Hand with Globe

Good planets, like good hotels, are hard to find.

Hotels are full of hidden negative impacts. And we’re coming for them.

It’s time to expose hidden hotel negative impacts. We're sniffing them out, pulling them to the surface to reduce or transform them into positives for our guests, local communities, and our planet.
Happy Group of People at the U Bar Sharing a Drink

Good things happen at The Usual.

When it comes to the perfect city stay, The Usual playbook is anything but usual. Come for the well-considered design hotel experience. Stay for the warm atmosphere, where guests feel like friends. Every aspect of The Usual is driven by experience: human, energetic, and social. Whether you’re a guest, or local - good things happen at The Usual. 

Say hello to regenerative hospitality.

For so long, sustainability has simply been about reducing, reusing, and recycling. Regenerative hospitality is a concept that goes beyond traditional sustainability practices in the hospitality industry. Regenerative hospitality seeks to create positive impacts. It's about not just reducing harm, but actively contributing to the betterment of the environment and society.

We are committed to a better future for hospitality. While we recognise that it is impossible to erase or offset the negative impact that a hotel might have entirely, our mission is to reduce these negative impacts while also creating a more positive place that will benefit travellers and locals alike. We don't want to treat this planet like a hotel. Some of the things we are doing differently include:

100% Renewable energy

Our hotels in Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Brussels are 100% driven by renewable energy and fully off the gas-grid. Our Brussels and Antwerp locations will have additional onsite green energy production using solar panels.

Water donations with MadeBlue

We donate 100 litres of clean drinking water to a developing country for each night a guest stays in our hotels. This can provide a family of four with clean drinking water for one day. This is organised via the MadeBlue Foundation.

Smarter water use

With water saving showerheads, taps, and toilets, we anticipate a 40% reduction in guest water consumption compared to if we had chosen industry standard products without these attributes.

LED lighting

Hotels need a lot of lighting. 100% of our lighting is LED, as opposed to traditional incandescent lighting. This means we will be able to reduce the energy consumed by lighting by up to 85%. Our bulbs also last 25 times longer than traditional incandescent lighting.

Designing towards circularity

The furniture and finishings in our hotels have been handpicked based on our principles. Our Auping Revive Circular mattresses are 100% circular. The wood we use in our in room furniture is from either FSC Certified managed forests or is a custom made base composed primarily of recycled woodchips.

Sustainable certifications

Our newest buildings are forecasted to be BREAAM In-Use certified at Level Excellent by Q2, 2024. What's more, our Rotterdam location is slated to be one of the first hotels to receive an Outstanding Level accreditation in Europe. Operations will be further certified by ​​Green Key, a service proudly operated by the Foundation for Environmental Education, by Q2, 2024.

Our incredible partners.

Auping Circular Mattresses
Auping's fully circular mattresses

Know what you sleep on with Auping. The Auping Revive Circular Mattress was developed together with Niaga®. They have recorded the (origin of) all materials in the Product Passport. See for yourself - simply scan the Niaga® label on the side of the mattress with your smartphone, to discover exactly what your mattress is made of.

Moyee Coffee
Moyee Coffee

Moyee's impact report puts it perfectly: "our goal at Moyee is to usher in the Fourth Wave of coffee, which focuses not only on great quality but also on radical impact at origin. To us, great quality and great impact go hand in hand, or should."

Mater Design

Mater Design's "Earth Stool" sits nicely in our Social Space The U. "The new ground-breaking production technique allows Mater to reuse waste materials and turn it into useful and unique design solutions. Created to support a circular design thinking and the UN SDGs: “Responsible Consumption and Production” (SDGs 12), “Climate Action” (SDGs 13) and “Partnership for the Goals” (SDGs 17)."

the good floor
The Good Floor

Rotterdam-based company CLEAR RIVERS collects plastic waste with their Litter Traps placed in the New Meuse river. The usable collected plastics are sorted, chipped, and recycled by The Good Floor into a flooring solution.

Woodio

Woodio describes themselves perfectly: "We are a Finnish modern-minded company. We offer contemporary, lasting design manufactured sustainably. Every step counts when it comes to reducing the carbon footprint. This basic principle of ours extends throughout our whole production chain – from the sourcing of our raw materials to manufacturing, long-term use, and disposal."

Group high five
Let's build together

Want to join forces? Hit us up: partners@theusual.com

Voedseltuin Kale in Urban Garden

Our community initiatives.

City by city, we're looking for local charities with a connection to our social and environmental Sustainable Development Goals to support and collaborate with. From plastic retrieval to regenerative urban farming projects, we're excited to launch these upcoming partnerships alongside the opening of our hotels.

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