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Guldsmeden Hotels – An ESG story with heart
Client /
Guldsmeden Hotels
Project /
ESG Report
Date /
2025
Expertise /
Strategic communication, Storytelling, Content architecture, Design & Art Direction
If you’ve ever stayed at a Guldsmeden Hotel, you’ll know that sustainability isn’t just a sticker on the door. It’s the way the bed feels, the way breakfast tastes, and the way you’re greeted when you walk in. For 25 years, they’ve built their approach around doing the right thing, from running on green energy to reusing furniture until it’s loved to pieces, and serving food sourced with care, while measuring everything from CO₂ emissions to coffee grounds.
A love letter to their values
When the time came for their first-ever ESG report, it was never going to be just a compliance exercise. It had to be a love letter to their values. An open invitation for guests, partners, and the industry to join them in a shared journey towards more conscious hospitality, and a clear baseline for how they will track, improve, and communicate their impact in the years ahead.
I worked closely with a small team from Guldsmeden Hotels - Kirsten Aggersborg, Sustainability and Communication Manager, and Astrid Kolle Østergaard, Sustainability & Marketing Strategist - to turn an ocean of raw data into a story that feels just like Guldsmeden itself: warm, unpretentious, and disarmingly honest. Along the way, we teamed up with illustrator Teis Caspersen, whose instantly recognisable Guldsmeden illustrations added a playful, familiar touch that anchored the report visually in the brand’s world.
Together, we made sure the report flowed like a good conversation, starting with their vision, moving through their Planet, People, and Principles, and weaving in those sparkling little details that make their sustainability efforts so alive.
Our aim was to create an ESG report that felt more like a diary than a dossier. Every number was chosen for a reason, validated, and framed so it didn’t just inform, but connect - from the 1.3 million liters of water saved with Orbital showers to the 30% drop in food waste. Each statistic was anchored in real-life stories, people, and moments, so that facts and feelings could sit side by side.
The result is a report that documents achievements while sharing the journey behind them. Proof that numbers can have heart and sustainability can be told with both humility and pride.
You can read the full report here
Expertise
Aska Studio contributed to:
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Strategic ESG communication advisory and brand-aligned storytelling
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Content architecture for report structure and narrative flow
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Narrative and t-o-v development, true to Guldsmeden’s personality
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Data-driven storytelling: selection, validation and framing of key metrics
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Design, art direction and content hierarchy
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Integration of sustainability facts with brand story for a cohesive whole
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Collaboration with illustrator Teis Caspersen to incorporate Guldsmeden’s signature artwork
