Award winning eco hotel and spa
The creation of the Scarlet hotel which is located on the cliffs of Mawgan Porth in Cornwall began back in 2006 with a desire to build a truly sustainable hospitality business that successfully balanced people, planet and profit.
The hotel site sits on the edge of the cliffs in a special area of conservation and scientific interest and with the full benefit of South-westerly prevailing winds sweeping over it from the Atlantic. The previous owners sold the site having been unsuccessful with their planning application to create holiday apartments in place of the existing rundown hotel. Winning over the various stakeholders including the local community and the planning and environment agencies was a key first stepping stone.
The design team rapidly came to realise that they needed to be prepared to experiment and push the boundaries of what was viewed as ‘necessary and possible’ in every area of the project design.
Authenticity and sustainability were woven into every step – from the considered demolition and recycling of the existing building, through to the creation of a chemical-free natural swimming pond – a first in a UK hotel environment. The norms of air conditioning and room fridges were put to one side – with natural ventilation, heat recovery and a biomass boiler becoming the core part of an alternative energy reducing strategy.
Every aspect of the project was considered from the prospective of balancing sustainability with affordability and durability. This principle being extended from design through the build and onto every aspect of the hotel and spa operations.
The hotel was launched in 2009, rapidly achieving occupancy rates over 90% that defied local seasonality trends and delivered ARRs similar to those achieved in central London.
Equally importantly, the sustainable culture continued to flourish within the hotel operational team – building and cementing the vision and creating a learning culture which also extended to working with local suppliers and creating a green circular economy, supporting sustained economic growth and vitality across the local area.
The hotel has gone on to win numerous awards both for its hospitality and wellness as well as its pioneering approach to sustainability.
Client: Red Hotels Ltd – owner/operators Rebecca Whittington & Emma Stratton
Consultant Team: Architects Harrison Sutton Partnership, Builders & Structural Engineers Bauwerk, M&E Engineers Hoare Lea, Lead Designer Rebecca Whittington
Advisory Panel: George Martin (Building Performance Network); Dr Nick Bayliss (Happiness & Life Skills Psychologist), Alastair Sawday (Special places to stay); (Manda Brookman (CoaST one planet tourism network),