Rafayel on the Left Bank - London

At a time when being ‘green’ is high on the agenda of the design world, labelling yourself “London’s first eco-luxury hotel” is bound to attract some attention. It is a rather bold claim, after all. But this is no marketing ploy, as Iqbal Latif, the mastermind behind Rafayel on the Left Bank is keen to show.

On a tour of the recently-opened property, located on the south bank of the Thames, Latif explained the concept of the hotel and some of the practices he has employed in order to achieve this eco-luxury model. His ultimate aim is to slash the average hotel guest’s carbon footprint of 70kg per night, to just 17kg. All the while providing the five-star luxury guests have come to expect. “The guest really wants to be energy conscious,” says Latif. “But when it comes down to any compromise, that’s a very tall order.”

Whilst some of the energy saving systems are groundbreaking, others are so straightforward it begs the question as to why more hoteliers are not embracing them. Rafayel has a paperless policy; there is no printed literature in sight and guests are offered electronic reading matter rather than hard copy. There is a ban on plastic water bottles; chilled drinking water is instead provided through mains-fed bottled water system, Vivreau. And there are no heated towel rails, with Latif claiming that the additional 2.5W energy consumption per room would have killed the entire concept.

Latif came across the boomerang-shaped building, originally designed by James Burland as part of the Falcon Wharf development in Battersea, and set about creating a hotel that would have minimal environmental impact without compromising on luxury, quality or comfort. Latif employed the services of design firm Latis for the planning, architectural design, and interior specification working closely with them as co-designer.

The hotel features 65 “smart” guestrooms, 15 apartments, seven riverside suites, two restaurants with indoor and outdoor dining, a champagne bar, lounge, and organic spa with gym and pool, in addition to flexible meeting and conference space. Guestrooms are generously-sized (categorised as Big, Bigger, Even Bigger and Biggest) with the largest measuring up to 700ft2. Each features floor-to-ceiling windows to take advantage of the natural daylight, and combines rich materials with fully recycled Hypnos beds and furniture crafted from sustainable timber.

Whilst some would say that the transportation of the bespoke, Latis-designed furniture from Pakistan does not constitute as being green, Krishan Pattni, Design Director at Latis argues that the concept is about finding a balance: “Being green is a challenging ethos to incorporate into a luxury hotel product. To overcome this we focused on a balanced approach that involved highlighting the key areas of the design where the most significant impact can be achieved.

“We looked at the most effective way to introduce the concept within the context of a commercial project... finding a more cost effective means to procure the furniture has allowed the owner to invest more in sustainable technology.”

Reducing energy consumption through cutting-edge technology has been the main focus of the hotel. Partnering with global electronics giant Philips, Rafayel has become one of the first hotels to adopt a strategy to minimise its environmental impact through the proactive use of low emissions technology, setting a benchmark for future luxury hotels. The halogen-free, all-Philips solution has apparently attracted the attentions of other hotel developers and architects, keen to see its use of sustainable methods. But the numbers speak for themselves. Utilising Philips’ fifth generation lighting, the latest advances in LED technology, the collaboration has produced an impressive 80% reduction in energy consumption. According to an energy audit carried out by Philips, this will translate to a cost saving of almost £130,000 per year. LED spotlights are used in the bathrooms, whilst lamps by Lirio (owned by Philips) feature in the bedroom and lounge area. Colour-changing LEDs are used behind the 13m long curved glass counter in the bar, as well as on the façade, to transform the building at night. Philips has even installed jetlag recovery panels with chromatherapy light in each of the seven executive suites.

The hotel is serviced by a closed air conditioning system designed with heat recovery technology to retain heat from the exhaust air and re-use this to heat fresh air being drawn into the building. In this way the system collects natural heat produced by solar gain and guest occupation reducing overall heating loads.

A rainwater harvesting system forms an integral part of the project, as does VDA’s micromaster room automation technology used to control lighting and temperature within the rooms. The interface also allows guests to monitor their own energy usage through the latest Philips Aurea and Ambilight TVs.

After a £25m investment, the real challenge for Latif now is to deliver the eco-luxury design to the guest. Whether this concept will become a blueprint for the future, or fall by the wayside as the systems prove too costly for the international hotel groups with thousands of rooms on their books remains to be seen. Only time will tell. But those involved in the creation of new hotels ought to take note.

Rafayel on the Left Bank
34 Lombard Rd, London, SW11 3RF, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7801 3600
Web: www.hotelrafayel.com

Rooms 65 guestrooms
Dining Banyan in the Thames, Left Bank Brasserie, MyChelle’s Baketique
Dining Crystal Bar
Leisure River Wellbeing Spa, Gym
Facilities Event space