GreenStar Hotel: A green choice
GreenStar is an ecological Finnish hotel chain that values genuine environmental thinking, durable quality and easy one-stop shopping in its partners.
Genuine eco-friendliness and the lowest possible carbon footprint are cornerstones of the GreenStar hotel chain. That is why the company uses Lindström’s mat service and Comforta’s hotel textiles at its hotels. Locally produced services can be flexibly tailored to meet varying customer needs.
Lindström’s ECO design mat welcomes customers at the GreenStar hotel in Lahti, Finland.
“We share the same green values and a common goal with Lindström: we want to make things easy for the customer. At GreenStar, you do not have to think about every single detail, but can count on strong quality and an optimised environmental perspective across the board,” asserts Chief Operating Officer Jani Juntunen.
The first GreenStar hotel was established in Joensuu, Finland in 2008. CEO Kristian Ikonen’s idea of an ecological hotel with straightforward service is growing into an entire hotel chain: in addition to the hotels in Joensuu, Jyväskylä, and Lahti, a new GreenStar hotel will be opened in Vaasa in early 2020.
Lindström’s mats, Comforta’s hotel textiles
GreenStar hotels have been using Comforta’s hotel textiles from the start. According to Juntunen, who has been involved with GreenStar for a year, cooperation with Comforta’s Tommi Spenato has been excellent:
“Working with Tommi is flexible and smooth. Messages are always answered, problems are solved and there is flexibility. New things also arise all the time: for example, one lesson for our own personnel has been that ecologically treated towels are no longer bright white after harsh bleach treatments.”
“This affects the appearance of textiles, but hygiene is never compromised. These measures are taken specifically at the customer’s request,” confirms Tommi Spenato, emphasising an environmentally friendly solution.
Lindstöm is responsible for the mat service of the GreenStar chain. The chain’s hotels are currently undergoing a rebranding that will gradually become visible in their interior decoration. In addition to impressively shaped design mats, the hotels use ECO design mats made from recycled plastic bottles. Juntunen reports that it has been easy to deal with Lindström’s Hannariikka Haataja and Pia Koivusalo: “For example, when designing the new ECO mat for Vaasa, I was impressed by Pia’s professionalism and solution-focused approach.”
“The operations of Lindström and Comforta simply support our own story. Utilising recycled materials, an environmental perspective in maintenance measures, operating locally and recycling discarded materials – these are things we have in common with Comforta and Lindström, and this unified will is admirably reflected in Lindström’s sustainability report. Perhaps that is why cooperation is easy and natural,” shares Juntunen.
More at an affordable price
The customer does not have to pay more for the hotel’s ecological values when staying at GreenStar. On the contrary. By investing in, for example, alternative energy solutions and a high utilisation rate, the hotel’s accommodation is cheaper than the general standard. The goal is a chain of 8-10 cozy, affordable and ecological hotels aimed at both foreigners and domestic travelers.
“People have fortunately found our hotels well. It is also good for the environment that rooms do not need to be kept empty. The hotels in Joensuu and Jyväskylä have already been very successful, but Lahti and Vaasa also have good buzz,” Juntunen says.
