Strawberry Hotels - Pioneering Sustainability in the Hospitality Landscape.

In this final episode#07 of Season #01 of the Pre-Zero Sports Talk, our host, Sid Bensalah, discussed the importance of sustainability in the hospitality industry with special guests Mari Sandrup, the Sustainability Analyst and Maria Anderson, the Sales Director of Meetings representing Strawberry Hotels.

 The episode was recorded from a high-end Podcast Studio at Clarion Hotel Sign, one of Strawberry's 232 exquisite properties. Designed by the acclaimed, well-known Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh.

Strawberry's sustainability motto is simple yet profound: 'WeCare'. It's a testament to their dedication to sustainability that goes beyond lip service. 

 The conversation delved into visionary strategies, community engagement, and the transformative Strawberry Sustainability Program, examining its integration across diverse hotel operations and into sales and sports initiatives.

The episode explores Strawberry Hotels' active engagement with local communities, collaborations with partners like Norwegian Airlines and UNICEF, and sustainability initiatives such as the Green Conference and the Lonely Christmas Tree. The conversation also touches upon the changing tourism landscape, with a notable shift towards the Nordic region driven by sustainability considerations and climate concerns.

As the conversation concluded, Sid thanked Mari and Maria for their exceptional insights and summarised critical takeaways. 

The first season wraps up with anticipation for more insightful discussions on sustainability and its intersection with the sports industry in the upcoming Season#02 in 2024.

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love your support. Download, drop us a comment and share your ideas for future topics or guests you want to hear from. 

Hit subscribe and tune in on your favourite podcast platform so you never miss our upcoming interviews and discussions in season two in a few weeks in 2024. 

Your engagement fuels our passion for delivering quality content. Let's embark on this insightful journey together!

☞ Follow the Pre-Zero Sports Talk Podcast Show and our host, Sid Bensalah, on all social platforms:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PreZeroST
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prezerosportstalk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sid-bensalah/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@prezerosportstalk

If you want to get involved and join our community, head over to the Engage Hub on our website. Help us amplify diverse perspectives and elevate the conversations that matter most to you.

We value your input! Share your thoughts, comments, and suggestions

Together, let's shape the narrative!

Transcript

Sid: 0:01

Welcome to another interesting episode of the Pre-Zero Sports Talk, the Podcast where we explore the fascinating intersection of Sports, Events, Innovation, and Sustainability. Hey there, fellow sports and sustainability enthusiasts. We're tuned into another thrilling episode of Pre-Zero Sport Talk. I'm your host, Sid Bensalah, and today we are delving into something important to sports industry. Get ready as we explore the crossroads of hospitality and sustainability with two incredible guests, Mari Sandrup, the Sustainability Analyst, and Maria Andersson, the Sales Director of Meetings representing Strawberry Hotels. Formerly known as the Nordic Choice Hotels, Strawberry is a different breed of hotel. It's not just about a comfy bed and great service. It's about a new approach to hospitality, a vibe that touches everything they do. Strawberry's sustainability Motto is simple yet profound. WeCare. It's a testament to their dedication to sustainability that goes beyond lip service. Now, why are we talking about this topic and what's the link with the sports industry? Well, here is the truth. Sports and hospitality go hand in hand. The hotels, the restaurants, and the array of services that cradle athletes, teams, organizations, and sports stakeholders. That's the link. And it's crucial for the sports industrie's, sustainability, and growth. Strawberry Hotels spotlights six sustainability areas. Climate Fund, Sustainable Hotel Operations, Good, Healthy and Sustainable Food, Diversity, Local Social Responsibility, and Ethical Trade. We will dig into these areas with our guests in a bit. They've set high goals, aiming at people, planet, and profit. A three sided approach. Transparency is their body. They are open about their mistakes, still clear of shiny tails, and are resolute in achieving their targets and goals. Their aim to give their clients peace of mind knowing they support a brand that stands for more than comfort. So let's not keep you waiting. It's time to dive into this eye opening conversation with Mari and Maria and explore Strawberry Hotel's incredible efforts towards a sustainable future. Welcome to the show.

Maria: 2:12

Thank you, Sid. We are very delighted to be here, Thank you.

Mari: 2:15

Thank you, Sid. I am really looking forward for this podcast today. It's, it's going to be great fun.

Sid: 2:22

Thank you both for joining me on this special episode marking the end of our first season. And I need to mention that we are recording this episode from a top notch podcast studio at Clarion Hotel Sign, one of the Strawberry's 232 properties, designed by the renowned Swedish architect Gert Wingardth. This hotel sits at the heart of Stockholm, surrounded by shopping, theaters, museums, restaurants, and nightlife. Just a short distance from Stockholm Central Station, metro trains, buses, and the Arlanda Airport Express. Now let's dive in into the journey of Strawberry Hotels. How did it all begin on the path of sustainability?

Mari: 3:00

I am happy that you're asking, Sid. of course, we are a quite large hotel chain within the Nordics. We do have hotels within all of the four countries, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. We have over 200 properties and over 18, 000 people that are working. Together with us. So, of course, the matter of keeping our business and our operations sustainable is, quite important for us. We do also see from, international perspective that the tourism business, both leisure and business that's increasing every day. And Maria will talk about that more later, so in terms of making sure that we can secure our business in terms of making sure that we can develop our business, sustainability is a very important part, uh, on what we do on a daily basis.

Sid: 3:54

Now delving deeper, what are the fundamental values that boost Strawberry Hotel's dedication to sustainability?

Maria: 4:01

It's three parts, that we work with. So, firstly, people, that means our employees, but also the business partners and, collaboration partners that we work with. secondly, It's the planet, of course, so the environmental questions as well. And thirdly, it's the community, that is hugely important, in this whole circle as well. so that's the three core values.

Sid: 4:30

Maria, could you shed the light on how those values are seamlessly merged into the fabric of Strawberry Hotel's operations?

Maria: 4:36

Yes, they are and, Mari, is part of the sustainability, team for Strawberry that works to ensure that all those three legs are connected together within our entire organization and across the operational parts of the hotels as well in our venues.

Sid: 4:56

For our listeners, could you highlight some key sustainable practices that Strawberry Hotels has successfully implemented?

Maria: 5:03

Yes, for example, on the sales team side, we have introduced, Sustainability Heroes, team To ensure that our field sales people are truly up to scratch and, knowledgeable on all of the sustainable practices that we are working with, so they can educate and inform our clients, both existing clients, but also our, new potential clients as well. So that's, of course, very important what we are communicating out towards the client, also on the another good example on the conference side, we are now, trying our best to work very closely with, for example, event agencies that are booking big corporate events, meetings and so on, to really So, Make them, give them a conscious selection, if that's the right way to put it, when it comes to the food that they are picking for a big conference or for a gala dinner, for example, to try to meet them where we eliminate too much food waste. That's one example, so that's what we're calling the Green Conference. And also, of course, we are looking on the operational side. What are we doing in terms of our accommodation rooms, the light bulbs and things like that? Are they, is it just switching on the, button or will it be turned out if you leave the room and pull out your room key, for example? Also in the Spas´, quite a few of our hotels have a spa. so how are we heating up the pool by, which method, So those are just a few examples.

Mari: 6:46

And there I could just add all those kind of actions that we do, There are two perspective of this. That is the management perspective. I mean, we can always try to do all these kind of small actions like changing the light bulbs and all these kind of things, but we also always have to make sure that we have the management on board. Uh, before we had more or less like this sustainability or, we call them environmental coordinator in each hotel that, that was, Colleagues that they were more more interested in in these kind of questions and aspects than maybe the rest of the stuff. And that was super. That was great. However, then that was just that person and it wasn't the whole management at that the hotel. And if we're going to be able to succeed with this again, if we're going to be able to really reach climate neutral 2030, we have to make sure that is the whole management at the hotels, but also for the whole organization. So. What we have done now is that we, we do not have that specific environmental person or responsibility at each hotel. We keep this in a higher level at hotel of the management, making sure that they are aware that they have their targets for every year and so on. So we try to push up the awareness and, and, the responsibility to top management.

Sid: 8:05

Good. And how do you balance providing a top guest experience and maintaining sustainability standards?

Mari: 8:12

I am happy that you're asking that one as well. there are two things. If we come just down to the, to the core facts or the core business that we do, I mean, producing a hotel room is about an experience, but it's also about the building, the hotel rooms and so on. And that comes down that we have certain. Areas where we have quite large of consumption and that consumption that is energy in terms of heating or cooling our buildings water the pools as Maria mentioned when you have a shower and brushing teeth and so on waste, both in terms of the from the hotel rooms, but also food waste and so on. Towels and linen, how much we need to wash on every day and the chemicals. Now, these are the largest consumption areas that we have when it comes to producing a hotel experience. So we measure these on a daily basis. We also set a forecast for every month and that forecast that is based on, the expected occupancy. So if you have the occupancy of 80%, then you know that this will be your level of consumption in terms of these areas that I just mentioned. If I have a higher consumption for a month. Then I have a waste somewhere or a leak somewhere. I'm using too much water. The system is not working and so on. Or maybe I have too much food waste. I throw away too much, then that will be harder for me and my hotel to reach my climate goal. If I then lower it too much. So I say, okay, and now I need to save energy. So I lowered the temperature. Great. Super. I will save energy. I will save money. This is super. What happens to the guest experience? Well, then it will be, if it's summer, it will be pretty hot in the hotel rooms and you will not be able to sleep. And how is that when you checked into a nice hotel and you're going to have a super experience, or it's going to be too cold because it's, it's freezing outside. And all of a sudden it's freezing inside as well. So those kinds of things always needs to collaborate, the terms of how much we are, The consumption every month, and then we always have to make sure that our guests are satisfied. So this is what we try to always combine and work with each other. They should not be, working apart from each other. They need to work together.

Sid: 10:38

Managing sustainability across 232 hotels is definitely a complex task. How do you effectively address and overcome the challenges associated with sustainability across such a vast network of properties?

Mari: 10:51

Shall I answer that one, Maria? Well, again, we are four countries. We are above 18, 000 employees, it comes down to the core business and the core management. We cannot have those specific departments, working for this or specific, employees that are a little bit more interested than the rest. It needs to be on a management level and it needs to be implemented with the whole strategy and that's what we are working with now. And as Maria said, we have our sales staff that are trained in this. They talk a lot with our clients about what we do. They don't only forward these questions to the sustainability department saying, could you please answer this? They know everything by themselves. Also, we use the whole sales department of getting the input. What are important for the customers? We need to develop our business, in terms of service, but again, also in terms of, different requirements of sustainability. So what our clients, what they are requesting, that is something that we need to know. And that's why the cooperation with Maria and her colleagues are so important for us. And we use that input, when we set our new strategic plan for the coming years.

Sid: 12:12

When it comes to sustainability, does Strawberry Hotels actively engage local communities, mainly in the Nordic region, to enhance and support your sustainability initiatives?

Maria: 12:23

We have a few very good, actions that we are taking, one example is a lonely Christmas tree, which we have been doing for many years now. So before Christmas, we give the opportunity to both local people, in the areas where our hotels are located, and also our clients to contribute with a nice Christmas gift. And this is then, wrapped by ourselves and placed underneath, the Christmas tree in each hotel lobby. And on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, the. People can come and pick up a Christmas gift, and this is obviously targeted towards families and children that doesn't really, get a Christmas gift on Christmas Eve. So it's a very nice initiative and, Another one is that we obviously are working with agencies as well, who are handling people who, are experiencing large challenges in finding a job or being, maybe integrated back into working life. where we try to support with the training and giving them an opportunity to work in one of our hotels as well. So those are two quite nice examples for you.

Sid: 13:37

That's a nice initiative. And you guys have been doing that since a long time since many years.

Maria: 13:44

And it's been very successful as well, which is very positive for us.

Sid: 13:49

Excellent. And do you have partners as well involved in this initiative that impact the local communities?

Maria: 13:55

Yes, we do. Mari might want to give some examples there, but the answer is yes.

Mari: 14:03

So we do both. we do invite all of our guests to give those gifts and so on. And then around Christmas, we, we do have different, organizations that we are working with charity within that local community. Also in terms of talking about community, a hotel is also part of that specific society. that is also a way, a possibility to, to get a new job if you need that, it's also in terms of now, again, we see the international, Tourism again, both leisure and business that is increasing. That means that we get even more external, money, within, that specific region, the hotels also as many as Maria mentioned before. we. Almost at all of our hotels, we have restaurants, we have conference areas, we have spas, all these kind of things. And those are areas that our, people that live around the hotel also can use, and, and to meet each other both for leisure and for business. Having a hotel in a region, it's, yes, we do try to support our local community in different ways, both in charity, but also in creating new works and these kind of things.

Maria: 15:16

And I think another example there, in terms of collaboration partners that you are asking Sid is just the very recent one that was published out towards the public is our collaboration with Norwegian, the airline, and UNICEF. the tickets that are being sold in combination as well with our accommodation rooms, the money goes towards UNICEF.

Sid: 15:42

Excellent insights, Mari. Now, Maria, your role involves of being part of the sales team within Strawberry Hotels. How does sustainability play a role in your interactions with diverse clients such as, Corporate Clients, MICE, Travel Agencies, DMCs, and Regular Guests?

Maria: 16:02

So if we break it down a little bit, Sid, the question, so if you look on the agency side, such as the event agency booking, teams or a DMC, a Destination Management Company that might handle a big international group coming in to the Nordic region, with an incentive group, or it could also be a big conference. We would always ask the questions, from the sales side. if there are any specific requirements on the sustainability. Part for their end client, because a DMC, is handling, it could be after them, there is another agency in, say, Germany, for example, but the end client is a worldwide client coming in, so you have a lot of stakeholders involved in this, and then it's important for us to understand, what the requirements are, and from that, we can then have the discussion with them, and then also, What we are doing from our side, and also what we are seeing Sid very increasingly over the years, the last years, particularly is that when we are receiving a request from an end client or an agency, is that the number of questions have increased quite drastically covering the sustainability. so it's usually important that we, understand ourselves, what we are doing, but also like Mari is saying that this is being integrated in the entire organization because. We can sit and answer those questions, but if we are not carrying them out in practice, then that's not very good. so that's one part. And then also when we are traveling, for example, we are a team of four sales people handling our entire hotel group on the international market. So we travel very regularly out in the world. and in our presentations and in every single meeting that we have with clients, we have a separate section on sustainability itself. So we really try. To keep our clients updated, but and also on the corporate side, this is, of course, questions that's being increasingly asked by big corporations when they are doing their annual negotiations with the hotel groups and the individual hotels as well for their business travelers.

Sid: 18:30

Maria, can you share insights about Strawberry Hotel's sustainability programs during your travels in forums and meetings? What's the general reception? Do you sense genuine interest from others to learn about your efforts, best practices, or it is more neutral?

Maria: 18:48

I think that's a very good question, Sid. It's very interesting. Sometimes the feedback or the answers from the clients can be extremely variating, I would say, and this could be because of the region where they are based. But still, that goes against your perception that you get. Oh, is this because you're from that region? You know, I have a good example. I was just in North America on a road show and North America in comparison to Europe when it comes from the requests that we are receiving. We see a much larger concentration of questions regarding sustainability from the European clients than what we see from the North American clients and their requirements. But I had a client who got so excited when I was talking about the sustainability with her and she goes, Wow, you're absolutely right. And I need to talk further with you because we really want to bring. groups up to the Nordics because the Nordics are perceived as being very sustainable from the beginning and my organization, we only want to work with hotel groups that are taking this serious. So it can be very variating, but, in general, I would say that clients are. very optimistic about the fact and positive that we take this very serious within our hotel group. so it feels like. they are really opening their eyes, for us as strawberry and what we are doing. it's positive for us. And then some clients, of course, they, their end clients are not really, putting too much effort into choosing sustainable, uh, destinations and, and hotels. Um, but I think that's the way. It might always be, But the more we can get on board, running with us alongside on this sustainability track, it is very important. So whatever strawberry can contribute towards that, I think we're on the right way.

Sid: 21:04

Yeah. And do you target the sports teams and the sports industry in general?

Maria: 21:10

We do. For example, here in Sweden, we have a very close relationship with the Swedish Sports Association. We even have our own internal team that is targeting and working regularly. on this segment so it's important for us, definitely.

Sid: 21:30

And how do you convey your sustainability initiatives to sports teams and organizations? Is your approach similar to corporate clients, or do you tailor it differently for the sports sector?

Mari: 21:43

We did one, we, we talked to, the sports, organization in Oslo, the capital of Norway. A couple of weeks ago, and that was very interesting because then we talked a lot about people and that is also what I mean, in general, the sports are focusing on the people and how you feel and you know, if you're active in those kind of things. So we do see that we have quite large. uh, potential and also the way that we are thinking about these things. we do act in the same way. Uh, so here we, we talk to them. They are our clients, but we also try to, as much as we can collaborate with them, we can learn a lot from them and they can learn a lot from us.

Sid: 22:25

Mari, could you provide more insight into the common challenges Strawberry Hotels faces when it comes to implementing, educating, and executing your sustainability strategy?

Mari: 22:37

If we think a little bit about how it has been, I mean, if we look in the way the dialogue with our clients and then mostly business to business now, a couple of years ago, lots of the clients that we met, they said, yes, we are very interested in sustainability, but then let's talk about the price. And then we talked about the price and then we ended up in an agreement and everything was fine. Now, what happened is also as Maria said that now we are moving the focus on, yes, price, of course, it's still important, but it's also that part that is now increasing every year in terms of how much are you working with sustainability and can I really guarantee that you are taking action in all these kinds of things. So here we do see a quite large movement. I wouldn't say that sustainability is higher than price. But we do have a combination of price and sustainability. If we can fulfill both. Of this requirement, then we have an agreement. and that, of course, again, how do we do this internal? Well, this is why the cooperation with the sales team is that important for us, making sure that we do know what our clients, what they require, and that we make sure that we can develop our business within that direction.

Sid: 24:02

How does Strawberry Hotels measure its carbon emissions? Could you shed light on the tools or metrics employed for this purpose?

Mari: 24:12

Fantastic system at our hotels. That we are quite

Sid: 24:16

go ahead. Let us know.

Mari: 24:20

Again, it's about keeping track of your consumption, right? And we do that, on a daily basis. again, it's about, making sure that we are in control of, energy, water, waste, food waste, house linen and chemicals. And then we have some other areas as well that we do not at the moment have. Automatic reported, we have that on the manual side. All of this we collect from our hotel. Some we do on a monthly basis and some we do year by year. And from that information, we are able to, calculate our CO2 emission.

Sid: 24:55

Once you've calculated your CO2 emissions, what steps does Strawberry Hotels take based on that data? How is it utilized to reduce, conserve, or remove emissions?

Mari: 25:06

If we have said to ourself and our clients as well, that in 2030. We are going to be climate neutral. That's fantastic. Now, we also now have to show our road map of how we are going to reach that target. So what we are working now, together with our hotels, is to set that road for every hotel. Okay, how this is your consumption, this is your emission today. What do you need to do? In terms of reach that target in 2030, and that is something that we are working with now. That is something that we need to collaborate with our business performers. That is something that we need to collaborate with all the staff at the hotel. And of course, the management. So this is again, this is not something that we can only say, okay, that department over there, they would do that. We cannot only say, okay, that's something for the management team. This is something that we again need to have. A large focus on and collaboration within our organization. And when, we reach that goal, that is the sign of and the proof of that. We have done our collaboration in the correct way.

Sid: 26:22

Going back to the data, Mari, with the ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030, how do you plan to utilize the data collected annually? For instance, at the end of this year, when you compile your annual summary, how will this information guide your strategy, highlight challenges, and showcase your investments in sustainability?

Mari: 26:47

So it's one of the largest, areas we have that is energy that is heating and cooling. So that is something that we need to make sure that all of our buildings have the best, way of, heating and cooling. so that's one thing that we can do. Then it comes to water. What kind of showers do we have? And can we change those ones? Again, food, waste and food waste is a large area where we throw so much away. So that is also something now we are working on a daily basis to lower. and that is again, that's a collaboration between, the hotel and of course within, together with the guests. So those are. Areas that we are working on now to really make sure that we are, that we have that focus.

Sid: 27:36

Mari, can you share insights into Strawberry Hotel's approach to single use plastic? Do you have plans for a complete elimination, or are there specific initiatives in place to reduce its usage?

Mari: 27:50

We have more or less. We do not offer so much of these items at the hotels. We have the larger dispenser in the hotel rooms, all this kind of thing. more or less, we do not have any single use plastic at our hotels.

Sid: 28:03

This summer, several countries in Europe, mainly in the Mediterranean region, like Spain, France, Greece, and Portugal, experienced extreme weather conditions, such as heat waves and bushfires. There's a talk about a shift in tourism towards the Nordic region. Have you noticed any changes in booking requests or trends for the upcoming summer season at strawberry hotels?

Maria: 28:25

Yes, we've certainly seen an increase and where there are comments coming from the clients that it's too hot to go down to Italy, Greece, Spain and so on. And the clients are rather looking at a slightly cooler area. but also, once again, sustainability is coming in there that they want to go to destinations that are considered sustainable. so it's, I would say it's a little bit of a on that side, to be honest with you, Sid, when we see the increase in requests for the Nordic region. But also one needs to remember there has been COVID, the pandemic is over. So once, the world opened up after the pandemic, there was a huge surge to go back to Italy, Spain, and so forth. That's the third factor I would say that's also driving. business towards our region because now they've done, they've revisited or visited for the first time the Mediterranean and so on, and now they want to explore other parts of the world and traditionally with the Nordic region, it's been a destination. for travelers that are quite well, traveled, if you put it that way, they are experienced travelers, but what is good for us is that we're getting a very high appreciation of our destinations in that traveler as well, because they really want to come and explore us. so it's not, a low. travel. Do you, if that makes sense, what I'm trying to say, it's not a mass tourism drive up towards the Nordics, because that's also part of sustainability. how good is it to drive a mass tourism to a destination because that's obviously affecting your destination on the environmental side, whereas it's good for the social side because it employs. People and so forth and increases the, economy in the country. so it's both positive and negative sides, but I would say those are maybe three factors that are, what we are seeing are driving the, the business in towards our destinations.

Mari: 30:39

But it's also about that when it comes to mass tourism, we do have the possibility to learn of how creating and handle that kind of mass tourism within our countries, making sure that we do everything in a sustainable way, both for us that are working within this, making sure that we have the right conditions. and also for the people that are experience our beautiful four countries up here, making sure that you don't have to feel that stress, making sure that we do have that infrastructure and the hotel experience. Or if you want to go out and explore the nature and the cities and so on, we do have the possibility to do that in a beautiful way.

Sid: 31:20

Mari, as you shape your sustainability strategy, are the motivations and actions influenced by regional factors such as local policies or jurisdiction within sustainability or are they predominantly driven by your internal initiatives and commitment?

Mari: 31:39

Well, I think I would say it's both ways. I mean, yes, the rules and regulations and policies, they are quite strict up here. We are a Nordic company, and we know what's going on in different regions, so I don't feel that that's a that's something that is hard for us to collaborate with. Again, for the different regions, the tourism is increasing, it's in a potential, for us. we do know and we are aware and we want to follow all the rules, regulations and policies. but I do also experience a quite good collaboration with the different regions. Again, it's a potential, we do see an increase. We have the collaboration with Norwegian Airlines and so on. so at the moment, I don't feel that there's something that is stopping us. it's more or less that we try to do it together and make sure that we do it in the right way.

Sid: 32:33

All right, is there any requirement or practice for submitting your annual sustainability report to a municipality or any specific local organization?

Mari: 32:43

No, not yet. In 2026. We need to conduct our first CSDRD report, that is Corporate Sustainability Report, that we need to produce. And in that report, we do need to show exactly what we are doing. In terms, again, of our three areas, people making sure that all of our colleagues, they are treated well. in terms of planning, making sure that, we do take our responsibility seriously. and in terms of community, making sure that we don't just do our thing and let the rest be. We have to make sure that we have the full responsibility. And again, it's not, it's something that we also need to show what we're doing. It's not something that we can. Keep on saying that we're going to do we cannot keep on making all these fancy slides and so on. We have to show proof on what we're doing in all these areas.

Sid: 33:47

Excellent. Now it's time for our lightning questions. Are you ready for speedy Q& A?

Maria: 33:52

Sid.

Mari: 33:55

Yes, I am.

Sid: 33:56

What's your favorite sustainability practice at Strawberry Hotels?

Maria: 34:00

May I answer that one, Marie? Yeah. well, I do think it's the whole circle that we work with. The fact that we work with the entire sustainability circle, people, planet, and community. That for me, is my favorite, sustainability practice.

Mari: 34:20

Could I add something on that one? and it's about the, The experience for our guests, it's easy to say stop. It's easy to say. No, we shouldn't it's easy to say We're going to exclude that in terms of oh should we really have Spas and pools upon? Of our rooftop. Yes We do need that because it's a fantastic experience. We just have to make sure how we produce that, the way we heat those pools, and what kind of, the way the people, the staff work in the Spa. If they are happy, then they can give good service. It's not about what kind of Experience we are delivering. It's about how we produce that experience. And when we do that in that sustainability way, it's a great experience, both for us working within strawberry and for our dear guests, of course.

Sid: 35:09

What book, movie, or documentary would you recommend on sustainability?

Mari: 35:14

Well, for me, just making sure reading the newspapers every day. I try to read the national ones, but also the international ones, making sure that I know what's going on. it's quite interesting again. Just a couple of years ago when I read the business paper here in Sweden was only about numbers, numbers, numbers, numbers. Now it's, on a daily basis or at least once a week, there is an article or something talking about, uh, business and sustainability and it's Those kind of things that make it so interesting. These are areas that are not able, they, they can't not be separate anymore. We need to work together. And when we do that, we're on the right track.

Sid: 36:00

One word that best describes Strawberry Hotel's approach to sustainability.

Maria: 36:05

Progressive. We are the rebels in the hospitality industry.

Sid: 36:10

How do you unwind and recharge?

Maria: 36:12

I have two things that for me is training. I've always been very much into sports. I used to play stock in my entire youth and competition gymnastics. and for me today, I love. To combine, hot yoga, which I find very, de stressing and, Relaxing, good for soul and body, but sometimes you also need to feel that you're really getting that frustration out. So I love combining that with either a jogging tour in the forest or a high intensity time in the gym. And secondly, it's my family. to come home to my family every day and to spend the weekend with them, doing things families do together, cooking food and just having a relaxing time.

Sid: 37:05

Excellent. that's conclude today's enlightening conversation. Marie and Maria, thank you so much to both of you for being exceptional guests and sharing your valuable insight on sustainability in the hospitality industry. Thanks a lot.

Maria: 37:19

Thank you. Sid

Sid: 37:23

In today's episode, we dived into the heart of sustainability within the hospitality industry, alongside our guests, Mari Sandrop, and Maria Andersson from Strawberry Hotels. Together, we explored the visionary strategies, community engagement endeavors, and the transformative Strawberry Sustainability Program, from implementation challenges to integrating sustainability across diverse operations, even into the sales department and sports initiatives. We've uncovered the inspiring journey of Strawberry Hotels. Join us next time as we unravel the connection of sustainability with sports events and innovation. Dear listeners, thank you for joining us on this journey through Pre-Zero Sports Talk. A heartfelt appreciation to Mari Sandrop and Maria Anderson for generously sharing their insights. Sustainability isn't just a fancy word, it's a collective commitment. Keep championing a greener world and stay tuned for more insightful discussions. As we wrap up our first season, stepping into the tumultuous world of 2024. Let's remember the power we have to make a positive impact. In these challenging times, may your spirit remain resilient, your actions intentional, and your festive season filled with warmth and connection. Until next year, take care, stay hopeful, and continue being a force for good. If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love your support. Download, drop us a comment and share your ideas for future topics or guests you want to hear from. Hit subscribe so you never miss our upcoming interviews and discussions in season two in a few weeks in 2024. Your engagement fuels our passion for delivering quality content. Thanks for tuning in. Have a great day.