So, this happened.

At the BusinessGreen UK Green Business Awards, Ohana Mua was named Highly Commended in the Hospitality Firm of the Year category. Runner-up, on a national stage, for doing things the right way. And we couldn’t be prouder!

We were up against some of the biggest names in UK hospitality. Brands with decades of history, huge teams, and far bigger portfolios than ours. We opened our first destination, The Vale in Cornwall, less than a year ago. To be in that room, recognised alongside names like those, meant the world to us.

Why this award matters to us

The UK Green Business Awards recognise companies actually doing the work on sustainability, not just talking a good game about it. For a brand built around an energy positive ethos from day one, that is exactly the kind of recognition that matters to us.

We’ve never set out to be the biggest holiday company. We want to be the one that proves you can do this properly. Destinations designed to one day give back more than they take. Real comfort, thought through down to the last detail. A warm welcome for everyone, the dog included.

We’d rather show it than lecture about it. At The Vale, that means:

• Solar-powered, designed to one day generate more energy than it uses
• Copper baths that use far less water than a hot tub
• Faith in Nature toiletries, Who Gives a Crap loo roll, and Bio-D dishwasher tablets as standard
• Site-wide recycling and energy-efficient appliances throughout

When we took it on, The Vale was much-loved but tired. A huge amount of care, attention and effort later, it’s an inclusive, sustainable place to stay, and we’re B Corp Pending, so we can be held to account for it. The first chapter in a much longer story.

This one belongs to the team

None of this happens without the people behind it. The team who design the spaces, welcome every guest, care about the small things, and keep standards high even when no one is looking. A judging panel has just confirmed what we already knew. You’re brilliant. Thank you.

The best is yet to come

One destination. Less than a year of trading. Highly Commended at a national green business award. If that’s chapter one, we can’t wait to write the rest.

If you’d like to see what all the fuss is about, come and stay with us at The Vale. Or have a read of our 25/26 Impact Report to see exactly what we’re doing now, and what we’re dreaming up next.