World’s top greenhotelier hotels named

These are the Greenest Global Hotels of 2016 says Green Hotelier.

Green Hotelier recently named the winners of the Green Hotelier Awards 2016.

The winning hotels in four regions around the world represent those which have made the biggest commitments to sustainability with innovative programmes that positively impact their people, their community and the planet. Said Green Hotelier

Judge and editor of Green Hotelier Siobhan O’Neill said, "We were honoured to receive dozens of applications for the Awards this year, and judging them all has been both difficult and delightful. In previous years the winning hotels often stood head and shoulders above their competitors, but this year many hotels have upped their game and very few points stood between the top five hotels in each region. The judges spent a good deal of time deliberating to ensure our scoring was thorough and fair."

"Applications came from across the globe including Bogota, Nepal, Armenia, Mauritius, Adelaide, Finland, Costa Rica and Jordan. Many came from China and other Far Eastern countries and each had their own unique and fascinating approach to being more environmentally friendly and social aware."

"Several hotels were leading the way in their region; recycling waste when there was no formal municipal recycling programme in place. Others had excellent initiatives to support employees and provide opportunities for progress. Many went to great lengths to be good neighbours and ensure they had a positive impact on their communities."

"Winning hotels shared some incredible stories of their sustainability journeys over the years; the impressive impacts they’ve made in reducing their energy, water and waste outputs; the communities they’ve championed and supported and the innovative measures they’ve implemented to take their responsible businesses to the next level. Green Hotelier is very much looking forward to sharing their stories over the coming weeks."

Fellow judge Nicolas Perin, ITP Programme Manager said, "It’s a pleasure to learn about so many inspiring initiatives through applications from hotels all over the world."

"Sustainability makes its way to the daily thoughts and gestures of hotels teams and also becomes a real source of pride for all staff. A few years ago these gestures might have been rather symbolic, but we now see hotels innovating on the whole breadth of their operations, making their services evolve and adapt to current challenges such as water management, biodiversity, responsible procurement or help to migrant populations. Our applicants have proven once again how much impact and innovation can be achieved in the hospitality industry."

The winners of the Green Hotelier Awards 2016 are:

Green Hotelier 2016, Europe: London Heathrow Marriott.

Say Green Hotelier: This hotel was the highest scoring in Europe by a tiny margin but stood out for its innovative investments in renewable energy and power optimisation, as well as a Winnow food waste system and a remarkable 0% waste to landfill. They were the first European hotel to partner with Clean the World to reprocess partially used bathroom toiletries, and are the first Marriott property to trial a GRANULDISK pot washer which has reduced water consumption in the kitchen by an impressive 92%.

Highly Commended in this region are the Inspira Santa Marta Hotel, Lisbon and Sandymount Hotel, Dublin.

Green Hotelier 2016, Asia Pacific: InterContinental Sydney.

Say Green Hotelier: This hotel is a pioneer in sustainability with a ground-breaking suite of initiatives which date back more than 25 years. Its commitment to measuring energy use has seen it install 65 sub-meters around the property to ensure constant monitoring to maximise efficiency. They’ve paved the way for other hotels in Australia and indeed around the world, trialling new technologies and not being afraid to abandon them in favour of a better solution if necessary.

Highly Commended are the Palace Hotel Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and The Sarojin, Thailand.

Green Hotelier 2016, Middle East & Africa: Yassat Gloria Hotel & Apartments, Dubai.

Say Green Hotelier: This hotel stood out for the impressive impacts it’s made since beginning its sustainability journey just three years ago. It scored highly in every category with investments to reduce energy, water and waste. It participates in the Soap for Hope programme recycling partially used bathroom amenities, as well as a local can collection programme that plants trees, whilst offsetting carbon and doing neighbourhood clean-ups.

Highly Commended are the InterContinental Aqaba, Jordan and Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman, UAE.

Green Hotelier 2016, Americas: Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality, Costa Rica.

Say Green Hotelier: The judges were impressed by the properties’ black water treatment system and innovative approaches to both laundry and methane capture to reduce energy consumption, as well as use of renewable energy and water reduction programmes. Guests are encouraged to participate via a refillable aluminium water canister instead of glass or plastic bottles, and the hotels’ packaging and paper is mostly made from palm, banana, coffee or sugar cane fibres. The group works with Pack for a Purpose and also supports local healthcare. It has a strong employee care programme with excellent examples of how staff have progressed.

Highly Commended is the NH Collection Terra 100 Royal, Bogota.

Winning hotels have been notified and will be the focus of a series of learning features on Green Hotelier to inspire other hoteliers. They will receive a certificate and electronic badge to display on their websites.

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle [email protected]

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