ESG At The Connaught
Introduction
Perfectly situated in the Mayfair Village, The Connaught promises a quiet and welcome home in the heart of London.
Suites and rooms blend tradition and modernity and its award-winning gastronomic experiences transform each meal into an unforgettable occasion. With strong ties to the vibrant Mount Street neighbourhood, The Connaught provides a quiet retreat infused with warmth, style and historic culture.
The Connaught has taken significant strides over the last year in advancing sustainability across the hotel.
Achieving an ‘ESG Excellent’ rating in our latest independent assessment, we are especially proud of our strong environmental and social scores. We believe that sustainability and luxury can complement one another. Through commitment, collaboration and informed decision-making, we will continue to create a hotel where guests can enjoy true comfort while knowing we are actively working to reduce our environmental footprint and enhance our positive social impact.
Sandeep Bhalla, Managing Director
“I am extremely proud of the exemplary efforts our team has made to bring The Connaught to where it is today. Their passion for sustainability has driven meaningful, systematic change across the hotel, inspiring fresh and innovative ideas to reduce waste, cut energy use and create positive impact for our colleagues and the communities around us. Our impressive carbon-reduction results alone are a testament to this. We are committed to making sustainability a guiding principle in every decision we make and we look forward to the year ahead.”
People
Inclusion, Wellbeing and Engagement
Our strong programme of wellbeing benefits and initiatives for colleagues include wellbeing sessions, GP services and health screenings.
An occupational health service is available to support colleagues experiencing physical or mental health challenges and 12 trained mental health first aiders and mental health champions serve to promote wellbeing across the hotel.
Listening to our colleagues remains a top priority. In 2025, we achieved an exceptional 100% participation rate in the engagement survey. After sharing results, we established working groups and developed action plans to ensure that colleague feedback continues to be translated into meaningful improvements.
People
Training and Development
To nurture talent and support skills and career development, we run the Maybourne Aspiring Leaders, Developing Leaders and Step Up programmes. In addition, all senior leaders go through a Talent Plus assessment to help with succession planning.
We offer a comprehensive induction process and colleagues have access to a wide range of training opportunities, including the Clifton Strengths programme, which supports personal growth and team effectiveness.
The hotel also maintains a clear progression framework and a fair, transparent pay scale designed to support long‑term career development.
People
Health and Safety
Health and safety is a core priority at The Connaught, supported by a structured programme that focuses on prevention, accountability and continuous improvement.
Our health and safety programme is underpinned by annual, in‑depth audits that assess performance and identify areas for enhancement. A dedicated health and safety committee meets quarterly to review incidents, analyse trends and integrate insights directly into our operational practices.
All colleagues complete mandatory training comprising eight modules, complemented by regular team‑meeting briefings that reinforce key safety topics and maintain high levels of awareness.
Waste Management
Planet
We have driven significant engagement across the hotel to reduce waste, appointing a dedicated waste champion and achieving our target of a 90% recycling rate in November 2025. We are also proudly a zero-waste-to-landfill hotel.
In 2025, we introduced a new initiative, Zero Waste Mondays and Fridays in the colleague restaurant, which has delivered significant food waste reductions.
Energy and Carbon
Planet
The hotel now operates on a 100% renewable electricity tariff, sourced through a high-quality contract that guarantees our electricity is sourced from wind and solar farms.
We have made significant progress in reducing gas use across the property. Traditional gas hobs have been replaced with efficient electric alternatives, the gas-powered ice machine has been removed and outdated gas boilers have been replaced with modern, low-emission models.
Over the past year, we have also invested heavily in innovative technology. A major upgrade to our lighting and heating systems now gives precise control, enabling us to further reduce energy consumption, cut emissions and lower operating costs.
We calculate our carbon emissions annually and, together with other Maybourne hotels, remain committed to achieving Net Zero by 2045. We are proud to report an impressive 18% overall reduction in emissions in our latest report, which includes a 61% decrease in Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
Planet
Reducing Plastic
The Connaught has significantly reduced plastic use across the hotel. In 2023, we carried out our first plastic audit which was instrumental in identifying where to make changes. Since then, we have made excellent progress:
- All guest rooms are fitted with refillable dispensers
- In restaurants, Tabasco bottle lids are now the only single-use plastic items to be found and bars no longer use plastic stirrers or straws
- Kitchens decant products into reusable containers and chef hats are now reusable
- Plastic takeaway lids have been removed
- Sugar now comes in recyclable packaging
- Silicone covers have replaced some uses of clingfilm
- Purchasing team leads maintain ongoing engagement with suppliers, focusing on reducing plastic packaging and supporting progress toward shared reduction goals
- Fruit and vegetable suppliers, in particular, have been asked to investigate feasible alternatives
Partnerships Supporting Early Careers In Hospitality
Partnerships
Internships give us a meaningful way to connect with our local community, support the development of future hospitality professionals and strengthen our own talent pipeline.
We have an ongoing relationship with the Shannon School, offering hands-on learning and exposure to hotel operations.
Partnerships
Supply Chain Partners
In 2025, Maybourne introduced its Responsible Business Code of Conduct, now issued to all new high-value suppliers together with required commitments on Modern Slavery and Anti-Bribery and Corruption.
In addition, group-level supplier due diligence has been developed for larger suppliers. This process is being rolled out across all hotels and is already active at The Connaught.
Local supplier partners are prioritised wherever possible, supporting the local economy and reducing emissions associated with transport.
Maybourne has also established a warehouse facility near Heathrow to centralise bulk storage for the London hotels, reducing the number of individual deliveries required. Transport-related emissions will be lowered further through the use of electric vehicles for all warehouse-to-hotel deliveries.
