The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. the largest global luxury hotel brand, announced the launch of the Leading Green Initiative — a first in the brand.
The Leading Green Initiative is a carbon neutral program whereby The Leading Hotels will directly absorb the cost to offset guests’ energy consumption for stays at any of its 440 hotels worldwide.
“We are extremely proud to be the first luxury hotel brand to provide a carbon offset program with Sustainable Travel International (STI) While many companies offer the opportunity for customers to voluntarily make donations, we feel strongly about taking a leadership position in environmental responsibility and setting the example,” said Paul M. McManus, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd.
The company will make a donation for every night of a guest’s stay, he said. Rates will not go up because of the program, he added.
The investment per guest represents 29.3 kilowatt-hours of electricity supplied by new wind and solar power, which equates to 33.7 pounds of greenhouse gas emission reductions.
The Leading Hotels of the World and STI are evaluating a number of other programs, including sustainable tourism certification, travel philanthropy, and the potential implementation of environmental management systems by Leading Hotels.
Report by David Wilkening
