Video: The Red way to be green

Red Hotels won the Sustainable Business Award, sponsored by Nestlé Professional, at the 2011 Cateys for its commitment to environmental practices at its two hotels in Cornwall. The owners tell Janet Harmer that their greatest success has been in creating a team which enthusiastically promotes and adheres to their principles

Staff at two of the UK's most sustainable hotels - the Scarlet and Bedruthan Steps - live and breathe a philosophy that goes far beyond saving energy and recycling waste.

While it is true that the two properties - which together make up Red Hotels - adhere to an impressively long list of sustainable measures, it is the efforts which they both take in creating a sense of wellbeing for the people who work there, as well as those who come to stay, that is most impressive.

The three sisters - Emma Stratton, Debbie Wakefield and Rebecca Whittington - who two years ago opened the 37-bedroom adult-focused Scarlet alongside the long-established, family-orientated, 101-bedroom Bedruthan Steps, operate a business in which the staff, guests and local community are cherished every bit as much as the environment.

Hence the staff do not just serve their guests, they nurture them; while in turn Red Hotels look after their staff in many ways, including encouraging them to take up studying a subject dear to their heart, be it a language or scuba diving.

Such a caring environment is a key element of the luxury offering at the Scarlet, which makes it stand out from its competitors. It has also achieved an indulgent atmosphere, without the excesses - such as wasteful amounts of toiletries - found in similar rated properties.

"For us, the luxury is in the peace and calm that we offer here, alongside exceptional service from thoughtful staff," says Stratton, who looks after the hotel's sustainability policy and marketing.

"You will be professionally welcomed in many five-star hotels, but not necessarily personally welcomed and that is what we aim to provide," she adds. "Luxury hotels can be efficient and beautiful, but there is not much love. We want our interaction with staff to be tangible by really listening to what the guests want. So this could mean, for instance, a member of staff joining a guest, who wants to play a game of tennis."

With the staff producing a brand-new pair of Wellington boots for this correspondent to borrow when disappointment was voiced at not being able to take a walk on the beach because of to a lack of suitable footwear, it is clear nothing is too much bother.

Creating a team of staff who share the sisters' deep-rooted beliefs behind operating a truly sustainable business has been a challenge, but one which has been the key factor in ensuring the on-going success of Red Hotels.