Lydia Hotel was recognized with the Green Key label

Lydia became the first hotel in Tartu to be awarded the Green Key label! We are extremely happy that our daily steps in terms of sustainability have been marked by Green Key, which is an internationally known eco-label for tourism companies, with a goal to recognize environmentally friendly and sustainable operations. You can read more about Green Key HERE.

The Green Key label lets our visitors know that the company is committed to reducing its environmental impact. From garbage sorting and food waste collection for farms to more economical consumption of electricity and water - the goal is to leave as small a footprint as possible. Lydia Hotel's activities have been documented through an impartial audit by the international leader of Green Key, the Foundation for Environmental Education.

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Steps towards sustainability

On average, we throw away 15 bags of single-use slippers each week, and often the slippers have been tried on only once. This shows that their use is not always necessary. We have decided to stop placing single-use slippers in our rooms. However, if you find that you need slippers during your stay, our hotel reception will be happy to provide them for you.

We are consciously more and more on the way to sustainability and of course, we also include our lovely guests in our green journey. One step at a time our sustainability journey is to reduce the generated garbage - including reduction of food waste.

Our hotel's breakfast rich selection has always received praise and therefore we want to carefully store our good food so leftovers would not end up in the trash. In cooperation with Green Tiger, we carried out the campaign: "Trust your gut feeling - it is always right!", with which we recommend taking a suitable portion of delicious food at the breakfast table to enjoy it calmly and later increase if necessary - this is how we have already made a small contribution. From 2023, Lydia Hotel and Restaurant Hõlm switched over to the use of eggs only from free-range chickens.

In addition to food waste, we also want to reduce emerging paper waste. For this purpose, we have created an opportunity for guests to read an online newspaper Postimees for free using Lydia hotel's WiFi.

We have also created garbage sorting possibilities in the common areas of the hotel in order to introduce a green lifestyle among our guests as well.

Fotod: Dambis Eesti OÜ

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Tartu Smart Bike Share & green city

Lydia Hotel can also be conveniently reached by two-wheeler - it is one of the greenest modes of transportation and a good way to reduce the environmental impact we cause. Thanks to the bicycle circulation project of the city of Tartu, everyone can conveniently rent either an electric or a regular bike and go explore the city of good ideas. You can find more information about the Tartu Smart Bike Share and bicycle parking lots near the Lydia hotel HERE. The city of Tartu offers wonderful opportunities to enjoy greenery and walking in the parks right in the heart of the city. Lydia is located next to Pirogov Park, where you can walk to the picturesque Toomemägi. From the hotel, you can go across the road to Barclay Square, which leads directly to the world full of history, to the Barclay de Tolly monument.
We recommend our guests visit museums in Tartu, which also contribute to and engage in the green initiatives.

Since 2023, Tartu has had the platinum recognition of green destinations.
Read more about green destination Tartu here.


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Small actions count

We believe that even small steps have a big impact. Especially when we consider the environment around us and taking care of it. We have replaced our usual washing products in the hotel room with Rituals brand products. A brand that is much loved by our guests. The new products are in a bigger bottle, so we generate less packaging waste every day.

 In addition, we replaced the cardboard coasters in the hotel rooms, which are now made of silicone - so they are washable and reusable on a daily basis.


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Reducing paper waste

To continue our journey towards a greener environment, Lydia Hotel joined the Hotelbuddy platform in 2024. This solution allows guests to check in online and also offers mobile key access, reducing paper usage.

Guests can easily access information about breakfast, the spa lounge, fitness room, pillow selection, and much more – all designed to make their stay with us even more convenient and comfortable.

     

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Honeybees at Lydia

On May 20th 2021, our newest suites were created on the roof of Lydia Hotel - two beehives with nearly 100,000 bees living in them. The installation of beehives was part of the year of green actions of Estiko Group and Lydia Hotel, through which we want to contribute more and more to the green living environment and contribute to the preservation of Tartu's biodiversity.


Lydia's bees come from the village of Lõhavere in Viljandi country under the hands of beekeeper Laine Jürgenson. Bees of the Krain breed are generally very calm and only fly between their hive and the collection area.


Our hives are insulated so the bees also stay during the winter on the roof of the hotel. We usually take honey twice during the summer: in July and at the end of August. We get an average of 15-25 kg of honey from both hives.

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YEAR OF GREEN ACTIONS 
by Estiko Group and Lydia Hotel

We believe that for many of you, keeping the environment around us and sustainability is a topic close to your heart - so it is for us, too. Lydia Hotel is a part of the Estiko Group, and 2021 was the YEAR OF GREEN ACTIONS for the companies of the Estiko Group. This means that we not only think green, but also implement our thoughts and act green!

Together with 300 Estiko employees, we planned joint events and individual challenges - we regularly get rid of digital waste, use more green energy, launch new collaborative projects, create better options for sorting garbage, etc.

On May 13, 2021, we took part in the forest planting project and together nearly 2,000 spruce seedlings were planted in the soil.