The restaurant A Cozinha por António Loureiro wins Best Practice Competition 2018!

Each year, Green Key runs a best practice competition to encourage its awarded sites to present their most inspiring sustainability stories. And today on World Tourism Day we announce our winner: A Cozinha por António Loureiro restaurant (Portugal). Finishing second and third were Sinatur Storebælt (Denmark) and STF Lugnåsbergets vandrarhem (Sweden).

This year, Green Key’s best practice competition focused on how to inform and involve guests in sustainability. The theme relates to SDG 12 “responsible consumption and production” to ensure “sustainable consumption and production patterns". Not only does Green Key help consumers to identify responsible tourism establishments, but awarded establishments also have to inform their guests about sustainable practices during their stay. Furthermore, Green Key awarded establishments are encouraged to engage their guests in their sustainability actions through activities, events, rewards etc.

At ‘A Cozinha’ , Chef António Loureiro and his team are totally committed to sustainable eating and also strive to pursue a policy of near-zero waste. An integrated approach considering several practices was implemented since the opening day. António, awarded Portuguese Chef of the Year in 2014, is well-known for his high quality gastronomy that combines tradition and innovation. He mainly uses regional or local products and the motto “cooking what Mother Nature is offering” has become an integral part of every menu he creates. To prevent food waste, António uses the entire product that is bought, cooked and combined in different ways.

As a part of the restaurant’s mission towards sustainability, António opens his kitchen for several initiatives to inform the local community and children about food waste. For example, in the activity “be a chef for a day”, or "team building with a cooking experience" guests have the chance to have a hands-on high level experience where they learn how to respect the products, how to promote the local economy with their choices and how to plan a week menu without creating a big amount of food waste.

In addition, António has adopted the ‘Eco-Cooks’ initiative which is part of the Eco-Schools programme in Portugal promoting healthy and sustainable food in schools.

Sinatur Gl. Avernæs offers its customers a sustainable, gastronomic delight

Green Key awarded Sinatur Gl. Avernæs Hotel offers an idyllic and sustainable dining experience with carefully chosen local and organic ingredients.

The Sinatur Gl. Avernæs hotel is located on a picturesque peninsula in the island of Fyn in Denmark. Surrounded by nature as well as the beach and the ocean, the restaurant at the hotel has the ideal point of departure and such an idyllic scenery deserves an extraordinary culinary experience.

Focusing on production and organic ingredients
Head Chef Martin Riber and the rest of the kitchen staff are highly focused on the ingredients they use which preferably are organic, local and seasonal. The restaurant has recently installed a green house as well as a raised garden bed where the kitchen staff is able to produce their own herbs and vegetables. The restaurant has also established their own fruit orchard so that the hotel guests in the future are able to enjoy their in- house produced fruits and pickled products.

 The Sinatur hotels were the first hotel chain to receive the organic cuisine label in bronze, which means that 30 - 60 % of their ingredients are organic. The Sinatur hotels were also the first hotel chain to receive the Green Key certification.

Source: Green Key Denmark

First four hotels in Macau achieve Green Key status

Four establishments in Macau, China have qualified for the prestigious Green Key award through the achievement of high environmental and sustainability standards

Morpheus, The Countdown and Nüwa at City of Dreams, Macau

The four establishments, owned and operated by Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited, are Morpheus, Nüwa and The Countdown at City of Dreams and Studio City.

To achieve their Green Key status, each of the four establishments optimised sustainability efforts to meet the global environmental management standard ISO 14001. The hotels comply with high energy and water saving standards, and have pledged to meet additional water and waste reduction targets for the coming year, with particular focus on plastic and paper materials.

Mr. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, said “It is a true honour to become Macau’s first and only recipient of the prestigious Green Key award, with four of our hotels concurrently achieving this exceptional accolade in recognition of our dedication towards sustainability. Our existing green initiatives have benefitted strongly from the requirements and recommendations set by the Green Key programme.”

The four hotels engage employees, guests and third party operating businesses in their sustainability efforts. Employees participate in various activities, such as Earth Hour, tree planting and beach cleaning activities, and are also involved in the hotels’ local community projects where materials that can be reused are donated to charitable organisations and to local events on environment and education.

Guests are informed about the hotel’s environmental efforts via TV monitors in the lobby and guest rooms and are encouraged to reuse towels and bed sheets, and to travel via public transportation, etc. In the hotels’ restaurants, green choices are available from the menus which offer over 25 organic food ingredients.

Studio City

Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Green Key Director, says: “We are very happy to introduce the Green Key to establishments in Macau through the four hotels operated by Melco Resorts & Entertainment. It is our hope that it will inspire other hotels in the region to reduce their resources and promote sustainable development through the Green Key programme.”

Successful annual Green Key National Operator Meeting in Estonia

As happens every year, Green Key’s National Operators and partners gathered to share best practices and discuss the future of the programme. This year, the meeting was held on 10-11 September, hosted by Green Key’s National Operator in Estonia.

Monday morning, 11 September: The lobby of the Nordic Forum Hotel in Tallinn is slowly filling with the 31 Green Key National Operators from all over the world as they prepare to take the bus to the first meeting location.

The first meeting day of the meeting takes place at the Green Key awarded Vihula Manor, a 16th-century estate with two main manor house buildings, 25 other historical buildings and 50 hectares of beautiful parkland set alongside the Mustoja River in the Lahemaa National Park only one hour drive from Tallinn. In this special location, the National Operators share best practices and ideas and discuss the development of Green Key. During the day, the delegates also visit the Green Key awarded Sagadi Manor.

The next day of the NOM takes place at the Green Key awarded Nordic Hotel Forum, which also kindly hosts the National Operators during their stay in Estonia. Earlier this year, their beehives on the rooftop were highligted, an initiative that not only benefit the local environment, but also the hotel’s guests who can taste the “urban honey” during breakfast.

The second day focuses on the growth strategy of Green Key and is also dedicated to presentations by our partners Radisson Hotel Group, Drinkable Air and the University of Surrey.

Green Key would like to thank the organisers Enterprise Estonia for kindly hosting the 2018 Green Key National Operator Meeting.

Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche Hotel in Morocco is one green step ahead

Green Key Awarded Hotel, Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche, is a large five-star establishment in the centre of Casablanca in Morocco. From this tall building, there is a good view over the busy city and to the Grand Mosque. The hotel is focusing on ensuring a luxury feeling for its guests, while at the same time incorporating a range of sustainable initiatives.

The building has been constructed in such a way that various resource saving facilities are already incorporated. On the roof of the hotel, an extensive solar panel system has been built covering around 60% of the hotel’s energy consumption.

Sofitel Tour Blanche is encouraging both guests and staff to participate in the hotel’s sustainability efforts. Guests staying additional nights at the hotel have the option to choose not to use the room cleaning service and in return, the hotel will ensure that a donation is given to plant olive trees in the north of Morocco.

In addition, the hotel's permanent staff receives training that includes education about sustainable performance within the hotel, and to go one step further, guidance is provided to the whole staff about how to save resources (water, energy, etc.) and thereby save money in their own homes.

Jérôme Lobier, General Manager of Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche, says: "Nowadays, we all seem concerned about the environment but, as I see it, it is a global action that needs to be done. At AccorHotels we contribute with our 'Planet 21 program' but we will not be able to achieve it alone. We think that communication and education is a fundamental pillar of the cause so we have implemented a workshop to explain the personal benefits of an environmental friendly behaviour. It is our small contribution to the planet."

For more information, please visit https://sofitel.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6811-sofitel-casablanca-tour-blanche/index.shtml. 

Green Key continues to be the main eco-label partner of Radisson Hotel Group

The 2017 Responsible Business Report of the Radisson Hotel Group highlights that with more than 220 Green Key awarded hotels, Green Key is the main eco-labelling partner of the company

Radisson highlights Green Key as one of the largest hospitality certifiers in the world, and Green Key enjoys a global reputation with more than 2,700 hotels and accommodation venues in 56 countries in 2017. Hotels with the Green Key eco-label comply with more than 100 sustainability criteria covering energy management, waste control, water usage, and social responsibility, which includes reducing of energy and water consumption, installation of eco-friendly lighting in at least 75% of the property, treating of wastewater, and separating waste and recycling a maximum amount of waste.

At the end of 2017, a total of 294 Radisson hotels (or 80%) across Europe, Middle East and Africa have received eco-labels, but the target is to have 100% of the hotels eco-labelled.

Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice-President – Responsible Business and Safety & Security, says: “For Radisson Hotel Group, external confirmation of their hotels’ environmental performance is a real opportunity. Eco-labels provide an independent third-party onsite audit of each hotel’s practices and actions to protect the environment. We are happy that more than 220 Radisson hotels achieved the Green Key eco-label in 2017.”

The Responsible Business Report of Radisson Hotel Group highlights the three sustainability pillars of the company:

Think people: Radisson highlights their Balanced Leadership initiative that continues to build momentum towards gender equality and development of female talent and that the company continue to lead on fighting modern slavery.

Think community: More than 32,000 volunteer hours were donated by Radisson employees and €1.0 million were donated to charity. The towel reuse program at Radisson Blu hotels helped to provide safe drinking water for life to more than 17,500 children.

Think planet: Radisson hotels have per m2 saved 8% in energy and 3% in water since 2016. For the period 2018-2022, Radisson aims for an additional 10% reduction in carbon, energy and water. By the end of 2017, 40 hotels use 100% renewable energy.

The full 2017 Responsible Business Report of the Radisson Hotel Group can be downloaded HERE. Radisson’s cooperation with Green Key is mentioned on page 54 and the list of eco-labelled hotels can be found on page 61-62.

Riad Soleil d’Orient – a small hotel with a big green vision

The Green Key awarded Riad Soleil d’Orient in the city of El Jadida is a traditional Moroccan house with a green ‘look and feel’.  

A 'riad' is a Moroccan traditional house. It is often not very prominent from the outside, but when you enter you will see a beautiful old house with two or more floors surrounded by a central courtyard. 

Riad Soleil d’Orient is a small accommodation located in the centre of El Jadida with eight bedrooms in traditional Moroccan style all facing the beautiful green patio with trees and herbs and a beautiful fountain in the middle. In the courtyard, there is a small restaurant, where guests can eat their dinner in the shadow of the trees. Most food served, such as e.g. fish, meat and vegetables, are locally sourced.

Besides, its green image through the vegetation in the patio and roof garden, Riad Soleil d’Orient has also focused a lot of attention on green features through its actions. The hotel has installed an advanced solar panel system that can heat water for the showers to a temperature that it is not necessary to mix it with cold water enabling the hotel to save money on water and energy. The various water and energy saving initiatives have enabled the hotel to save 20-25% on resources.

Olivier Revelut, General Manager of Riad Soleil d’Orient says: “Riad Soleil d’Orient is proud to have achieved the Green Key award, and we have experienced an increasing demand through various German booking sites. Our plans for the future include an ambition to expand our solar panel system." 

On the coffee table in each room, you can find a detailed Green Key information folder describing the work of the hotel with the programme, and each guest is encouraged to comment on the performance of the establishment through an environmental questionnaire.

For more information about Riad Soleil d'Orient, please visit: https://www.riadsoleildorient.net/

Bookdifferent.com highlights Green Key as "greenest choice"

Green Key awarded accommodations receive highest sustainability ranking with the online booking platform Bookdifferent.com

Bookdifferent.com, which includes 1.1 million accommodations all over the world, makes sure all its accommodations are checked on their sustainability performance while offering the best price guarantee.

On the new user-friendly, fast and mobile-friendly Bookdifferent.com website, the new ‘staygreencheck’ feature ranks the 22 ecolabels (including Green Key) that Bookdifferent displays on their website.

“It is our intention with this new feature to help travellers to make a better informed and more sustainable choice. We believe that consumer demand will motivate the hospitality sector to continue improving their level of sustainability,” says Lonneke de Kort, CEO of Bookdifferent.com.

With the 'staygreencheck' Bookdifferent has monitored how each of the labels perform on the four pillars of sustainability: fair & social, nature & environment, culture friendly and local economy taking the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Standard as the norm. Each of the four hearts in the ‘staygreencheck’ display compliance with one of these pillars.

As Green Key criteria touch upon all four pillars of sustainability, Green Key awarded establishments has been awarded all four hearts and is indicated as the ‘greenest choice’ and shown on top of each search result as a standard.

Finn Bolding Thomsen, Green Key International Director, says: "We are very proud to have the Green Key awarded establishments listed as the greenest choice in Bookdifferent.com. The establishments are deeply engaged in contributing to a more sustainable world through their actions, and we as Green Key strives to support this work through regular updates of our standards as well as supporting the Green Key awarded establishments with ideas, tool and best practice examples from our network.”

Radisson Hotel Group raises USD 445,000 to provide a better future for children and young people

During its annual Community Action Month in June 2018, Radisson Hotel Group activated its global partnership with SOS Children’s Villages – carrying out more than 900 activities worldwide to help support children and young people.

Radisson Hotel Group, one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel groups, is pleased to share the highlights from its 2018 Community Action Month activities around the world. For the last 15 years, Radisson Hotel Group’s hotels, as well as its corporate and area offices, globally have dedicated one full month to make a difference in the communities they operate in by organizing various activities around its industry-leading Responsible Business program. This year, between them, all business units of the newly rebranded Radisson Hotel Group organized more than 900 activities in their local communities, dedicated more than 32,000 volunteer hours, and raised a total of USD 445,000 in cash and in-kind for SOS Children’s Villages and other local charities.

“One in 10 children worldwide has lost or is at risk of losing their parental care. At Radisson Hotel Group, we are lending a helping hand to give some of these children food, shelter and a better future. Every day, more than 95,000 team members strive to make Every Moment Matter for our guests, owners, talent and for our local communities around the world. This special month of June, our teams engaged in fundraising activities, donations and great volunteering opportunities for SOS Children’s Villages,” said Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President, Responsible Business and Safety & Security.

“At SOS Children’s Villages, we greatly value the support of our partners in improving the lives of children, young people and families in countries all over the world,” said Patricia Molano, Head of International Corporate Partnerships and Philanthropy at SOS Children’s Villages International. “We are happy to see the engagement of volunteers, supporters and guests during the Community Action Month and we are looking forward to growing the partnership further in the coming years.”

Some highlights of the 2018 Community Action Month included corporate employees of the group’s Americas HQ step-up/step-out to help the communities in the Midwest and beyond. They packed more than 8,500 meals for the local food banks and provided shelter by volunteering on the construction site, helping build homes for families in need and supporting the local shelter.

During the group’s Asia Pacific Annual Business Conference, many of the company’s executive leaders visited a local orphanage and helped donate new mattresses, computers and even a guitar.

Through their ongoing ‘Adopt a School’ initiative, the Radisson Blu® Resort Fiji continued to provide Food.Shelter.Future to 30 local schools. This June, the team visited one of the schools and donated laptop computers and books.

The Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel, Freetown in Sierra Leone is participating in a range of projects, including a youth employment program via the internationally accredited Youth Career Initiative – making the hotel the first-ever nationwide to implement such a program.

The group’s hotels in Tallinn, Estonia, sponsored and visited children of the local SOS Children’s Village, to offer in-kind donations of clothes and shoes.

Radisson Blu Port Elizabeth Hotel in South Africa provided a ‘braai’ feast and a game of football. Throughout the year, Radisson Blu Hotel, Port Elizabeth has committed to support the SOS Children’s Village in maintenance work required on their property and their recycling program.

The Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg Airport in Germany has provided SOS Children’s Villages Hamburg with help for a while. After a successful back-to-school support campaign, equipping the children for the new school year, the team provided food and catered for the local SOS Children’s Villages family day.

The Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo in Norway ran a successful Responsible Business lottery. The goal was to make everyone a winner, set SOS Children’s Villages on the agenda and allow our guests to win some great prizes. The lottery raised more than EUR 2,200.

Radisson Hotel Group is encouraging each of its 1,100 hotels to sponsor the upbringing and education of at least one child per hotel and to establish meaningful relationships with the SOS Children’s Villages in their respective countries. The business leadership team of the group is contributing by privately sponsoring more than 50 children from SOS Children’s Villages.

The Community Action Month is a core element of Radisson Hotel Group’s overarching Responsible Business program. For more details about the company’s Responsible Business strategy, please visit radissonhotels.com/responsible-business

Watch our video with the highlights of Radisson Hotel Group’s Community Action Month: https://youtu.be/0IOHFTOuTB8

Media Contacts:

• Lucie Cardona, Radisson Hotel Group, EMEA, lucie.cardona@radissonhotels.com or +32 2 730 7832

• Laura Langemo, Radisson Hotel Group, Americas, Laura.Langemo@radissonhotels.com or +1 (763) 212-0419

• Camilla Chiam, Radisson Hotel Group, Asia Pacific, Camilla.Chiam@radissonhotels.com or +65 6511 9297

About Radisson Hotel Group

Radisson Hotel Group™ (formerly Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group) is one of the world's largest hotel groups with eight distinctive hotel brands, more than 1,400 hotels in operation and under development around the world. The Radisson Hotel Group portfolio includes Radisson Collection™, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson RED®, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson and prizeotel. Guests can benefit from the newly rebranded Radisson Rewards™ (formerly Club Carlson SM), a global rewards program that delivers unique and personalized ways to create memorable moments that matter to our guests. Radisson Rewards offers exceptional loyalty benefits for our guests, meeting planners, travel agents and business partners. Radisson Meetings™ offers a variety of fully-equipped meeting and event venues featuring fast free Wi-Fi, A/V technology and on-site contacts designed to make every event unique. More than 95,000 global team members work for the Radisson Hotel Group and at the hotels licensed to operate in its systems.

About SOS Children's Villages

SOS Children's Villages is the largest non-governmental organization focused on supporting children without parental care and families at risk. Founded in 1949, the organization today runs 2,300 programs reaching more than a million children, young people and adults in 135 countries and territories. SOS Children's Villages adheres to the principle that every child grows best in a family environment, with loving parents or caregivers, living together with their siblings, in a place they can call home. SOS Children's Villages works with communities, local partners and authorities to support disadvantaged families, thus preventing family breakdown. We aim to influence decision-makers to promote the well-being of children, especially of those without parental care. SOS Children's Villages also helps care for and protect at-risk children and families in around 20 humanitarian emergencies.