Room2 is a game-changer in the hospitality industry and many of its peers should be taking a leaf out of its book (pun, incoming) because this unique hotel brings a whole new sense of green living to the hotel game. Or should that be hometel?
Room2 Chiswick steps away from polished neat interiors and instead offers a relaxed setting that feels real to the touch with genuine connection to craftsmanship and community. Inspired by the spirit of Chiswick’s 19th century arts and crafts heritage and recognising the climate situation, room2 Chiswick – the world’s first whole life net zero hotel – combines handcrafted local design with much reduced environmental impact, proving that style doesn’t come at the expense of the environment.
Style and decor
As guests enter the hotel, they’re welcomed by reclaimed terracotta floors in the lobby, covered in locally sourced plants, inspired by Kew Gardens greenhouses. The plants sit beneath reclaimed pendant lights to offer guests a green oasis from the bustling street outside. The entrance area pays homage to William Morris’s iconic Red House, with 100 per cent natural exposed concrete slabs and handmade tiles.
As we’re shown to our room, the friendly member of staff tells us that the corridors are lined with unique carpets made from plastic fishnets collected from the ocean. Other bespoke features include handmade mosaic signs on each bedroom door, which were manufactured by local designer Janita OToole in lockdown, and a hand-crafted coffee table which features artwork from a local artisan, helping to boost the local economy. The bedrooms are all fitted with extra touches, such as dried flowers and handmade bits and bobs boxes.
Through procurement agency Dodd & Shute, each piece of furniture has been carefully selected to avoid hindering the environment, many of which also promote a circular economy beyond the current useful life. All the loose bespoke furniture, along with the headboards and banquettes have been manufactured within 10 miles of the property using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) timber and a total of 4,462 trees were planted to offset the carbon of all the furniture used.
World first
As the first hotel in the world to fully account for its entire carbon footprint, making it ‘whole life net zero’, the colourful room2 Chiswick hometel has a multitude of sustainable efforts under its belt. Reducing energy demand through design, room2 Chiswick uses ultra-energy efficient lighting, occupancy sensors across the building, solar panels and ground source heat pumps, which convert 100 per cent of the energy needed for heating, cooling and hot water. Other sustainable initiatives include a blue roof, which can hold up to 50,000 litres of rainwater to reduce localised flooding and a green roof, boasting soil and wildflowers to increase biodiversity and absorb CO2. room2 Chiswick is also zero waste to landfill, and one of the first hotels to separate food waste from mixed packaging in custom-made in-room recycling bins.
room2 Chiswick embraces leading hardware and software technology to achieve pioneering energy efficiencies, with some developed in-house. Renewable energy is maximised on site with solar and ground source heat pumps, which convert 100 per cent of the energy needed for heating, cooling and hot water. Two lab rooms collect data on water and energy use, along with air quality, and learn from guest habits to refine and improve future efficiencies.
Ultra-low flow pressure showers use less water with aerated water fixtures and ultra-energy efficient lighting and appliances are combined with occupancy sensors across the building. The blue roof reduces localised flooding by slowly discharging up to 50,000 litres of rainwater, and the green roof boasts 200 tonnes of soil and wildflowers, planted to increase biodiversity, and absorb CO2, along with beehives and bug hotels.
Home from home
Branded as a place to live, not just to stay, guests can expect a relaxed and informal experience at room2 Chiswick. Whether staying for two nights or two months, room2 Chiswick has created a thoughtfully designed environment for a living experience that suits everyone.
With fully equipped kitchenettes, mattress menu and full 24-hour stay, room2 allows guests to personalise their visit and stay more comfortably for longer. The new hometel also offers a laundry room, gym with Peloton equipment, as well as an independently run café by day and cocktail bar by night specialising in locally sourced organic food, coffee, and wine.
24-hour stays with 2pm check in and check out means way more flexibility and every guest has access to the gym, bar and restaurant.
Location, location, location
As well as its fabulous location in the heart of Chiswick, room2 also has two more locations in Southampton and Hammersmith. room2 Chiswick, which only opened in December 2021, marked the world’s first fully whole life net zero hotel.
room2 has a further pipeline of live projects across the UK with a Gross Development Value of over £100 million, including sites in Belfast, Fulham and Liverpool, featuring a mix of wholly owned assets and those pre-leased to room2 by development partners.
The Lamington Group, an independent family-owned real estate investment and development company, which was founded in the 1960s and is based in West London, is behind the unique concept. The brainchild of brothers Robert and Stuart Godwin, former members of the British Olympic Development Sailing team, room2 hometels combine the best elements from Airbnb, serviced apartments and boutique hotels in an offering designed to appeal equally to corporate and leisure guests and those seeking alternative forms of residential accommodation.
For more information visit room2.com/chiswick
