Hilton has expanded its fledgling carbon neutral business meetings initiative to cover properties in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The group launched the programme at eight hotels in the Netherlands in April, and has now extended it to include 60 properties, including 30 in the UK, with more set to be added in the coming months.

In the UK the participating hotels are:

Hilton London Canary Wharf, Hilton London Heathrow Airport, Hilton London Kensington, London Hilton on Park Lane, Hilton London Tower Bridge, The Waldorf Hilton, Hilton London Hyde Park, Hilton Avisford Park, Hilton Brighton Metropole, Hilton Cobham, Hilton Croydon, Hilton East Midlands Airport, Hilton Glasgow, Hilton Glasgow Grosvenor, Hilton Leeds City, Hilton Leicester, Hilton Maidstone, Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, Hilton Northampton, Hilton Nottingham, Hilton Puckrup Hall, Hilton Reading, Hilton Templepatrick, Hilton Watford, Hilton York, Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane, Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh Airport and Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, The Caledonian.

Hilton has partnered with the South Pole Group for the initiative, offering businesses arranging meetings with ten or more delegates “the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of their meetings and events at no extra cost”.

The group said that carbon credits will be allocated to a range of projects which support its Purpose 2030 Goals, from forest regeneration and wildlife protection to clean energy.

Hilton’s Lightstay Meeting Impact Calculator tool will allow customers to view see an estimated carbon footprint for their event using hotel-specific data, with carbon credits then being purchased from the South Pole Group to offset environmental impacts.

Among the projects being supported by the new initiative include a borehole project in Rwanda, the construction of a geothermal power plant in western Turkey, a wastewater treatment project in Thailand, and a wind power project in the US. More information can be found at southpole.com/hilton.

Commenting on the news Tanya Clifford, vice president, Hilton Worldwide Sales EMEA said:

“We know our meetings and events customers share our passion for sustainability and like us, are committed to finding ways to further reduce their environmental footprint.

“Offering carbon neutral meetings at no additional cost is a fantastic addition to existing efforts to limit the environmental impact of our operations and achieve our collective ambitions. We look forward to exploring opportunities to extend the programme in the coming months.”

hilton.com