Leaving Light Footprints
Sustainability at The Lodge and Honulele Spa
We have always felt humbled by the place we are lucky enough to be part of. It was the place itself that made us want to be here, at the very top of the protected Romeleåsen ridge, 167 metres above sea level, with the forest on our doorstep and the Skåneleden trail just beyond the entrance. The nature here is so remarkable that in 2025 UNESCO named the landscape around us the Storkriket Biosphere Reserve.
The place came first
Long before us, others were drawn up here. In June 1749, Carl Linnaeus stood on Romeleklint, a short walk from us, and watched the land unfold with green pasture on every side and beech woods on the ridge's eastern slopes. When the railway from Malmö to Genarp opened in 1894, city folk came out to enjoy the countryside and walk along the ridge, and when Romelestugan was built up here in 1933, it became a much-loved destination for walkers and coffee-craving locals, who came for the view and stayed for the atmosphere.
In the restaurant, your feet rest on a piece of that old cabin. Much of Romelestugan's original material was saved and built into the hotel's design instead of buying new, and the rest came from local materials and local craftspeople. Today we want to show the place that same care. That is why we aim to tread as lightly as possible, so that the forest, the silence and the sweeping views are still here for whoever comes after us.
- 167metres above sea levelone of Skåne’s highest points
- 4charging pointsroom for up to eight electric cars
- 0disposable slippersthe slippers in Honulele Spa are reused
- 75+team membersfor many, their very first job
A taste of the land around us
Take a seat in Restaurant Heaven and let the countryside come to you. Almost all of the vegetables are grown at Bondekocken here in Genarp, the game often comes from Romeleåsen and we bake our own sourdough. The eggs are free-range, the fish is MSC- or ASC-certified and everything is made from scratch.
Because dinner is a set menu and we ask about every allergy in advance, the kitchen prepares exactly what will be eaten. It is our way of keeping food waste down. Butter, jam and cream never come in single-portion packs, and you pour our own table water from glass bottles that are refilled again and again.
Walls with a story
Before you sink into the 38-degree infinity pool, take a look at the exterior walls of Honulele Spa. The shingles once clad the church in Flachau, in Austria’s Pongau region, and have found new life up here among the treetops.
The soap in Honulele Spa and in your room comes from L:A Bruket, whose products are COSMOS certified, and the slippers you step into are reused and thoroughly disinfected between guests. We change towels and bed linen as needed.
Behind the scenes
- Heating100 per cent renewable district heating from Björnstorp Estate's own plant, piped all the way up to us. It runs on wood chips and straw from the estate's own forests and fields, and new trees are planted all the time on the Gyllenkrok family's land.
- ElectricityRenewable electricity.
- LightingAll our lighting is LED.
- Cleaning and laundryAmong other things, we clean with ozonated water, our cleaning company uses only eco-labelled products, and our laundry detergents are eco-labelled too.
- PaperEco-labelled toilet and copy paper.
- DeliveriesWe coordinate our deliveries up the ridge, so that as few lorries as possible make the trip each week.
- Electric carsFour ChargeNode charging points with room for up to eight electric cars.
- WasteWe sort and recycle, and our food waste is collected and turned into biogas.
- Single-use itemsHardly any at all.
- Furniture and textilesRepaired and reupholstered to give them a longer life.
- DecorationWherever possible, we decorate with what the surrounding countryside has to offer, and we never buy in flowers and decorations from the other side of the world.
- NaturePollinator-friendly planting in the grounds.
The heart of the house
The people who welcome you, lay your table and make your bed are the heart of The Lodge. Over the past fourteen years we have grown from 20 to more than 75 team members, and for many young people in the region, we are their very first job. We also welcome students on work placements, and people entering the world of work for the first time or returning after time away.
Everyone on our team is covered by a collective agreement, enjoys massages, works out in our gym and is encouraged to take walks along Skåneleden, which runs right past our door. Seasonal staff are offered accommodation, and everyone is trained in sustainability and follows our own code of conduct. Every year we donate to the Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden), and we sponsor local clubs and associations, including our local Lions Club.
Agenda 2030
We take the 2030 Agenda as our starting point and have chosen the goals where we can make the biggest difference.
3. Good Health and Well-being
Honulele Spa and good, nourishing food for you during your stay, and massages and a gym for our team.
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
LED lighting throughout, renewable electricity and district heating that is 100 per cent renewable, from the estate next door.
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
Collective agreements for everyone, secure employment, opportunities to grow and a working culture built on respect and a long-term outlook.
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
Set menus with allergies noted in advance, vegetables from Bondekocken, food waste turned into biogas and no single-portion packs.
13. Climate Action
Charging points for electric cars, coordinated deliveries and a Green Team that keeps the work moving.
14. Life Below Water
The fish on your plate comes only from MSC-certified fisheries or ASC-certified farms.
15. Life on Land
Plantings for bees and other pollinators, and table decorations gathered from the nature around us instead of imported flowers.
The icons for the UN Sustainable Development Goals come from the United Nations.
What's happening in 2027
In 2027, sustainability is our focus. Some of it you'll experience for yourself; the rest only our team will notice.
- Beehives are on their way. The bees will pollinate the fields around us, and we hope their honey will soon be on your breakfast table.
- During the Aloha Spa Ritual you'll soon be sitting on circular sauna towels, sewn by Elis from retired bath towels and bathrobes.
- We're looking into whether solar panels could turn the sun over Romeleåsen into our own electricity.
- We'll be collecting rainwater and putting it to use.
- Water-saving flush handles are being fitted to the toilets.
- The chefs will start weighing food waste, so we know exactly how much there is.
- Leftover food will go into staff meals.
- The whole team will spend a day litter-picking along Skåneleden.
- Every month, Green Team members pick one thing to cut back on: Reduction of the Month.
Our Green Team
Want to know more, or have an idea to share? Get in touch with Tove Gejde or Camilla Persson, who run the hotel and lead our sustainability work. Alongside them is our Green Team, made up of colleagues from every department in the hotel and Honulele Spa.
Questions and answers
Where does the food in Restaurant Heaven come from?+
Our vegetables nearly all come from Bondekocken in Genarp, and there is often game from Romeleåsen on the menu. You can expect free-range eggs and MSC- or ASC-certified fish.
How do you tackle food waste?+
With set menus and by asking about every allergy in advance. That way the kitchen prepares what will be eaten, and any food waste that remains is collected and turned into biogas.
Do you serve bottled water?+
You drink our own table water from refillable glass bottles, in the restaurant, at conferences and in Honulele Spa. We don't serve shop-bought bottled water.
Can I charge my electric car at The Lodge?+
Yes, at one of our four ChargeNode charging points, with room for up to eight electric cars.
Which products do you use in Honulele Spa and the rooms?+
Soap from L:A Bruket, whose products are COSMOS certified.
How is The Lodge heated?+
With district heating from Björnstorp Estate's own plant, fuelled by wood chips and straw from the estate's own forests and fields. New trees are planted all the time on the Gyllenkrok family's land.
Are towels and bed linen changed every day?+
Only as needed, so that we wash just what needs washing.
Welcome to Life Less Ordinary!
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