Zeal celebrates topping out for net zero carbon hotel

Zeal Hotels held a topping-out ceremony for Voco Zeal Exeter Science Park, which aims to be a net zero carbon hotel.

The four-star, 142-bedroom hotel, constructed with half the embodied carbon of a standard hotel, will generate 100% of electricity consumed via the photovoltaic roof and wall panels, positioning it firmly in line with the 2050 Paris Agreement requirements and exceeding 2030 targets.

The building, which achieved the BREEAM Outstanding rating at the design stage, is currently on schedule in week 39 of a 75-week construction programme.

As a fully sustainable operation, produce will be sourced locally or grown on site, stimulate economic growth through job creation and investment.

Voco Zeal Exeter Science Park remains on schedule to complete in December this year, with official opening planned for January 2025.

Zeal Hotels is working with RED Construction South West, part of RED Construction Group, on the project, focusing on reducing emissions rather than offsetting to create an “industry-leading” sustainable hotel brand without compromising on guest experience and comfort levels.

As part of Zeal Hotels’ full life cycle approach, the group will be accountable not only for Scope 1 and 2 emissions but Scope 3 construction and operation supply chains’ emissions.

Zeal has an exclusive agreement with IHG for the hotel, which will trade as the Voco Zeal Exeter Science Park and will be IHG’s first net zero carbon hotel.

Tim Wheeldon, managing director, Zeal Hotels, said: “We are thrilled to have reached this milestone on the road towards completing our first net zero carbon hotel and it is a testament to the dedication of the team at Red Construction South West that we have arrived at this point ahead of schedule.

“We are also tracking ahead of future sustainable goals, having achieved the 2030 sustainability target for carbon emissions during construction and are forecast to hit the 2050 target for energy use during operation. Both are huge goals and in part, are due to the fact the hotel will be generating more solar energy than it will actually use.”

Wheeldon added: “Our journey towards this point dates back more than a decade, when we realised that we needed to take action to try and address and reduce the hotel sector’s role in climate change. We hope to inspire others by proving that affordable hotels can also be responsible.”