Green Key launches new campaign #UnlockTomorrow

Green Key International is launching a new Social Media campaign to celebrate establishments that joined the programme in 2020 despite the challenges of the pandemic, and to highlight the importance of rethinking the future of tourism and building back better. Each week, we will showcase a new establishment.

2020 was a truly challenging year for the worldwide tourism industry. From the smallest B&B to the biggest tour operator, everyone in the tourism sector was in the grip of the global COVID-19 pandemic. And although 2021 has started just as gloomy, the long-awaited vaccine gives hope that the tourism industry could soon breathe a sigh of relief.

While humankind was facing many challenges due to the pandemic, the environment got a much-needed break from our activities. From crystal clear waters in the canals of Venice to a boost in numbers of rare sea turtles in Thailand, there were plenty of stories about nature taking back her space all around the world.

When looking at tourism destinations as a whole, we also realised how important it is to maintain the diversity of social, economic and cultural activities for destinations to be more resilient and provide a better support system for local communities. Several Green Key awarded establishments showed their solidarity in these difficult times by donating food to charities and opening their doors to accommodate homeless people or healthcare workers that needed to isolate.

To ensure that these stories are not forgotten as past anecdotes of this historic event, it is now our responsibility to build on the lessons learned and ensure that we resume tourism activities with consideration for local communities and the environment.

Many establishments realised this early in the pandemic and decided to prepare themselves for the future by joining the Green Key programme and working towards meeting the criteria for the award.

While in the past pursuing a sustainability label like Green Key may have been considered an initiative for a niche segment of the tourism sector, nowadays establishments see sustainability labels as a tool to adapt to our changing world and become more sustainable and resilient for the future.

To acknowledge the efforts our newcomers made despite the challenges they faced during the pandemic, and to inspire others to start their sustainability journey towards a better tomorrow, over the course of the next weeks we will showcase Green Key awarded establishments that joined our programme in 2020.

We are kicking off this campaign with the Landal Resort Maria Alm in Austria which joined the Green Key programme in September 2020. The apartments in the resort are entirely heated through the local biomass power stations and the hotel's own hydroelectric power plant. Besides the hydroelectric power station, the resort also focuses on raising awareness and educating guests about the adequate separation of waste. For this purpose, eleven waste rooms with more than 80 waste bins, divided among ten houses, guarantee a smooth and proper waste separation.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see all featured establishments in this campaign!

Next FIFA World Cup to be climate neutral through cooperation with QGBC

The Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), the Green Key National Operator in Qatar, is supporting the countries efforts in hosting the first climate-neutral FIFA World Cup. For that purpose, the QGBC is proactively working on transforming the hospitality industry of the country towards a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future.

Photo: © Qatar Green Building Council

The Qatar Green Building Council, the Green Key National Operator in Qatar, highlighted the efforts done to support Qatar’s quest to deliver the world’s first climate neutral FIFA World Cup. The aim is to do so through transforming the hospitality sector to operate efficiently, be more sustainable and more environmentally friendly.

When Qatar received the confirmation to host the next FIFA World Cup in 2022, the country committed to putting all efforts into hosting a a carbon-neutral event. After setting this goal, the Qatar Green Building Council, a non-profit, membership-driven organisation providing leadership and encouraging collaboration in conducting environmentally sustainable practices for green building design and representative for a sustainable tourism industry, became one of the event’s biggest stakeholders.

In order to make the hospitality sector in Qatar more sustainable, the industry needs to proactively work on reducing food waste, invest in renewable energies, reduce the amount of energy-intensive systems and most importantly, develop new methods to make the use of the scare resource water more efficient.

Ruba Hinnawi, technical specialist at the Qatar Green Building Council explains:

We are expecting around 1.5 million visitors to come here, we can only imagine the stress that this will put on our infrastructure, our services, and our environment.

Due to the tremendous pressures that the upcoming FIFA World Cup will put on the ecosystems of the country, the Qatar Green Building Council further increased the promotion of the Green Key programme. The efforts undertaken should also strengthen a more sustainable hospitality industry in general, even after the World Cup. According to Ruba Hinnawi, a vast variety of hotels in Qatar advocate and positively respond to the criteria and measurements provided by Green Key. As a result, big hotels such as the Sheraton Grand Doha and Mandarin Oriental Doha, amongst others, have already been certified with the Green Key.

A video, produced by the Qatar Green Building Council, the BBC StoryWorks and the World Green Building Council Series should showcase the profound effect buildings have on the quality of people’s lives and the role the green buildings movement can play in tackling the climate emergency. This video can be rewatched under the following link.

Hotel's own hydroelectric power station

The high-quality apartments of the Landal Resort Maria Alm in Austria are entirely heated through the local biomass power stations and the hotel's own hydroelectric power plant. Landal GreenParks is therefore continuing their consistent pursuit of climate neutrality and realising a sustainable, nature-oriented holiday park in the midst of a breathtaking mountain world.

Photo: © Landal Resort Maria Alm

The exclusive holiday resort Landal Resort Maria Alm is located in the centre of the Austrian village Maria Alm, offering a beautiful view towards the Hochkönig massif. The resort, which is situated next to the small river Urslau, was built as a project of the Jägerbau GmbH, a company based in the state of Vorarlberg. As part of this project, an area that has previously been used as a sawmill has been redesigned. To run the sawmill, its owners, the Lohninger family, have already since 1906, relied on the renewable energy hydropower. In 2012, the family began to convert and modernise the hydropower plant, now supplying the entire resort, with a capacity of approximately 550 beds with electricity and heat (about 800,000 kWh heat per year). During absolute peak times, the biomass power plant, which is also located in Maria Alm and the Salzburg AG, the regional energy- and infrastructure supplier additionally provide heat and energy. In addition to the apartments, also the e-charging station of the resort is supplied with electricity from the power plant. 

Besides the hydroelectric power station, the resort also focuses on raising awareness and educating guests about the adequate separation of waste. For this purpose, eleven waste rooms with more than 80 waste bins, divided among ten houses, guarantee a smooth and proper waste separation.

In addition to engaging in these big, environmentally friendly actions, the Landal Resort Maria Alma also focuses on smaller details, which are equally important for a more sustainable future. These actions include, for example, washing machines in the flats that allow the guests to choose whether to bring their own towels or order them from the resort. This way, the resort additionally saves resources as towels are usually changed daily. However, guests are only provided with another towel package under a small fee. Besides that, the coffee machines of the apartments are also equipped with biodegradable capsules.

The Landal Resort Maria Alm offers one hundred thirteen high-quality flats in ten chalet houses with space for up to 12 people each. Spacious living/dining rooms, fully equipped kitchens, elegant bathrooms, covered balconies and terraces as well as a fireplace and infrared sauna in the luxury category ensure a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. In addition, the resort offers a top infrastructure including reception, indoor swimming pool (25m² pool), paddling pool, fitness room, massage and beauty area, Bollo children's club, playground, lift and one ski room per house. Finally, a sports shop with ski rental, ski school and children's beginners' area directly in front of the resort ensure to cover the needs of ski- and snow excited guests. In the traditionally furnished restaurant Lilli's with bar, lounge and large sun terrace, the ingredients for its culinary delights are mainly produced within close proximity to the hotel. The bakery, supermarket and bus station are right next to the resort. Therefore, visitors of the resort can leave their car in the underground car park for the entirety of their stay and move around with more sustainable means of transport

To read more about the resort, follow this link.

1,000 photovoltaic panels on the rooftop of The Westin Dragonara Resort

The Westin Dragonara Resort, located in Malta’s seaside town of St. Julian’s, has just completed the installation of 1,000 photovoltaic panels over an area measuring 3,100 square metres on the Hotel’s roof space.

Photo: © The Westin Dragonara Resort

The photovoltaic installation will reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint by approximately 600 tons annually, the equivalent of planting a staggering 35,000 trees. The installation on the rooftop of The Westin Dragonara Resort consists of 1,000 photovoltaic panels each of 365 Wp capacity with eight invertors (total capacity 336kW) covering 3,100 square metres of the Hotel’s roof.

The photovoltaic system is anticipated to generate approximately 15% of the typical annual electricity consumption of the hotel.

First opened in 1997, and having just completed a €40 million full renovation in 2020, The Westin Dragonara Resort has been at the forefront of Maltese hospitality. Perfect for business travellers and families alike, the hotel is a wellness retreat with innovative amenities, including Westin’s award-winning Westin Heavenly® Bed, uniquely designed with plush, pillow-top construction for premium comfort and support allowing guests to experience a night of restorative sleep. 

 Michael Camilleri Kamsky, General Manager of The Westin Dragonara Resort explains:

Over the years, The Westin Dragonara Resort has already taken many steps towards reducing our carbon footprint, some of which include our ECO Certification, Green Key Certification, Blue Flag Certification as well as our sustainable Westin Meetings programme. Through the latest investment in this photovoltaic technology, we are utilising our rooftop to run a more sustainable and eco-friendly hotel. 

Additional information on the The Westin Dragonara Resort can be found at westinmalta.com

Stay connected to Westin: @westinmalta on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook

Green oasis to handle stress during pandemic

The employees of the Fiesta Inn Monterrey Fundidora in México found an innovative way to fight the stress and negative influence of the pandemic on their well-being by creating their own, personal oasis on the rooftop of the hotel.

Photo: © Fiesta Inn Monterrey Fundidora Mexico Hotel.

The pandemic does not only hit the hospitality industry economically, but also has negative effects on the mental health and well-being of the employees within the sector.

One of the hotels that proactively worked on increasing the emotional well-being of their employees is the Fiesta Inn Monterrey Fundidora, México by Grupo Posadas. Within the hotel group, work-related stress of their staff seemed to increase during the pandemic. This stress often appeared due to social distance regulations and constantly having to wear a mask during working hours, amongst others. As a result, the management and employees of the hotels started to brainstorm about possibilities to counteract the decreasing physical and emotional well-being of the team.

One of the staff members contributed to the innovative idea of installing a rooftop garden and relaxation area on the 7th floor of the hotel. All other employees were immediately excited about it and started to come up with different possibilities for their individual contributions. As a result, the employees of the hotel, which is situated in the city of Monterrey, started to collectively work on the creation of the beautiful oasis.

The management was able to observe that all the employees designed the garden with lots of love and hope and with the prospect of being able to welcome back the hotel's guests to a beautiful garden that can then also be enjoyed by them. Besides the sense of ownership and team-spirit that has been generated through the collective construction of the garden, planting new green areas and gardening are additionally beneficial to handling stress during difficult times.

To ensure the sustainability of the area, the flower boxes, the furniture and all other necessary equipment have been built from recycled materials and the area is lit through the use of LED lighting. The towel basket has, for example, been made out of an old vacuum cleaner. In addition, guests are able to enjoy a wonderful view of the eastern Sierra Madre while sitting down in a wooden swing.  Finally, all the herbs and fruits that are harvested in the garden are used to flavour different dishes in the kitchen of the hotel.

In addition to the rooftop garden, the Hotel Group has designed a series of security measures, approved by safety experts. These are to ensure that their guests, employees and suppliers can continue to enjoy their various hotels without the need of having to worry about the risks of infection with the COVID-19 virus.

Towel basket from an old vacuum cleaner.

Decoration with recycled materials for the reopening of the establishment.

Information and hands sanitiser in front of the entrance the establishment.

Staff harvests peppermint to flavor food in the kitchen.

Wooden swing and LED lighting

Sustainability gives better financial results and more loyal customers

Introducing smaller plates in the restaurant, dialogue with the guests concerning environmental issues and investment in a new water system are some of the many sustainability initiatives that have brought Guldsmeden Hotels into the “sustainability super league”.

Photo: © Guldsmeden Hotels

Guldsmeden Hotels have worked with sustainability ever since they opened their first hotel in Aarhus (Denmark) around 20 years ago. In the beginning, the main focus was on organic food, and since 2005, almost all ingredients on the breakfast menu are organic. At the same time, the group increased its focus on other sustainable choices, for example, buying renewable energy. Since 2010, Guldsmeden has furthermore focused on the communication about sustainability to its guests through its participation in different certification programmes. The Guldsmeden Hotels in Denmark have had the Green Key certification since 2017. For the group, it was important to have Green Key as a partner to discuss sustainability issues and to receive external recognition for their efforts.

Photo: © Guldsmeden Hotels

Today, sustainability is the main focus in all areas of the groups business operations. For example, the hotels are very active in minimising their waste. They reduce their food waste by using smaller plates and by using leftover food from the breakfast to make, for example, paninis for lunch or for creating muesli. The guests are involved in their work through messages such as “Love Food, Hate Waste” and “Take all you can eat. Eat all that you take” or by competitions, where guests can win a reward for creating the least food waste.

Kirsten Aggersborg, Sustainability Director at Guldsmeden Hotels, says;

We measure the food waste from the production in the kitchen and the plates of the guests. Involving our guests has made a big difference in our efforts to reducing food waste. This is good for the environment, but it is also good for our financial result as we have been able to reduce our purchases by 15 per cent.

Furthermore, Guldsmeden Hotels are ensuring that their furniture and textiles are durable and made from natural materials. The bed linen, for example, is made from organic cotton or reused polyester. In addition, the hotels have been part of a pilot test for a new advanced shower system that reuses 90% of the water and saves energy through an intelligent water circle system. Kirsten Aggersborg explains that it was a bit more expensive to change to this shower system. However, the return on investment was only a few years.

 Besides, Guldsmeden Hotels have their own personal care product line, called “iLoveEcoEssentials”, with bottles that are refillable and products that do not contain microplastic. The products are also available for purchase at the reception and even online. In fact, the guests appreciate the personal care products so much that the external sales cover the costs for the products in the guest rooms.

Kirsten Aggersborg explains,

The work with sustainability has also affected Guldsmeden Hotels in regards to guest loyalty. First of all, we have differentiated ourselves by working with sustainability on all levels. This includes the dialogue with the guests on sustainability issues, which makes unique in comparison to many other hotels. We can see that this has resulted in guest loyalty, where many guests return to us due to our direct relationship with them.

Photo: © Guldsmeden Hotels

For other hotels wishing to work with sustainability, Kirsten Aggersborg has the following recommendations:

Find a certification scheme, such as Green Key, and use them as a partner in the development of the work with sustainability. Start by evaluating all the various small elements in your business, where you can potentially make a difference. Stay curious and use the opportunities arising to achieve new knowledge and develop new products that fit your establishment.

There are seven Guldsmeden Hotels in Denmark, and the group also has hotels in Iceland, Norway, Germany, France and Bali (Indonesia). For more information about Guldsmeden Hotels, please visit www.guldsmedenhotels.com.

Preserving biodiversity through innovative beehives

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Green Key establishments all over the world have been facing unprecedented times. Despite the challenges connected to this crisis, many of them also managed to innovate their products and services in order to embrace sustainability in their daily operations and do something positive for our planet.

Photo: © Hidrodoe

One of these establishments is the water park Hidrodoe in Herentals, Belgium. Through their actions of reducing the use of energy and water, sorting waste, preferring environmentally friendly products, honouring the nature and informing and sensitising visitors, Hidrodoe has already been awarded with the Green Key for the tenth time in the row. One of their most significant contributions to a more sustainable tourism industry is their educational programme. Through workshops and experiments, visitors of the attraction learn about biological water quality, the production of drinking water and the water cycle, make water walks and get useful tips on how to use the precious water in a sustainable way. Through these activities, the establishment thereby contributes to the reduction of the visitors' water footprint. In addition, it encourages the guests to learn about the importance of water for life on earth and promotes the drinking of tap water.

Besides the educational activities in relation to water, the establishment has since the beginning of April added three hundred thousand extra employees. By the installation of six beehives, located at the water production centre of the water company Pidpa next to Hidrodoe, the centre added approximately 50,000 bees and one queen per hive to their team. With these hives, Hidrodoe, therefore, contributes to saving bees and preserving biodiversity. This is particularly important as the world's bee population is declining dramatically, mainly due to climate change, pesticides, habitat loss and diseases.

Therefore, the establishment took the opportunity to rethink the purpose of an unused area and developed it into something beneficial for the environment. The beautiful blue and yellow colours of the hives are particularly designed for the attraction of bees, and the installed flower meadows aim to provide additional food for the bees.

The most important element of this innovation is that we help the bees! The delicious honey that is produced by our little helpers is a fantastic added value, and we are happy that we can share this add-on with our visitors by selling the honey in our shop,

says Hilde De Laet, the manager of Hidrodoe.

Belgian Hotel changed its entire cleaning products to green alternatives

For already almost ten years, the family hotel Soll Cress has dedicated all their efforts into going one step further for the environment. To continue this sustainable trail, the owners have now decided to change their entire cleaning products to environmentally friendly alternatives.

Photo: © Hotel Soll Cress

The family hotel Soll Cress, located on the Belgian coast is situated approximately 100 meters away from the beach and 800 meters away from the city centre of Koksijde. It is an ideal place to welcome guests all year round, as the hotel offers a wide variety of services for its guests applicable for the warmer and colder seasons. Hence, it is equipped with an indoor swimming pool, a sauna, Jacuzzi, fitness- and wellness centre and a gastronomic restaurant. This restaurant is called “Roots Koksijde” and has recently been completely redesigned to serve the needs of its guests. Within the restaurant, a choice of organic wines is provided and dishes with locally sourced ingredients are served.

After 45 years of being successfully administrated by the Van Damme family, it was time for a generation change within the management of the hotel. The daughters of the former owners, Hannelore and Sofie took over the management, convinced to go a step further for the environment beyond the local requirements in regards to environmental protection. Therefore, already since the year 2011, the hotel has obtained the Green Key certificate. This means that the hotel reduces energy consumption, minimises waste, offers charging stations for electronic bicycles and an E-Smart, and it uses biodegradable napkins and recycled toilet paper for their guests.

In addition to that, Hannelore and Sofie have now decided to replace the entire cleaning product range with Green Care products. Through organised testing sessions with these products, the hotel owners found out that the results of cleaning with Green Care products were equal or better than before. That’s why Hannelore and Sofie chose to prospectively use the Green Care brand for sanitising the hotel, the rooms, the restaurant and the new KLIKS system for the laundry.

The fact that these products are C²C certified, thereby certified with a well-known ecolabel, means that they are composed of European raw materials, boxed in recycled packaging and produced with renewable energy. By introducing these products, savings in CO² emissions are realised, the use of crude oils is excluded and pollution with microplastics is avoided. Furthermore, the packaging of these products can almost indefinitely be recycled.

The Hotel Soll Cress is an example of how the hotel industry can contribute to the environment with simple measures. Something, that has become a mandatory criterion for hotel guests booking a holiday.  

In Brazil, the post-pandemic tourism bet is on sustainability

Hotel owners in Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, united to transform their establishments into best practice examples of sustainable development.

The owners of Baía do João EcoPousada, Karl and Rita, with the Green Key sign.
Photo: © Baía do João EcoPousada

In the past months, the COVID-19 pandemic has subjected the hotel industry in Brazil to almost complete shutdown. But in Armação dos Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, owners of hotels and pousadas have used the idle period to come together for a good cause; to promote sustainability.

Led by Baía do João EcoPousada, the first establishment in Brazil certified with the Green Key label, and by three establishments, which have applied for the Green Key label; Pousada Abracadabra, Eco Villa Beija Flor and Villa Balthazar; the working party additionally consists of eleven Pousadas and hotels. By following European models of environmental conservation, this task group has been formed to plan and execute actions for better use and preservation of natural resources in the region. Felix Broden, General Manager of Abracadabra, noted;

We believe that having a group of hotels working together, enables us to aim at executing bigger projects such as getting the attention of the city to institute a recycling program or sharing daily tips about where to find ecological cleaning supplies.

The internationally well-known eco-label Green Key requires multiple criteria, which must be maintained and evaluated in subsequent inspections to be awarded. Therefore, one of the intersecting elements of the working party aims to adapt processes, such as waste management, cleaning, food, energy saving, water reuse, and other requirements necessary to achieve the award. The sense of community that provoked through the task group reached even other hotels in Búzios, who voluntarily agreed to cooperate with recycling actions, beach cleanups and by using ecologically safe products in their establishments, revealing the strength awakened by collective engagement.

The group's efforts reached Búzios Secretariat for the Environment, which now not only supports their initiatives but has actively worked together with them. Hence, the first recycling plant in Baía Formosa has been licenced by them, and they are actively bidding for the approval of the Environment City Council to be able to carry out its daily collection.

The interest in environmentally conscious establishments is proving to be a growing priority amongst the most diverse audiences of tourists. In Brazil, the debate about sustainable development has just started. However, it is more important than ever, considering the country's wealth of natural resources and biodiversity. It is expected that the new initiatives implemented in Búzios will not only attract more local and international guests but additionally invite more consciously travelling tourists to the region. Hence, and an audience that is more concerned with reducing their environmental footprint and taking care of the environment they travel to.

For more information, please contact:

Green Key Brazil
gkbrasil@greenkey.org.br
comunicacao@iarbrasil.org.br
+55 (47) 99947-0267

Baía do João EcoPousada with the Green Key flag raised. Photo: © Patrick Dias

Pousada Abracadabra. Photo: © Disclosure

Pousada Villa Balthazar. Photo: © Stefano Aguiar

Pousada Eco Vila Beija-Flor. Photo: © Vinicius Perrone