At Rakuuna, we are committed to sustainable tourism and continuously strive to make our operations even more responsible. That is why we have initiated the application process for the Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) label and the Green Key certification. These certifications recognize the work we have already done and guide us in our ongoing efforts to adopt even more sustainable practices.
We aim to act responsibly across all areas of sustainability - environmental, social, cultural, and economic. Read more about our concrete actions below.
Economic and Social Sustainability
We provide permanent employment, work trials, and internships on an equal basis, regardless of the applicant’s age, nationality, gender, or any other background factor. Our staff currently includes employees from seven different nationalities. We do not outsource cleaning services or use temporary labor.
Additionally, we support local sports clubs and teams, particularly women’s and girls’ teams, as well as groups in which our staff members are involved.
Environmental Sustainability
Our hotel is a historic barracks building that was renovated for hotel use in spring 2019. We preserved as many original structures as possible and only replaced what was necessary. All removed materials were recycled appropriately. Some of the furniture, such as nearly 300 cabinets, were repurposed by distributing them free of charge to local residents. We also used recycled furniture in our interior design, which we renovated by painting and reupholstering to fit our needs.
We are part of an energy efficiency agreement and carried out an extensive energy renovation in 2024, significantly improving our hotel's energy efficiency. The renovation included the installation of an exhaust air heat pump, new efficient heat recovery exchangers in the ventilation system, an upgraded heating distribution unit, and a large hot water storage tank that is heated using waste heat from the exhaust air system. The air-to-air heat pumps were incorporated into the heating system, and radiators were equipped with smart thermostats to maintain a stable and energy-efficient room temperature. Additionally, new thermostatic faucets regulate water pressure and limit water flow, reducing shower water consumption.
For guest comfort, we have chosen Finnish products for our hotel rooms, such as beds, blankets, pillows, and refillable toiletry bottles. For laundry, we use an environmentally certified laundry located near the hotel. Our cleaning products are Nordic Swan Ecolabel certified. In addition, we recycle everything possible, including biowaste, metals, glass, cardboard, energy waste, bottles, and cans.
We combat food waste by carefully selecting high-quality ingredients, ensuring that the food we serve is consumed.
Our breakfast features locally sourced and Finnish products, such as bread from Kesämäki Bakery and organic eggs from Kuorttinen Organic Farm. Any surplus is sold through the ResQ application. Even leftover dry bread finds a purpose - a local farmer collects it weekly as a treat for their sheep.
Cultural Sustainability
We organize free events and highlight the hotel’s cultural and historical surroundings. We also provide guests with maps of the Rakuunamäki area, allowing them to explore its rich history. The map was illustrated by a local artist.
More information about the certifications we are applying for:
www.visitfinland.fi/liiketoiminnan-kehittaminen/vastuullinen-matkailu/sustainable-travel-finland