As the first hotel in Norway, Clarion Hotel The Hub hired a person in the new role of CSR & Sustainable Business Lead. Maiken Fransisca Olsen will ensure that the nearly 400 employees at the hotel do their utmost to achieve the sustainability goals the hotel has set.
– One of the things I find most exciting about Nordic Choice Hotels is the strong focus on human resources. Many of the positive environmental savings we as a hotel can achieve are largely driven by employees. When a hotel is also a complex system of very different occupational groups, I think we have many important focus areas that we can address in the future, says Maiken.
Maiken holds master’s degrees in global social planning and development management and background from both private business and INGO – a strength to understand how profit and sustainability must interact.
Clarion Hotel The Hub is the size of any major Norwegian company, and it is clear that this involves significant logistics and structuring to implement the objectives set. Maiken is not unknown to the hotel as she has been Sustainability Coach in 2019 through a collaboration with GreenCo. Sustainability is an important focus and by employing Maiken in a 20% position, the hotel will be able to help increase employee engagement, reduce food waste, recycle all waste and increase focus on biodiversity. Some may think that there is a big leap from research in climate adaptation and contingency planning to the hotel industry, but for Maiken this has been absolutely right.
– When I know what changes are needed, this only drives me forward. I have a strong belief that green business will only grow in the years to come. The fact that the hotel chooses to invest in this area by hiring a dedicated sustainability manager shows that they take the global environmental challenges we face seriously. I hope I can help motivate for common action. This is a work that must be integrated into operations, it is not an isolated job for one alone; we will live up to people, the planet, profit, continues Maiken.
As one of Scandinavia’s largest hotels, it is no secret that Clarion Hotel The Hub’s business also has a significant environmental impact. The hotel is working towards becoming a leading player in sustainable hotel management by integrating environmental goals and corporate social responsibility at all operational levels. Investing in sustainable practices is crucial to surviving future business operations, but more importantly, showing commitment to current generations by acting now.
– The fact that we make environmentally smart choices has also become a premise for being chosen as a hotel. We are expected to be in the driver’s seat. This responsibility takes the Clarion Hotel The Hub very seriously and, as the first Norwegian hotel, has chosen to hire a CSR & Sustainable Business Lead to ensure that we have the best expertise in the house. Our guests should be confident in our choice of hotel, says Eliin Kittelsen, Assistant Director of Clarion Hotel The Hub.