Base2stay London goes for zero emissions.

Base2stay is bolstering its eco credentials by offering guests attractive use of the Citreon EV'ie electric car as an alternative way to explore London's sights

We have a passion for eco-friendly hotels on this blog, having sung the praises of various environmentally-aware London hotels including Rafayel on the Left Bank, the Cavendish, the Zetter and the Lancaster London.

It is no coincidence that all the hotels mentioned above are well-regarded in general with consistently solid guest reviews.  There seems to be a positive link between being guest-friendly and environmentally-friendly.

Another hotel winning plaudits for its eco credentials is Base2stay in Kensington – it carried off a Green Tourism Business Scheme Award from Visit Britain and has a slew of initiatives including special power switches, recycling, innovative eco-friendly systems, staff training and more.

There’s even a special Visitor’s Charter to let guests play their part too.

London Hotels Insight has met the founder of Base2stay, Mr Robert Nadler, who is evangelical about giving absolute price transparency.  The company ethos dicates that there are no “nasty surprises” when you pay your bill.

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A double room at the "luxury budget" Base2stay in Kensington

Now Base2stay has gone further by providing an electric car for guests.  In keeping with the management’s passion for value the hotel is offering this as a free amenity for the first 4 hours of use until October 1^st 2010.

Pricing thereafter is fixed at around £4 per hour, with discounts for longer use (e.g. for half-day, daily or weekend rental).  The service is being offered in partnership with a pioneering company called Move About.

The car provided is a Citroen C1 EV’1E, built with state-of-the-art electric car technology.  It has a top speed of 60mph – which believe me, is more than adequate in central London!  It’s a nice idea and may work out cheaper for a lot of guests than renting a car; especially since you will not pay congestion, overnight parking or petrol charges with this vehicle.

Since the car takes up to five passengers, it’s potentially an attractive alternative to Oyster cards or paying for expensive London taxis.

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This amenity is in keeping with Base2stay’s passion for keeping your total stay budget as low as possible – this is after all a hotel which encourages you to eat out or bring food back to your Base2stay mini-kitchen!

It looks a worthy alternative to the Mayor of London’s recently-introduced London bike scheme and we hope other London hotels follow suit.

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Photo credits: Base2stay Kensington.

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