QO AMSTERDAM

SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES

WHAT MAKES US THE QO

The QO doesn’t just want to reduce its environmental impact; it wants to re-think the way hotels are and change them to become more sustainable stand-alone units whilst integrating them to become part of the neighbourhood

The QO wants to prove that embracing a sustainable, circular approach is the only way to create a genuinely positive impact – for both people and planet. This is the way for the future of hospitality.

This concept means more than just ticking a few eco-friendly boxes: it runs throughout the building, products and operations. At times it will be clear to see and other times it isn’t noticeable at all. Instead guests will experience the energy that comes from a place truly committed to the planet and the people that live on it.

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Environmental Impact

EnergyThe QO is all about energy. The unique design of the building allows us to use 80% natural lighting.

Water consumptionThe QO created a grey water system to significantly limit the waste water. All the water that comes from the showers and sinks will be used again to flush the toilets. We use less shower pressure to save water but have more than enough for your comfort. We also bottle our own water.

Waste reduction & recycling At the QO we have goals and ambitions for the future regarding waste reduction and recycling. We wish to be paper en waste free. We are working very hard to realize these goals.

Local, healthy and sustainable foodAt Persijn we use mainly locally sourced ingredients, including fresh produce from our very own greenhouse. Not only is it rich, but it also happens to constitute the perfect basis for a healthy and sustainable diet. Juniper & Kin is QO’s soul. We serve pure food with fresh ingredients from our very own greenhouse and from local farms.

Social Commitment

Be they our guests, the local community, our partners or our team, we look after each other. We don’t sweat the small things – if we can help out, we will.

EmployeesWe’re here to ensure everyone who comes through our doors - guests and staff alike - leaves with a feeling of renewed energy.

Our team is sociable, easy-going and knowledgeable, we love what we do and are committed to the world around us. Feeling connected with locals and life is important, therefore we believe in social investment, providing inspiration sessions, workshops, training's etc.

We offer everybody equal employment and equal opportunities in our organization. Also offering additional benefits such as a collective health insurance, discounted fitness possibilities and an extra vacation day as a birthday present.

SocietyWe continuously work together with our community for the advancement of sustainable development and social involvement.

We encourage our guests to explore our local community, buy local products and use local services, by sharing relevant and inspirational stories/activities in the Amsterdam greater area.

Our team can spend 8 hours per year volunteering for local charity or even donate one or more extra-statutory vacation days to a local charity.

We make an effort to support several good causes. For example a 24 hour cooking fund raising event for the benefits of the Red Cross in 2019, and Movement on the Ground for integration of refugees in our society.

Social Commitment

Safety and Security

Aside from creating the energy in our hotel that facilitate fresh thinking we have also taken all necessary precautionary measures to create a safe and healthy environment.

Be it through our continuous efforts to improve working conditions and well-being at work, but also by taking care of the safety of our staff and guests.

Our Emergency Response Team is trained to provide the necessary basic first aid assistance. We organize fire and safety drills on a regular basis and also regular quality, safety and hygiene audits to ensure that we stay committed.

Current Practices

Be like the Dutch, ride like the Dutch We partnered up with Roetz, a sustainable and social

enterprise that believes in second chances in their pursue of a circular and inclusive future. Our partnership with Urbee allows us to provide our guests an e-bike as a perfect solution for trips up to 20km. Riding an e-bike is a new, healthy and sustainable way of transportation.

For our guests with an electric car, we have Tesla Destination Charging available at our hotel parking.

Going full circle The natural world works in cycles. It’s now crucial that we move

away from our linear, ‘take, make and dispose’ approaches and adopt circular ones to ensure we live within our means.

We make a point of using long-lasting instead of throwaway items. We reuse, repurpose or recycle before we even consider discarding something. We’re proud to put this into practice throughout the QO. It’s the force behind our greenhouse – the core of our living building – where you can see the concept brought to life.

Treasure from trash

The materials used in both construction and interior design have been chosen for their circularity credentials, provenance and relevance to the QO’s story and vision. Our commitment to this literally runs throughout the hotel; almost a third of the concrete used in the construction of the QO came from Amsterdam’s iconic old Shell building. The Netherlands’ history with the sea lives on in our carpets, which are made from 100% recycled yarn previously used in fishing nets. Finally, we want the QO to be as free of materials with toxic emissions as possible therefore we have checked elements from the wood to the wallpaper against this marker.

Circularity in action

Our greenhouse is the perfect example of how we envisage a living building. And what it means to make that a reality. By developing a fully functioning, self-sufficient and self-regulating ecosystem, we have created an active approach to circularity that filters through every floor of the QO.

Warmth for water

Buried 70m below the ground is our underground energy storage system; a thermal aquifer typical of the way energy is used in the Netherlands. Put simply, this means taking heated water from the hotel in the summer when we don’t need it and storing it underground until we do. We then increase the heat once more by pumping it back out of the ground and into the hotel. Keeping the QO, and you, at just the right temperature.

Grey means green

One of the key ways we’ve introduced circularity into our operations is with our use and reuse of water. It’s one of the highest-volume resources in a hotel, and as such it shouldn’t only be one-use.

Intelligent facade

The exterior of the QO is one of the most visible elements of circularity that shape our living building. Made up of a series of fully responsive thermal panels, it adapts and reacts to the climate outside the hotel, working as one or individually to control the temperature inside.

Current Practices