The Dutch lifestyle and hotel company, citizenM, on Thusday announced its ongoing commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities — underscoring the brand’s forward-looking attitude and community-minded approach to development and operations.
As the brand expands its portfolio across Europe, Asia and North America, it focuses on its environmental and social vision and goals – “influencing positive change in a world where we are simply guests,” as citizenM’s leaders have said.
To achieve key ESG priorities, citizenM has announced it will future-proof all hotels while creating greener, healthier and more sustainable buildings. This will include using smart, sustainable design and construction, and by optimizing energy use in every hotel, as well as continued community investment through art and education initiatives. They also support nonprofit groups and longstanding charity partners such as World Bicycle Relief and the citizenMovement Foundation.
Related highlights for citizenM in 2020 included a 25% year-over-year jump in the brand’s Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) ranking, as well as green building certifications for its Boston, Washington, D.C., and Seattle hotels. In Europe, citizenM Amstel Amsterdam joined citizenM London Shoreditch in receiving the Outstanding BREEAM certification for construction – the highest level – while Tower of London was awarded the Excellent BREEAM certification. In the Netherlands, all four hotels were recertified under BREEAM, the leading international sustainability assessment method.
In 2021 the company will also reach a number of important milestones, including the opening of its modular citizenM Los Angeles Downtown property. The project was recently awarded the largest-ever hospitality financing package (US$42 million) under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program. It’s the third largest C-PACE loan in U.S. history – furthermore, the second largest in California history, after a hospital recipient of C-PACE – and the largest ever in the hospitality sector, according to CBRE.
For outside verification of progress, each year citizenM participates in the third-party GRESB assessment. GRESB – formerly known as the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark – is a mission-driven, investor-led organization that has standardized ESG data. Since 2008, GRESB has been the global benchmark for real estate and, more recently, infrastructure. It has covered more than 96,000 assets and 540 infrastructure portfolios – and over 100 investors use this data to steer the industry towards a more sustainable future.
Positive movements
Through its ESG activities, citizenM seeks to be a good neighbor in every community it calls home. The brand starts by making positive changes – from building hotels to operating them – in society. During the COVID-19 pandemic, citizenM donated unused hotel iPads to those affected – patients, children, the elderly, the sick and healthcare employees. The initiative helped loved ones stay connected and allowed children without computers to attend online classes during the lockdowns. So far, citizenM has donated 1,021 iPads: that’s 271 from the Paris Gare de Lyon hotel, 250 from Tower of London, 250 from London Bankside, 100 from New York Bowery, and 150 from Rotterdam.
To thank the behind-the-scenes heroes during the pandemic, citizenM also held a worldwide 1,000-room giveaway on social media. The winners received two free nights in a citizenM hotel.
The community support extends to art and education initiatives. In partnership with Vitra and the Glasgow School of Art, or GSA, citizenM is challenging postgraduate design students to submit their take on three iconic Vitra pieces which need refurbishment. Launched in January 2021, the students’ brief is to focus on sustainable design. Once they submit their proposals, three students will be selected by a panel of industry experts to take their ideas through to completion, resulting in three pieces of furniture with a new lease of life. One will return to citizenM Glasgow, while the other two will be available for sale on Artsy and fund a bursary for future design students at the Glasgow School of Art.
In 2020, citizenM donated US$272,700 (€224,000) to charity partner World Bicycle Relief. This has funded 500 bikes for Bicycle Response Against Covid Emergency in Malawi and a further 680 bikes to mobilize four more schools in rural Kenya. World Bicycle Relief awarded citizenM with the ‘Trailblazer Award’ honoring the company’s ongoing support in tackling issues of transportation, poverty and social justice. To date, citizenM has raised just under US$1 million (€800,000) for the citizenMovement Foundation.
The feeling within citizenM is that when it comes to environmental and social goals and better corporate governance, there’s no such thing as standing still. Says, “While we’re very pleased with our progress in ESG, citizenM still faces plenty of challenges.
“We want to integrate our ESG strategy into all areas of our business operations, while exploring longer-term opportunities like embedding social, environmental and climate resilience attributes into our buildings,” said citizenM CEO Klaas van Lookeren Campagne. “Moving forward, we’re focusing on the ESG issues most important to our stakeholders, improving the accuracy of our data and future-proofing all our hotels.”