Established in 2012, Zeal Hotels aims to acquire strategic hotel sites, develop them, and maintain ownership of the assets. Motivated to reduce a hotel’s carbon emissions through both the construction process and operations, Zeal Hotels has launched a new brand targeting net-zero carbon. The first UK site, acquired in June 2023 at Exeter Science Park, was opened in March 2025. 

voco Zeal Exeter Science Park, IHG’s first branded net-zero carbon hotel, has been designed to operate entirely on renewable and solar energy, achieving industry-leading benchmark-setting Energy Use Intensity levels. This critical measure ensures the building’s sustainable future. It is the first building in the UK that has utilised the Solarlab vertical photovoltaic panels as a rainscreen cladding system. It also adheres to the Passivhaus standard for ultra-low energy buildings, utilising adiabatic cooling and heat-reversible heat pumps to minimise energy consumption.   

Zeal Hotels is currently involved in a pilot testing scheme for the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, a new benchmark across the built environment. The Standard is a response to the need for consistent rules around net-zero carbon, to both validate net-zero claims and accelerate the design, construction, and use of buildings that deliver lower-carbon outcomes in line with the UK’s legally binding 2050 carbon targets.

Zeal Hotels is actively seeking further development opportunities as it targets expansion in the UK and Europe.