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We are committed to a more sustainable future
For us at Hotel St. George, responsible business practices mean concrete actions in our daily lives for the benefit of people, the environment, and the economy. It creates the foundation for our values and holistic well-being. It is a journey that is never finished but requires continuous development, commitment, and action.
Hotel St. George is committed to Strawberry Hotels' ambitious sustainability goals. You can read more about these on the Strawberry Hotels website.
Sustainability in our daily actions
Reducing the use of plastic
We strive to reduce the use of plastic in all of our hotel operations.
Everyday examples: In Finland, tap water is among the purest in the world, and instead of bottled mineral water, our hotel rooms feature water carbonation devices that allow our guests to easily make their own sparkling water. Since the hotel opened, the cosmetic products in our rooms have been in refillable containers. In addition, we have eliminated single-use plastic products and replaced, for example, disposable plastic toothbrushes with bamboo ones, as well as switched to paper packaging materials.
Reducing waste & environmental burden
Small deeds of great significance as a whole.
Everyday examples: At our St. George Care spa, we switched from disposable slippers to reusable slippers, so they last as many as 25 uses instead of just one. At our bakery-cafe, St. George Bakery, we minimize waste by using the ResQ app, among other things, which allows users to pick up usable products from the bakery at the end of the sales day instead of them going to waste. We collect used coffee grounds and use them to make our own coffee liqueur in our cocktail bar, Wintergarden, and send the rest on for further processing into growing soil. Frying fats, in turn, are further processed into biofuel for Finnish Meriaura cargo ships.
Streamlining energy consumption
Our goal is to reduce energy consumption and favor renewable energy.
Everyday examples: Since we do use energy, however, we strive to make responsible choices in selecting energy suppliers. For electricity, we only use certified green electricity, which is produced by wind, hydro, bio, or solar power. This reduces our own carbon footprint, and we are involved in supporting the production of renewable energy. We also strive to minimize the use of gas in our operations. In food production and as an atmosphere creator in the Wintergarden bar, our fireplace uses only 100% certified biogas.
We prefer locally produced & organic ingredients
At St. George Bakery we bake our products on the spot.
Everyday examples: St. George Bakery strives to primarily use locally sourced ingredients and prefers seasonal domestic fruits, vegetables, and berries. Most of all the ingredients are in fact domestic, such as flours, eggs, apples, honey, and cheeses. The organic oat groats for the morning porridge come from Nurmijärvi, and the cold cuts on the bread baked at the Bakery come from Kouvola. Although our menus still include meat products, we are also bringing more and more vegetarian and vegan options alongside them.
Equality & diversity at our hotel
We offer the same opportunities to people from all kinds of backgrounds.
Everyday examples: We train our staff in diversity and equality, as it is important to us that everyone is met and treated equally – that's why we also celebrate Pride Month annually as a reminder of the importance of the topic. In employee satisfaction surveys, we measure our staff's opinion on, among other things, the realization of equality in practice. We address any identified areas for development in accordance with our management system and also encourage each member of our staff to address any issues they observe.
More Sustainable Forms of Transportation
We recommend greener forms of transportation.
Everyday examples: The sights and attractions of the Helsinki metropolitan area are easily accessible by efficient public transport. Our staff recommends and advises our guests on the easiest routes and connections. Public transport is also an affordable and fast way to get from the airport to the hotel, for example. Of course, we understand that public transport is not always an option. Our taxi partners also have all-electric and hybrid cars to choose from in their fleet. Other transport companies recommended by the reception also offer a "greener" option. During the summer season, hotel bicycles are a great way to explore our beautiful city.
Certificates
For sustainable tourism and future
Sustainable Travel Finland
In order for the tourism industry to respond to changing demand and secure its future, development must be sustainable. To this end, Visit Finland has developed the Sustainable Travel Finland program for tourism businesses and regions and the Sustainable Travel Finland label that can be achieved with it. Hotel St. George was awarded this label in the spring of 2025, and the work to develop more sustainable tourism has gained a continuous development model. You can read more about the STF label on Visit Finland's website.
The world's leading eco-label for the tourism industry
Green Key
Hotel St. George has received the Green Key certificate. The Green Key is the world's leading eco-label for the tourism industry and to get it the hotel must meet the required Green Key requirements. These include, for example, planned environmental management in the company, saving water and energy and monitoring consumption, and commitment to responsible business operations. See the Green Key website for more detailed criteria.
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