Sustainable Project of the Year Award Winner for 2020

Best Western PLUS Kamloops selected as the 2020 Sustainable Project of the Year Award Winner!

The Best Western PLUS Kamloops Hotel was able to accomplish no small feat in their renovation refresh on their 4th floor. The goal going into the project was to repurpose, resell or recycle 90% of the materials being changed. They are very proud, and so are we, that they were able to beat that goal and achieve 95%!

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Jen Krohn - Best Western PLUS Kamloops

“At the Best Western PLUS Kamloops Hotel, owner John Hampel has been carrying on the passion his father started, building to a sustainable standard. The Hampel family were the first hoteliers in Kamloops to add solar and geothermal to hotels. When they started planning the Best Western PLUS, John Hampel took his father’s passion and experience and built the hotel to “Green Hotel” standards. We have geothermal heating for all public areas and pool, heat pumps, Power smart lighting, etc. to name a few items. Our footprint is 45% of a standard hotel of this size. This Biosphere award means a lot to the owner and the team who operates the hotel. We have always strived to be green, sustainable and give back to our community. This award shows our passion has been recognized by our peers. The Biosphere Commitment Program has allowed us to continue and grow our Green Programs. As Kamloops “Award Winning Eco-friendly Hotel”, the award shows we are maintaining a high standard in all areas of our operations, including sustainability!”

- Jen Krohn, Operations Manager, Best Western PLUS Kamloops

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Best Western Plus Lobby

Best Western Plus Kamloops Pool

Best Western Plus Kamloops Exterior

Sustainable Renovation Details

• Original window dressings and skirtings were sold to another local Kamloops property

• All hallway and room carpets were able to be recycled but they were able to repurpose 20% internally in storage areas, 35% was sold to local motels/hotels and the remaining carpet was donated to Habitat for Humanity. The only part of the project that was unable to be recycled or reused was the carpet bases due to the glue and other materials which only contributed to 5% lost in being a 100% sustainable project.

• The vinyl baseboards were purchased to allow them to recycled or reused in the future, while the hallway baseboards were made from 85% recycled material.

• The new carpet and vinyl planks were again ordered to the same commitment to be recycled at same end of life.

• 24 toilets were donated to Habitat for Humanity which resulted in all 24 being able to be resold locally. The new replacement toilets are 25% more efficient than the original toilets.

• Since choosing to replace the beds on the 4th floor earlier than needed, they were able to use 40% of the beds on another floor that had high use beds (ie. team rooms). The remaining beds were donated to Ask Wellness, where the beds were then stripped, recycled or reused 98% of the material. The new beds are made from a higher amount of recycled materials than the original beds.

• The room furniture is solid wood and granite toppings, thus being able to refresh them effectively.

Innovation at UNWTO | 2020 A Year in Review · UN Innovation Toolkit

A Glance at Innovation At UNWTO

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) believes that innovation is the key to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. To drive the digitalization of tourism, create an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem that will maximize the potential of the sector in terms of economic growth, job creation and sustainable development, and to anticipate, address and overcome the new challenges and trends of the tourism sector, in 2018 UNWTO developed a framework for Innovation, Education, Digital Transformation and Investments.

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UNWTO Innovation Services 2020: A Year in Review

This past year has presented unprecedented challenges to the sector, but has also stimulated innovation to recover and build back a safer, more resilient sector. Entrepreneurs have provided ground-breaking ideas and solutions to reboot the sector, specially aimed at mitigating the impact of COVID-19. This year’s top winning and shortlisted Startups came from all regions of the world, especially Europe and the Americas.

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UNSSC live with UNWTO on the UN Innovation Toolkit –Partnerships to Achieve the SDGs

Following the success of last year’s first United Nations Innovation Toolkit online event, the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) is hosting a second edition, geared towards fostering innovations in partnerships. 

This is the second event, taking place on 25 February 2021 14:00-15:00 CET is hosted in collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Google, the Vice Minister of Tourism of Colombia, Telefónica and Refundit. In the form of a moderated panel discussion, this multi-stakeholder event will explore the use and contextualization of the UN Innovation Toolkit, with a special focus on one of the critical pillars of innovation: Partnerships.

TOTA Biosphere Team Introduction

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This month we are featuring the team members that make up the Biosphere Commitment Program team at TOTA, which consists of five key members who come from various backgrounds and skill sets. From business development, community engagement to program analyst, the Biosphere Commitment Program team has a passion for evolving sustainability throughout the Thompson Okanagan by connecting directly with TOTA’s stakeholders.

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"The Biosphere Commitment Program supports stakeholders to find a balance between the environmental, cultural and socio-economic dimensions of sustainability and attract visitors that value authentic, meaningful and sustainable experiences. I look forward to working with Biosphere Committed Companies and continuing to evolve this program to help measure your organization's sustainability performance over time."

- Kaitie, Director of Sustainability & Stewardship

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"Sustainability is a complex topic with various elements, indicators and metrics that can sometimes be overwhelming. The good news is that you are not on this journey alone. The Biosphere Commitment Program supports your organization to develop a plan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals that is measurable and effective. Biosphere provides value-added programs to support you on your sustainability journey and TOTA is continually working with our partners to provide additional development opportunities through assessments, training, toolkits and more."

- Louisa, Technology & Communications Coordinator

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"Most of us don't realize that by simply reviewing our bills every month and just being aware of our daily energy use practices, we can cut down a lot on our utility costs. As TOTA's Energy Analyst, my job is to work with your business and identify those hidden low hanging fruits which could save you some dollars! All you have to do is let us know that you are interested!"

- Thivya, Energy Anaylst

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"Being able to connect with the Biosphere members and help evolve the program has been a really fun project for me. Through Biosphere communications I enjoy discussing sustainable tourism support in the region and hearing Biosphere members stories. I look forward to connecting more with Biosphere Members in 2021 and reveal what we have been working on these past months."

- Amy, Regional Brand Ambassador

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"Despite 2020 being one of the most challenging years for tourism businesses, we have seen Biosphere Committed Companies continue to make progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to making the Thompson Okanagan a more responsible destination."

- Kavan, Event & Industry Relations Specialist

BC Hospitality & Tourism Industry Update & 2021 Outlook

The BC Hotel Association, Tourism Industry Association of BC, and the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat outlined the state of the Tourism & Hospitality industry and mapped the outlook for 2021.