Sustainability

Small but determined steps towards sustainability

We are a family-owned private company, with a long history within the accommodation industry. We pay attention to the wishes and needs of our customers and offer our guests high quality services. We take good care of our employees, follow responsible practices and constantly work on developing our concept and increasing comfort. Is is a matter of heart that our businesses bring employment and tourism to our location.

We are involved in the Sustainable Travel Finland quality programme since the beginning of year 2022. The goal of this programme is to lead us towards a regional quality label as proof of our commitment to sustainability work and sustainable travel.

This 7-step programme developed by Visit Finland includes commitment, increasing of know-how, a development plan, responsible communication, a certification & auditing, a verification and measureability, an agreement & continuous development. After fulfilling these requirements we will have the possibility to achieve the Sustainable Travel Finland label. This certification is a long-term sustainability commitment.

The goal of Hotel Rantakalla is to receive the STF-quality label by the end of the year 2023.

Read more about the STF-programme here 

Both small and big deeds

We are pleased to announce the renewal of Hotel Rantakalla. We are modernizing our operations and investing strongly in new high-quality accommodation facilities. Old hotel buildings are being demolished in stages making room for new more eco-friendly sustainable buildings. For example the heating of the new buildings will be ecological geothermal energy. We respect the unique natural surroundings of Hiekkasärkät and take these into consideration in all our plannings. The construction work is made in co-operation with well-known trustworthy partners.

Our long term goals among others are: reducing energy and water consumption, decreasing waste, purchasing long-lasting, more durable products, supporting and choosing local services, products and food whenever possible. Sustainability will be treated with a holistic approach across all our sectors. We will encourage our personnel and guests to be involved in the process by adding information, guidance and instructions. Sustainability will become a natural part of our daily life.

Small but important deeds so far have been changing all light bulbs in our main hotel building to new LED light bulbs, and all soap and shampoo miniature packages to refillable dispensers. We have also considerably decreased the use of single-packed groceries on our breakfast table and added the use of local food and products. We follow the local recycling instructions and have optimized our recycling. We have also increased our co-operation with the local tourism organization and the other tourism operators in the Hiekkasärkät area to create new services and activities that support year-round tourism and employment.

Your small actions matter!

Every action has an impact, whether it’s big or small. Please find below some tips for a sustainable
visit at Kalajoki Hiekkasärkät:

1. Use public transportation
It is easy to travel to Kalajoki with public transportation, especially by bus. The bus schedules are easily combined with the trains to Kokkola. The closest bus stop is in front of
Hotel Rantakalla.

2. Experience Hiekkasärkät on foot, by bike or by electric JOE-scooter Here everything is close by – you can easily reach all places. You can rent a bike at Hotel Rantakalla or download the JOE application and rent an electric scooter from the Scooter station nearby Hotel Rantakalla.

3. Take only as much food in the plate as you can eat
The generous breakfast buffet in our panoramic restaurant might lure you to overeat. Please take only as much food on the plate as you can eat. This way you can reduce buffet
waste considerably, thank you for your co-operation.

You are valuable to us

All our guests are warmly welcome and treated equally. We want to create a safe and fulfilling holiday experience for every one without discrimination based on age, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, disability or other. Please let us respect each other and allow every one an equal visit in Kalajoki.