Kilmurry Lodge Hotel: How a 3-Star Hotel Built a 5-Star Sustainability Culture
A People-Powered Green Transformation in Limerick
Kilmurry Lodge Hotel is a proud, family-run 3-star property in Limerick, known for warm Irish hospitality and a loyal guest base. But in recent years, the team recognised that exceptional service also meant taking responsibility for their environmental impact. Sustainability wasn’t a new idea at Kilmurry, but the approach had been informal, reactive, and inconsistent. As Hazel McCarthy, People & Culture Manager, explains, “Our hotel has always prided itself on providing exceptional Irish hospitality, but we recognised that we needed to formalise our approach to sustainability.”
Before joining Fifty Shades Greener’s Green Manager Programme, the hotel faced several challenges familiar to most hospitality businesses. Energy consumption was high and unmonitored, waste segregation varied from department to department, and single-use plastics were common. Staff engagement was limited, with only 25% of employees feeling confident in environmental practices. Kilmurry had no formal environmental management system, no established targets, and little visibility of their efforts to guests or stakeholders. Their goal was simple: make sustainability something the whole team understood, owned, and lived, without compromising guest experience.
Inefficient Resource Management
Kilmurry faced high and unmonitored energy consumption, inconsistent waste segregation, excessive single-use plastics, and no structured systems for tracking or reducing environmental impact.
Low Staff Engagement & Confidence
Only 25% of staff felt confident in sustainability practices, and there was no coordinated training, accountability, or shared ownership across departments.
No Formal Sustainability Framework or Visibility
The hotel lacked an environmental management system, had no defined sustainability targets, and had limited visibility of their environmental efforts — internally or to guests and stakeholders.
Why They Chose the Green Manager Programme
Kilmurry Lodge Hotel chose the Green Manager Programme because it provided something few sustainability initiatives offer: hospitality-specific training, with real-world tools that fit the pace and pressure of hotel operations. Hazel noted that seeing the success of the Woodlands House Hotel reassured them they were choosing a programme with a proven track record.
What resonated most was the philosophy behind the training.
“The programme's ‘empowering change for a greener tomorrow’ philosophy resonated with our vision of making sustainability part of our culture rather than just a compliance exercise.”
The programme felt accessible, human, and tailored to the realities of hotel life, something Kilmurry’s leadership saw as essential if they wanted staff to genuinely buy in.
Making Sustainability Simple (and Surprisingly Fun)
What once felt like a huge mountain quickly became a series of achievable steps, and this is where the programme really clicked for the team.
They began by creating a Green Team with representatives from across the hotel: Hazel, Patryk (Facilities), Elaine (Purchasing), and Joel (Front of House). Each person took ownership of a key area, and soon they had three sub-teams: Energy, Waste, and Water. With responsibilities shared and clearly defined, sustainability stopped being “someone else’s job” and became part of everyone’s daily work.
The team first did an audit of their energy, waste, and water usage across the hotel. Which then allowed them to develop a Green Action Plan that turned big goals into small, clear steps. Posters and visual reminders were placed throughout the property, and the Alkimii platform gamified staff training, resulting in an impressive 92% staff completion rate for environmental awareness education. They even introduced the Green Sprout Award, celebrating eco-champions every two months!
Weekly meetings at the start (now monthly) kept momentum high, and sustainability updates became a routine part of all HOD meetings.
“The programme taught us that sustainability is a journey, not a destination. The regular auditing, monitoring, and action planning cycles have become part of how we operate.” Hazel explains.
The Results: Real Savings, Real Culture Change, Real Impact
Soon enough, the improvements were clear to see, from the utility bills to the team’s confidence.
Energy
On the energy side, Kilmurry completed 95% transition to LED lighting, driving an 18% reduction in consumption. Over one quarter alone, they saw a 15% drop in energy use. One of their most surprising wins came from optimising kitchen processes, cutting four hours of oven use every day, saving the hotel €8,322 per year from just one change.
Water
Water use fell by 8% thanks to conservation efforts and leak repairs. A themed internal campaign, “Water Watchers Week,” helped embed new habits across teams. Waste management also saw a major lift: new SOPs, 12 battery recycling stations, reduced office paper (down 40%), and a partnership with local business Treaty Candle Co., who now recycle the hotel’s used candles.
Culture
But the biggest transformation wasn’t in kilowatts or litres, it was in people. Staff confidence in sustainability soared from 25% to 78%, and new environmental ambassadors appeared throughout the hotel. Many staff members who once felt unsure about the topic are now the ones championing ideas, spotting inefficiencies, and proudly leading the change.
Hazel’s Reflection: “This Programme Changed Us.”
For Hazel, the real success wasn’t the numbers, it was the shift in mindset.
“The programme recognised that sustainability is ultimately about changing behaviours. The emphasis on training, communication, and recognition has created genuine buy-in from our team. Seeing junior staff members become passionate advocates for our green initiatives has been particularly rewarding.”
She adds that what surprised them most was how small changes created both momentum and excitement. Something as simple as a candle recycling partnership became symbolic of a bigger message: that every resource has value, and every action contributes to the bigger picture.
Lessons for Other Hotels
If Hazel could give advice to others considering the Green Manager Programme, it would be this: start with your people.
“Your greatest asset is your staff. Invest time in training and engagement before implementing changes. We found that when people understand the "why," they embrace the "how."
She emphasises the importance of measuring everything (“what gets measured gets managed”), of celebrating wins visibly, and of not waiting for perfect solutions before taking action. “Culture change takes time,” she notes, “but consistent communication and visible results won everyone over.”
What’s Next for Kilmurry Lodge?
The hotel is far from finished. Their next steps include completing the final 5% of LED installations, launching a Green Guest Programme, achieving a full 20% reduction in total energy use, and expanding the Green Team to involve more junior staff. Sustainability will also become a clearer part of the hotel’s marketing and guest experience strategy.
As Hazel puts it, "This programme will transform not just your environmental performance, but your entire business."
Want Your Team to Achieve What Kilmurry Has?
Inspired by Kilmurry’s story? Your team can do it too — and we can help!
The Green Manager Programme is available worldwide, giving hospitality teams the tools, confidence, and structure to reduce costs, improve culture, and build a sustainability system that genuinely works.
You will also gain practical, data-driven skills and earn a Level 4 Certification in Environmental Sustainability Management from the Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality to drive meaningful change within your organization.
