Since its successful launch in 2019, Inhabit, Southwick Street, nestled on a leafy corner in the West London neighborhood of Paddington, has closely monitored its supply chain and environmental footprint, while maintaining strong connections to the local community and creating positive social impacts. As a result of their dedication across five core impact areas—customers, community, environment, workers, and governance—the property was certified as a B Corporation™ earlier this year, becoming one of the first hotels in London, and the first European member of Design Hotels, to receive such a prestigious sustainability designation. The certification, awarded by B Lab, a global nonprofit organization, is a third-party evaluation that requires companies to meet social sustainability, environmental performance, and accountability standards, and to be transparent with the public about the results of their assessment. In essence, receiving a B-Corp™ certification denotes that a company meets high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency in areas ranging from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. 

“It is a huge achievement for Inhabit and our flagship hotel to become the first European B Corp™ property in the Design Hotels collection,” says Saw Than, Hotel Manager of Inhabit Hotels. “We hope we can inspire other hotels internationally to share our vision to be a responsible hospitality brand that strives for change for good—an ethos we know Design Hotels is committed to building on. Our team is so proud to be joining this crucial movement.”

Inhabit received this status based on its foundations and brand pillars that incorporate not only environmental awareness but also socially and mindfully oriented practices—an approach that also earned the property a Green Key certification only a few months after opening. The hotel demonstrates a commitment to guests by creating conscious and healthful stays through its distinctive amenities and programs. Beyond a blissful wellness center with its very own Head of Wellbeing, the property also boasts a meat-free, plant-focused restaurant, mediation pod, bespoke aromatherapy, and yoga, meditation, and mindfulness sessions hosted by resident experts. Unique in-room features include wooden lock boxes for phones to encourage unplugged time, as well as guidance on healthy sleep habits in the guest directory. Guests can also immerse themselves in books in the hotel’s library, borrow a bike to explore the city on two wheels, or join regularly scheduled guided nature walks through green spaces nearby, including Hyde Park and Regent’s Park.

Community engagement and support are also at the core of Inhabit’s philosophy. The hotel has aligned itself with over two dozen community enterprises, including London-based brands such as Aerende, from whom they purchase cushion covers that, in turn, support mental health projects, and Kalinko, whose handcrafted rattan products appear in guestrooms. Another long-term key partner is the London-based workshop Goldfinger, a social enterprise that produces bespoke furniture and educates disadvantaged youth about woodworking through its academy. 

Numerous green initiatives have been implemented throughout the hotel, too. Such efforts include the use of 100% LED lighting and fulfilling at least 50% of energy needs with renewable sources. Hallways on each floor are equipped with sparkling and still water dispensers—provided by the socially conscious company BELU Water—to fill reusable glass bottles found in guestrooms, as well as HEPA air filtration systems to ensure reduced pollution and virus exposure. Even the toilet paper, from the London B-Corp™ Certified company Who Gives a Crap, is made from 100% recycled fibers.

Additionally, Inhabit cares for its workers by creating an inclusive and respectful workplace. Staying true to the overarching brand ethos, employees have access to mindfulness training, mentoring, and professional development opportunities carried out in partnership with organizations like Women in Travel and Saira Hospitality. 

All of this and more has created a property well deserving of one of the industry’s most significant certifications, marking, as Hotel Manager Saw Than says, “a huge milestone for Inhabit.” Continuing, Than says, “It further cements our vision to be a brand that strives for change for good. We believe in creating social impact and improving our environmental footprint, and this certification from B Corp™ is just the beginning.”