Working Responsibly | The Royal Hotel

We Care About Our Environment

Our planet is precious and something everyone should take responsibility for protecting. Unfortunately, Global Warming is a monumental problem destroying so much of our environment which is something we take very seriously here at The Royal.

The Royal has several environmentally-friendly initiatives that minimise our carbon footprint, and support the Island’s farmers, wildlife, and landscape. As a small business we know that the steps we take in becoming more environmentally friendly may be small, but they all make a difference.

The Isle of Wight's Green Star Scheme is something we are proud to take part in and have committed to being as eco-friendly as we possibly can by making the following promises to ourselves, and our customers.

Our Environment

With guidance from the Isle of Wight Beekeeping Association, we shall be installing two flow hives in April 2020 to keep our very own bees. We look forward to offering our guests honey from The Royal at their breakfast table in due course!
Next year, we shall be investing a further £2500 into The Royal’s grounds and gardens, and plan to plant a wild flower meadow to benefit bees and other wildlife.
The Isle of Wight is renowned as being one of the last exclusive strongholds of the native red squirrel. To support these beautiful indigenous creatures over the winter months, we have installed four squirrel feeders, with the optimum location chosen by The IOW Red Squirrel Trust.

Reducing food miles

Vegetables for our restaurant are primarily sourced from Living Larder - a family-run, organic farm located just a few miles away. A wide range of delicious varieties of vegetables, such as Rainbow Chard, Cavolo Nero, Flower Sprouts and heritage carrots, arrive at The Royal’s kitchens each day, just a few hours after they have been picked. Not only are the vegetables we serve bursting with nutrients and flavour, but we are proud to support the island’s local community too.
Where possible, we try to source local fish and seafood, which is always sustainably caught.
Our herb garden allows The Royal’s chefs to snip whichever herbs or edible flowers they need, in the precise quantities required, to enhance a dish or drink. Homegrown herbs not only means low food miles and less wastage from pre-ordered produce, but ensures these culinary catalysts can be enjoyed at the peak of freshness.

Phasing out plastics

Phasing out the use of single-use plastics requires creative solutions, and we believe we have found a fantastic alternative to plastic straws in Turtle Straws. Made from barley stems, these plastic-free alternatives are 100% biodegradable and compostable - and won’t go soggy in your drink like paper straws!
We have recently introduced environmentally-friendly packaging for our bathroom toiletries. Made with 30% wheat straw, with a paper label, the bottles are designed to be re-filled, cutting out the need to dispose of or recycle this packaging.
In addition, we have replaced single-use plastic yoghurt pots at breakfast with refillable glass containers for yoghurt and smoothies.

Electric Car Charging Facilities

Six electric car charging points pave the way for a Green Future at The Royal Hotel. The Royal Hotel is now the only destination on the Island that has six charging points in one location.

For those guests who prefer to explore the Island on two wheels, Wight Cycle Hire can deliver electric bikes to The Royal, making your cycling adventures effortless and fun. We also offer safe overnight storage for anyone bringing their own bike.

We promise to...

Provide information to customers about travelling to our premises using sustainable transport.
Provide information to customers about exploring the Isle of Wight using sustainable transport.
Provide dedicated facilities for cyclists, such as cycle storage, bike wash station, tools and tyre pump or the loan of puncture repair kits and maps.
Provide dedicated facilities for walkers, such as boot-drying facilities and a cloakroom.
Provide an electric car/bike charging point. We have 6 charging points available for resident guests.

Other efforts to become more environmentally friendly include:

Offering a free cream tea for any resident guests who leave their car on the mainland and come by public transport! Please do get in touch for more details about this.

We hope that these small changes we have made and continue to make will each be a step towards a more sustainable way of living, helping to protect our planet!