Solar powered Laois retreat is Ireland's Best Sustainable Accommodation

Laois’s luxury country house Inch House Ireland has been named Best Sustainable Accommodation in Ireland.

The Stradbally based guest house and event venue won the accolade at the European tourism sustainability award GrINN Awards 2022 on Wednesday, November 9.

The country house is powered by solar energy, offers electric vehicle charging, banned single use plastics, recycles and has measures to reduce food waste and has installed water efficient showers and toilets.  Inch House sleeps up to 30 people and boasts a hot tub and fire pits.  

Inch House Managing Director Michael Fitzpatrick was delighted with the award and he praised the people of Laois for their support during Covid. “The people of Laois really rallied and everyone supported us,” he said.

Mr Fitzpatrick praised his co-workers Shauna and Evan. Having worked in the hospitality industry in Dublin for years Mr Fitzpatrick took the plunge and opened his family home to guests in 2016. He said he wanted other people to experience the beauty of the area where he had grown up. 

In terms of energy use, Mr Fitzpatrick was forward thinking in his decision to install solar panels and batteries. He estimates that 95 percent of Inch House’s supply is solar powered in the summer and the figure drops to between 60 and 70 percent in the winter. 

“Myself and my family discussed it and decided that this is going to be the future,” he recalled. 

“It was something I wanted all along, was to make sure the business was sustainable,” he said. 

Mr Fitzpatrick said:  "The GRINN European Sustainability Awards have been designed, in my opinion, to raise awareness in businesses on how we can all play a part in sustainability and of course, to give recognition to those who have acted in their own way.

The world is an ever-changing place, talking about research in sustainability and renewable energy is vital for development in response to climate change, however, the most important action you can take is your own." 

He said: "Ireland as a nation is a small player in a large international field, just like Inch House Ireland is a small player on the island of Ireland, the point being, we can all only do our piece and like a puzzle, once you put all the pieces together you create a bigger picture.

Whatever image of sustainability is on your puzzle segment, you have a board to place your piece on and we encourage you to play your part. It will all come together provided we all place our piece down, thus resulting in a bigger picture for all humanity to be proud of."

Organised by Quartz Inn Hotels, -the first European hotel group made up of independent and sustainable properties- the GrINN Awards 2022 reward excellence in European sustainable tourism, with the main objective of promoting sustainable and responsible practices in the sector. 

Plans underway to build €1.5million Laois Civil Defence headquarters

Hundreds of accommodations, companies and tourism leaders from 28 European countries have participated in this edition in its 50 categories.

On Wednesday, awards organiser, Alexander Zawadzki  commented from the World Travel Market in London: “Our most sincere congratulations to the team at Inch House for all their efforts in terms of sustainability. They are doing an outstanding job and truly deserve this award.”

“We invite all accommodation providers and tourism leaders that are making sustainable progress to apply to our next edition and encourage other people to be more environmentally conscious,” he concluded.