s notice to rescue any buffet leftovers. We believe that every hotel and every restaurant needs a Heidi!

For our food and drinks menu, we have developed the Green Poodle.

Our mascot allows you to see at a glance which items come from sustainable and regional production.

Our range of beverages

On our drinks menu and at the bar, you will find that we offer, with great passion, a rich selection of sustainably produced beverages.

The majority of our drinks come from Northern Hesse.

We are particularly proud of our refreshing homemade lemonade creations, which we prepare fresh right here in-house at all times.

Der Grüne Pudel / The Green Poodle

We have developed the “Grünen Pudel” / “Green Poodle” for our meals menu and beverages menu. Our mascot tells you at a glance which foods are of sustainable and regional origin.

Our Suppliers

We have selected our service providers and suppliers with great care and intention. In order to keep transport routes short and strengthen the regional economic cycle, we source our products directly from our local area. During the renovation works, for example, the greatest importance was placed on collaborating with local tradespeople and using the most sustainable materials possible.

We maintain close, long-term partnerships with our suppliers, built on fairness and mutual respect.

In addition to quality, we ensure that our partners align with our company philosophy and share the same values in the areas of social responsibility and sustainability. We regularly engage in dialogue with them and actively address these topics.

The Hessian Association of Chambers of Industry and Commerce (HIHK) presented the new “Climate Neutrality Guide” to a specialist audience at the 8th Hessian Day of Sustainability. It is now available for download and offers companies — particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — practical guidance on how to embark on the path toward climate neutrality.

We are very proud to count ourselves among the pioneering companies featured in this guide. Hesse aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2045, and businesses play a key role in this endeavor. The guide outlines how companies can not only reduce their emissions, but also remain competitive in the long term.

Dear guests, dear business partners, dear employees: let’s go — let us embark together on the path to climate neutrality, because every step in this direction is a step in the right direction. We look forward to taking you along on this journey!

Purchasing of supplies and avoiding waste

Waste prevention begins at the point of purchase. We avoid single-use products and ask our suppliers to deliver ordered goods in reusable bulk containers. This helps us to continuously improve our CO2 footprint. Drinking straws, cardboard beer mats, and paper napkins, as well as individually wrapped sugar, have all been replaced with environmentally conscious alternatives.

You are welcome to help us save paper by completing your registration form online when booking a hotel stay, and by receiving your invoice digitally afterwards.

Instead of brochures and guest information folders in paper form, we keep our guests informed on topics such as culture, house information, and sustainability through our digital guest directory. To keep our internal paper consumption as low as possible, we rely on digitized workflows across our departments. Where paper is used, we opt for recycled or grass paper.

Mobility

The Renthof is located in the heart of Kassel, in the wonderful region of Northern Hesse, and therefore virtually in the center of Germany. Thanks to this central location, we are easily accessible from all directions and an ideal venue for gatherings of all kinds. Environmentally friendly travel is ensured by excellent connections to the Deutsche Bahn rail network as well as to local public transport.

Feel free to speak to us about the possibilities of a CO2-neutral journey, corresponding cooperation agreements are already in place.

Should you arrive by electric car, two EV charging stations have been available in our parking garage since 2019. To encourage eco-friendly mobility on-site, we provide our leisure guests with tickets for free use of local public transport. Alternatively, bicycles and e-bikes are also available for hire.

Green Events

Our unique event spaces invite you to be creative together. Here you can work productively on your projects with small or larger groups in a stylish setting.

We plan events for you and with you, guided by the BMU framework.

We would be happy to advise you!

Our CO2 Balance

Making a contribution to climate and environmental protection is very important to us.

Sustainability holds a high priority in our house. However, to ensure it doesn’t remain merely lip service, we measure our CO2 emissions every year and compare them against our sustainability measures.

You can read our CO2 balance 2019 to 2021 here.

Here you can gain insight into our current CO2 balance.

Here you can find the Climate Neutrality Guide by HIHK e.V.

Our citizens’ petition against the increase of the accommodation tax in Kassel.

To the SIGNATURE LIST

WE ARE AWARD-WINNING

We look forward to walking the path toward a “greener” future together with you and making an active difference in the area of sustainability. It is within our own hands, and we can achieve a great deal with small means. Should you have any questions about our sustainability commitment and our philosophy, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!