voco Zeal Exeter Science Park

voco Zeal Exeter Science Park opened in March 2025 and IHG announced it on 11 March as its first branded net zero carbon hotel. Zeal Hotels developed it and Valor Hospitality manages it. It has 142 rooms and stands inside Exeter Science Park, next to Junction 29 of the M5.

The place

The hotel is on Babbage Way inside Exeter Science Park, beside Junction 29 of the M5 and about five minutes by car from Exeter Airport. The setting is a business park, not the old city centre, so most trips to the cathedral or the quay will need a car or a taxi.

The concept

The building is designed to run entirely on renewable and solar energy. It uses adiabatic cooling and reversible heat pumps to cut energy use, and it follows the Passivhaus standard for very low energy buildings. It earned a BREEAM Outstanding rating at design stage.

Two construction choices stand out. The hotel is the first UK building to use Solarlab vertical photovoltaic panels as rainscreen cladding, so the facade produces power. The concrete is Ecocrete, a low-carbon mix that emits up to 85 percent less CO2 than pure cement.

Zeal Hotels says it is working with the Science Park and local students to share what it has learned about sustainable hotel construction and operation. Neutral tones and contemporary styling in the rooms follow the voco standard.

Amenities include a small gym, landscaped gardens, flexible meeting space and 12 electric-vehicle charging points.

Dining & wellness

The restaurant and bar is called ISCA. It focuses on locally sourced food from regional farms and producers. Its chef and menu are not named in the sources found.