Stories From the Trails: The Hotel Canoe & Suites Serves Up Zero-Waste Coffee
The Hotel Canoe & Suites has said ‘no more’ to disposable coffee cups. With their new coffee program, the Hotel Canoe is not only helping position Banff and Lake Louise as a leader in nature positive tourism, but they are also providing a world-class visitor experience – one cup at a time!
Welcoming Guests with Sustainable Hospitality
Picture this: a guest arrives at the hotel after a long journey eager to finally see the mountains of Banff National Park. They can’t wait to check into their room, have a coffee, and then get back outside to explore the sights.
On arrival, they’re greeted with a friendly smile and, at check in, they’re offered a choice of ground coffee or tea. The ground coffee is kept fresh in a glass jar and transferred into a reusable bamboo bag for the guest to take away, tea leaves are also provided!
This experience gets even better when the guest arrives at their hotel room. A pristine kettle, ceramic mugs, and a pour-over are set up ready for use. There’s even a small compost container for coffee grounds and tea leaves, completing the sustainable experience.
“The program is our way of showing appreciation to our guests. We want every visitor to Banff to be able to create their own adventure and our coffee program means that we are tailoring individual experiences from the moment guests walk through our doors,” shared Emma Wilkins, Front Office Manager.
A Bad Coffee is a Bad Experience
The program aims to solve two problems many hotels have: bad coffee and tea, and too much waste. Often, guests are provided with disposable plastic-wrapped cups and coffee in a sachet. This hotel has used its creative initiative to step away from that.
“Based on personal observation, many hotel guests try the coffee in their rooms to see if it is any good. They realize it is poor so they leave it in their room and go looking for better coffee somewhere else,” says Peter DuBeau, Hotel Canoe’s General Manager. “Therefore, not only does this create a wasted opportunity to create a good guest experience, but it also wastes energy and coffee, and the packaging at the same time!”
A guest of the hotel shared, “My favourite part was the zero-waste custom coffee bar. We were asked at check in if we would like coffee or tea and for our milk preferences. A little bag was curated for us to enjoy in the morning in our room. It was perfect!”
That’s proof that the energy poured into developing and implementing this program is truly worthwhile.
Peter says, “We will heartily admit is takes a lot of people making a lot of effort to get this done. But that’s what is usually required to create a paradigm shift.”
Throughout the new hotel, guest experiences have been considered with a sustainable approach. That benefits both the visitor and the park.
All guests are provided with local Banff Roam Transit passes, natural and biodegradable soap and hygiene products from Rocky Mountain Soap Company in every bathroom, and there’s even an in-room energy management and climate control system.
Sudden Sally, the restaurant at the Hotel Canoe, along with its sister location Downtown Sally, also offer the Banff Borrows Reusable Cup Program. Visitors can pick up one of the reusable to-go cups and return at any location that features the program.
Find out more about the Banff Borrows program and how you can participate here.
Stories from the Trails is a series sharing learning, success, and insights, from our members and partners as we journey together towards the 10-Year Vision for Tourism. This story embodies the Visitor Experience and Nature Positive & Climate Action Trails.
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Share your story! What initiatives are happening in your business or organization that support our shared vision for tourism? Email us! members@banfflakelouise.com