Energy & resources

As a Green Key certified establishment, we make special efforts to protect the environment. Buses, trains and bikes are environmentally friendly alternatives to cars. The Kursaal Bern is centrally located in the city of Bern. We are easy to reach on foot or by public transport. We have both a tram stop and a bus stop located right on our doorstep. All hotel guests receive a Bern Ticket that allows them to use the city's public transport for free – and two-thirds of them take advantage of this offer.

As a Green Key establishment, we want to drive sustainability forward. Our underground car park has six charging stations with a charging capacity of up to 22 kW for all makes of vehicle. These are operated by move.ch. This car park also houses four bike boxes with power sockets but no chargers. Our guests can use these sockets to charge their e-bikes for free.

As a Green Key establishment, we choose environmentally friendly solutions. We only use 100% biodegradable cleaning products for daily cleaning. Our so-called maintenance detergents are made from botanical and mineral ingredients and do not contain any fragrance or colouring agents. They reduce waste water and also protect the health of our employees, without sacrificing the comfort of our guests.

As a Green Key certified establishment, we save energy. LED bulbs use almost 90% less electricity than traditional light bulbs. Our use of LED bulbs reduces both our electricity consumption and our CO₂ emissions, while maintaining the same level of performance. By replacing the mirror lights in the Atrium and the lighting in the Aare meeting room with LED lighting, we were able to cut our annual CO₂ emissions by around 1,835 kg. In this way, we reduced our energy consumption – but not at the expense of comfort.

As a Green Key certified establishment, sustainability is important to us. We use renewable Swiss hydropower from our energy partner BKW.

As a Green Key establishment, we are actively committed to sustainability. We have installed LED lights with motion sensors throughout the back office area wherever possible and appropriate. This saves electricity, as only the areas with people in them are illuminated. If areas are empty, they stay dark.

As a Green Key establishment, we are committed to conserving resources. We use modern, environmentally friendly heat recovery technology and cold water instead of chemical coolants to cool our rooms. Heat recovery technology allows us to capture the heat energy created in the process of cooling the water and use it to heat our hot water. This system is much more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient than before, without compromising on comfort.

As a Green Key certified establishment, saving energy is important to us. The new speed-controlled pumps installed at the Bühnenhaus in 2017 reduce our overall heating consumption by around 3%, meaning 9,500 kg less CO₂ is emitted every year.

As a Green Key establishment, we want to minimise our carbon footprint. A heat recovery valve that was also installed at the arena in 2017 reduces the energy required to heat the Kursaaal Arena, meaning 15,000 kg less CO₂ is emitted every year.