The Royal Riviera Hotel, Qatar receives the Green Key Certificate

The Royal Riviera Hotel, a 4-Star city hotel located in the heart of Doha, receives the Green Key certificate. The establishment has shown an incredible dedication to putting environmentally friendly, sustainable solutions into practice.

© The Royal Riviera Hotel

Mr. Essam Ragheb Kortam, The Royal Riviera Hotels’ General Manager shares his thoughts on the importance of sustainable development and the Green Key certification for the establishment:

“At The Royal Riviera hotel, we are aware of the necessity to transform our hotel into a greener, more sustainable place. We have implemented Green Key’s mandatory and a variety of their recommended environmental criteria around the property. Our team is working hard to encourage our guests to reduce, reuse and recycle by providing information in all guest rooms and public areas such as information on the TV screen. In addition, we make sure to mainly use reusable items in our establishment, such as cloth napkins, and silver wear for our food and beverage services. If we need to provide our guests with single-use items, we ensure that these are produced out of sustainable and recyclable materials, such as our paper cups.”

In addition to that, the Royal Riviera hotel has implemented several sustainable practices to reduce its environmental impact such as:

• Water efficient fixtures to monitor water consumption and reduce the water wastage.

• Development of a system to reuse the wastewater from Air-Conditioning for the fountain, floor, wash and watering the hotel plants.

• Tracking and monitoring energy consumption to reduce its environmental footprint.

• Using eco-labelled fixtures and appliances.

• Reducing waste by the implementation of dust bins for recycling paper, plastic, metal, food) in guest rooms and public areas.

• Reducing food waste by the implementation of a new plan that should improve food storage. Furthermore, leftovers are donated to charity organisations.

• Promoting well-being by providing healthy food options in the buffet area and a la Cart menu.

• Improved indoor air quality by frequently monitoring the air quality index.

• Focus on the cooperation with suppliers of local products and materials.

• Awareness raising actions such as providing guest information about the sustainability initiatives of the establishment and the Green Key program at the front desk, the rooms, the public area and on the website.

 Mr. Essam Ragheb Kortam adds:

“Our goal is to contribute to building a more sustainable world for all. For this, we have created an incentive program to encourage our staff to participate and improve our environmentally friendly practices. Creating a more sustainable environment is very important to us and we continue to work on this daily.”

© The Royal Riviera Hotel

Finn Bolding Thomsen, Director of Green Key International says:

“The Green Key certification of the Royal Riviera Hotel in Doha can be seen as a confirmation of the team’s efforts in fostering a more sustainable future.”

The Royal Riviera hotel is the eight hotel in the Qatar to be certified with Green Key, and their commitment to the implementation of the Green Key criteria is, therefore, another important step towards more sustainability in the country. An increasing amount of certified establishments in any country can be seen as essential development towards more sustainability in the tourism industry, as it gives travelers the option to choose staying in an environmentally friendly accommodation during their holidays.

Learn more about the hotel here.

Green Key certified hotels can be listed with their sustainability attributes in the Green Travel Index database

Together with the German Travel Association DRV, and a travel industry software specialist, Green Key’s partner, Green Travel Index, has developed a tool with more than 150 attributes for sustainable travel. The Green Travel Index database should therefore help the industry in making socially and environmentally friendly travel offers more comparable.

© Green Travel Index

The Green Travel Index (GTI) is the first global B2B platform to position sustainable content in the mainstream tourism distribution channels. As a neutral, independent and non-bookable platform, GTI delivers information from registered, sustainably certified companies to the travel chain with the goal to not only make touristic products more visible and easily accessible but also to raise consumer awareness and facilitate bookings.

All Green Key members can are automatically listed in the Green Travel Index (GTI) because of the established partnership between GTI and Green Key.

 Elke Brosin the GTI Program Director says:

“Now is the perfect time for Green Key members to claim their listing in the GTI database and make use of those newly integrated attribute fields. That way, they do not only become more visible to the distribution channels but also become a more active part of the GTI database.”

To claim a listing, Green Key members go to the GTI website under https://greentravelindex.com, register as a SUPPLIER, find their entry through the filter function and then choose the button „claim listing“. 

For further information on the newly integrated sustainable attributes, read more here.

To read more about how to claim a listing, please contact info@greentravelindex.com.

Green Key is proud to announce the launch of the Hotel Sustainability Basics

“Thousands of hotels, destinations and OTAs support Hotel Sustainability Basics.”

“Inaugural partners include destinations, major international hotel groups and tourist resorts.”

“Research shows that almost all hotels are aware of their responsibility to the planet”

© WTTC Hotel Sustainability Basics

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has today launched the Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics) at the ITB tourism fair in Berlin, Germany.

With Green Key as one of the main verifiers, Basics will enable tourist accommodation providers from around the world, regardless of their size, to begin their sustainability journey.

Basics, an industry-backed scheme, is a globally recognised set of criteria that all hotels should implement as a minimum to drive responsible and sustainable travel and tourism.

Basics focuses on an achievable starting point and it is meant to encourage all accommodation providers to begin their sustainability journeys and meet the fundamental standards required of our sector.

Made up of 12 key criteria, the Basics is accessible to all hotels to implement. Green Key recognizes the importance of Basics as a stepping-stone to more advanced sustainability schemes, such as the Green Key programme, and achieve greater sustainability across the industry.

Basics has also been recognised by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance as the starting point for a net positive industry, who announced the latest version of the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality.

Verification Scheme

In order to ensure the validity of the programme, WTTC partnered with Green Key and SGS to develop a simple online verification system to allow hotels to provide evidence and ensure they are following the Basics.

The verification scheme enables hotels and other tourist accommodation to be officially verified for meeting eight of the 12 criteria in the first year and demonstrate their commitment to working toward all 12 of the criteria by year three.

Together, the criteria ensure the sector is eco resilient and adaptive to the changing needs of the planet.

Hotel Partners

Six major international hotel groups, collectively representing tens of thousands of sites from around the world have now joined Basics as inaugural partners. The first hotel groups include well-known brands such as Accor, Jin Jiang International, Louvre Hotels Group, Meliá Hotels International, Meininger, and Radisson Hotel Group.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said “We are incredibly proud to launch our Hotel Sustainability Basics and its verification scheme. The initiative is a response to the sector’s need for a baseline for hotels and other tourist lodgings to introduce the exacting sustainability standards.

“Our research shows that most business owners are aware of their responsibility to the environment but need a step-by-step guide that is scientifically verifiable.

“It is testament to the need for such a scheme that already thousands of hotel properties from around the world have committed to implement Basics, and from today can begin the verification process.”

Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President of Sustainability, Security & Corporate Communications at Radisson Hotel Group said “Hotel Sustainability Basics is filling a new and unanswered demand in the hotel industry: to provide a solid, trusted, and clear label for essential hotel sustainability. It’s important we define responsible travel to preserve the planet and protect communities. With Hotel Sustainability Basics we offer the traveller a clear sustainable stay option for all types of hotels around the world.

“Radisson Hotel Group commits to implement Hotel Sustainability Basics in all its 1,100 hotels by 2025. We do this together with our shareholder Jin Jiang International, their affiliate Louvre Hotel Group and other major hotel groups and destinations around the world.”

Green Lodgings Trend Report

WTTC carried out an extensive international benchmarking exercise through the Green Lodgings Trends Report, learning from 27,000 accommodation providers on how they are currently fairing against the 12 criteria.

Crucially, this benchmark will allow WTTC to track the progress of Basics over time.

Almost 100% of accommodation providers implement at least one initiative to reduce inequality and 96% have adopted linen reuse programmes.

The report also showed many hoteliers are establishing sustainable practices but there is still a way to go for these to become common across the sector.

Two-thirds of those surveyed have already begun to eliminate the use of certain single-use plastics such as straws and implementing other waste reduction initiatives.

Emerging practices were also highlighted in the report.

Almost half of respondents have replaced small plastic toiletry bottles with bulk dispensers and a third now provide vegetarian options for every course in their food and beverage provision.

Find more about the verification process at Green Key — Sustainability Basics Verification Scheme

Learn more about Hotel Sustainability Basics at wttc.org

First establishment in Gibraltar, the Sunborn Gibraltar, receives the Green Key certificate

The Sunborn Gibraltar Hotel, the only permanently berthed, purpose purpose- built 5-Star Yacht Luxury hotel in the world, is the first business property in Gibraltar to have receivedreceive the Green Key certification.

© Sunborn Gibraltar Hotel

Berthed in the Ocean Village on March 2014, and only 15 minutes’ walking distance from the airport and five minutes from the city centre, the Sunborn Gibraltar hotel recognizes that it has a responsibility towards the environment and community beyond legal and regulatory requirements. .

Marc Skvorc, the Chief Operating Officer of Sunborn Yacht Hotels and General Manager of Sunborn Gibraltar says:

“I couldn’t be more proud of receiving this certification! We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our sustainable performance. It is an integral part of our business strategy and operating procedures, with regular review points. As the first recipient of the certificate in Gibraltar, I am proud to be at the helm leading the way. This requires persistence, innovation and a passion which we will continue to enliven in our business amongst our team, guests, suppliers and other stakeholders.”

Since opening, the Sunborn has implemented several sustainable practices and actions to reduce its environmental impact including:

• Use of low energy light bulbs in all areas of the hotel.

• Continuously monitoring and reducing energy consumption (electricity & water).

• Reducing paper trail through the efficient use of office technology.

• Turning off unnecessary lights and taps

• Buying in bulk.

• Providing Tesla Charging stations for hybrid/electric vehicles.

• Encouraging the use of locally fresh products and Fairtrade.

• Continuous recycling of glass, carboard/paper, plastic, wood and metals.

• Ensuring the waters surrounding the hotel are kept clean.

Finn Bolding Thomsen, Green Key International Director, adds:

“We are happy to have Sunborn Gibraltar Hotel as our first certified Green Key establishment in Gibraltar! This certification is a testament of their continuous dedication and efforts towards a more sustainable future.”

Click here to read more about Sunborn Gibraltar Hotel.

Green Key has a new National Operator in Qatar

The Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar (AYCMQA) has taken over as Qatar's Green Key management at the national level.

© AYCMQA

Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar is an independent, non-profit, think-and-do-tank for environmental awareness & advocacy, research, and policy analysis. Since its founding in 2015, Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar (AYCMQA) has been dedicated to improving environmental policy, developing grassroots awareness and capacity building at the community level in Qatar.

Abdulrahman Almuftah, Board of Director of AYCMQA explains that:

“Taking over Green Key initiative in Qatar was part of AYCMQA’s long term sustainability strategy in Qatar. As reported in IPCC, a sustainable transition in land, energy, buildings, transport and cities is needed to meet global carbon reduction goals. Buildings, like those that are Green Key certified, are a global solution for cities, communities, and neighborhoods.”

Martin Baeuerle,  the new Green Key National Operator with many years of experience in hotel operation and sustainability consultancy says:

“I have been involved with Green Key for over 12 years, first from the hotel side, in getting the property certified, then from the side of being a Green Key auditor side and now I am happy to be the Green Key National Operator for Qatar and continue making a positive impact.”

Martin Baeuerle is a qualified hotel management specialist and holds a professional certificate in Sustainable Tourism. In the past, he has been speaker, panellist and moderator at important conferences such as Qatar Hospitality Summit, Project Qatar, Hospitality Qatar, Hospitality Innovation Summit and Construction Week. He served as a judge for the Hotelier Middle East Awards for a number of years as well as the Qatar Sustainability Awards. He also served as the lead auditor for Green Key in Qatar for many years.

 In 2011, Qatar launched the National Vision 2030 to guide its plans for sustainable long-term development and environmental diversification. In pursuit of this vision, tourism has been designated a priority sector by the country’s leaders as it provides Qatar with the opportunity to find sustainable economic growth, while perpetuating and celebrating the nation’s cultural and natural gems (UNWTO, 2017).

One of the four pillars of the National Vision 2023 is Environmental Development. The environmental criteria of Green Key align with nation’s star classification. Obtaining an international ecolabel, such as Green Key, supports the hotels in their classification process and in contributing to the wider strategy of the country.

© Shutterbox

Finn Bolding Thomsen, Green Key International Director, adds:

“We are happy to have AYCMQA as our new National Operator in Qatar to continue the work with Green Key in Qatar, and we encourage any hotel or other tourism facilities eligible for Green Key in Qatar to apply or contact AYCM for more information about the programme.”

Respect for our planet and luxury hand in hand at STORY Rabat

As first establishment in Morocco to receive the Green Key certification in 2023, STORY Rabat leads the way for sustainability in the luxury industry. 

© STORY Rabat

STORY Rabat is a luxury boutique hotel located in the Ambassadors district in Rabat, Morocco. Opened in 2014 and previously known as Villa Diyafa, the hotel pays homage to its namesake by blending contemporary Moroccan architecture with Andalusian touches for an exquisite experience of discreet and genuine luxury. Served by thoughtful interiors and spacious accommodations, the hotel offers those looking for authentic Moroccan hospitality the chance to relax and fully embrace their stay at this truly distinctive hotel. STORY Rabat’s leisure facilities include a traditional Moroccan spa and hammam, a state-of-the-art gym and a 25-meter swimming pool surrounded by sculpted gardens, water features and a hot tub. It's the perfect place to host small corporate meetings, retreats, and eclectic events in a culturally rich setting. STORY Rabat has been elected "BEST LUXURY BOUTIQUE HOTEL" in Morocco for the year 2020 & 2022 by the Luxury Lifestyle Award in New York and “BEST BOUTIQUE HOTEL NORTH AFRICA” by Global Brands Magazine in 2022! 

This past January, STORY Rabat joined the ranks of luxury hotels dedicated to sustainability by being the first establishment in Morocco to receive Green Key certification. STORY Rabat has implemented several initiatives to conserve energy, save water, and promote the reuse, reduction and recycling of plastic and paper waste. Their approach, firmly supported from the headquarters at STORY Hospitality, is one of continuous training and education of both hotel staff and guests around the topic of sustainability, and the daily management and care of resources.  In line with this, STORY Hospitality is supporting each and every of their managed hotels to be Green Key certified.  

This mindful and holistic approach to sustainability, says Green Key International Director, Finn Bolding Thomsen, is what sets Green Key certified establishments apart.  

Olivier de Kermel, STORY Rabat’s General Manager says:

“Obtaining the Green Key International Label for our hotel is a pride. This is the recognition of our continuous approach for years for a sound management of each resource, promoting local resources and paying daily attention to them. Respect for the planet is not antinomic to the luxury and comfort we wish for each of our guests, it’s also a new way of thinking. In the luxury industry the new leader must be a leader in the Sustainability industry as well. All the STORY Rabat team is very proud to be the first hotel in Morocco in obtaining the GK International Label for 2023. I wish we can be an inspiration to many more to come in the Kingdom of Morocco, so that together we can create a better world.” 

© STORY Rabat

You can read more about STORY Rabat here.

Drinkable Air and Green Key renew collaboration agreement!

After six years of successful collaboration, Green Key is pleased to announce the renewal of its agreement with Drinkable Air Technologies LLC (Drinkable Air).  

© Drinkable Air

Drinkable Air is a US-based Emerging Growth Technology Company that designs, manufactures, assembles, and distributes Atmospheric Water Generators ("AWG's"). Drinkable Air products support a lower environmental footprint by reducing water consumption from other sources and minimizing the production and disposal of single-use plastic water bottles. 

Drinkable Air’s technology aligns with the Green Key criteria by reducing the environmental footprint of single-use-plastic water bottles, reducing reliance on municipal water sources, and reducing waste.  The innovative technology of the company ensures that the water is sourced sustainably, has no effect on the local water supply, and is waste free.

The AWGs of Drinkable Air create an unlimited supply of pure drinking water from "the moisture in the air". Drinkable Air’s technology utilises the principles of condensation (the same way nature creates rain) to generate water. This water is then filtered and purified by a process which ensures the water is free of bacteria, viruses, and other impurities. The purity, freshness and taste of the water are unsurpassed, and the cost savings compared to bottled water can be easily demonstrated.

Finn Bolding Thomsen, Green Key International Director, says:

“We have enjoyed a successful collaboration with Drinkable Air Technologies LLC for six years, and we are excited to renew our agreement to support reducing water shortages, pollution and dependence on fossil fuels.”

More information about Drinkable Air can be found on their website at www.drinkableair.tech.

InterContinental Sofia is the only Green Key certified establishment in Bulgaria

As the only Green Key-certified hotel in Bulgaria, the InterContinental Sofia Hotel can serve as an example for other establishments in the country that want to work on their sustainable development and be involved in the Green Key programme. 

© InterContinental Sofia Hotel

 The hotel's sustainability ambition is to go beyond the regular separate collection of waste. For this reason, the hotel has installed special glass recycling machines on every second floor, which transform glass into powder. The containers specifically designated for the glass powder are then collected by a contractor and sent directly to a glass manufacturing plant. 

The glass recycling machines are managed electronically and when full, the signal shows that its container should be replaced. The machines also register the quantity of glass collected and within several months of operation, the InterContinental Sofia hotel has delivered over 9000kg of glass transformed to powder, which can then be repurposed in several industrial applications. 

Angelo Zuccala, General Manager at InterContinental Sofia Hotel says:

“I am proud to have the honour of accepting such international recognition and for our hotel to become the only holder of the Green Key certificate in the country. We are happy to continue to contribute to the IHG "Journey to Tomorrow" program and invest in what is the most important to all of us - our guests, colleagues and owners, namely to work with care for society and to grow sustainably.”

© InterContinental Sofia Hotel

Additionally, Stanimir Georgiev, a National Operator of the Green Key programme in Bulgaria adds: 

“InterContinental Sofia Hotel proved to be a reliable Green Key applicant that not only followed the Green Key criteria but has turned the philosophy of the programme into a working style and a way of life. The support of the hotel owners, the impressive sustainability strategy of the InterContinental Hotels Group hotel chain, the ambition of the management and the dedication and commitment of the entire hotel team are a sure guarantee that the common efforts to introduce quality management with environmental and social responsibility and minimal carbon footprint inevitably lead to success.” 

Click here to learn more about InterContinental Sofia Hotel.

Center Hotels in Iceland commit to complying with Green Key criteria

On 12th of December 2022 representatives from Center Hotels and Green Key Iceland met to sign a contract committing the hotel chain to apply for the Green Key certificate for all of its eight hotels in central Reykjavik.

© Vottunarstofan Tún, who runs the Green key programme in Iceland

Center Hotels is an Icelandic hotel chain and a family-run business with a long-rooted history of accommodations in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik. With the first guesthouse built in 1994 and the latest one in 2021,  the Center Hotels chain committed to meeting Green Key criteria in all of its eight hotels and using Green Key guidelines as a framework for sustainable development.

During the special event  when the contract between Green Key Iceland and Center Hotels was signed, the Chief Operations Officer of Center Hotels, Eva Josteinsdottir, shared the following:

"We are very excited about signing the contract with Green Key. […] Center Hotels recognizes environmental responsibility and welcomes the challenge. We believe that there are enormous opportunities within the hospitality business to practice sound and sustainable practices, and we, the team at Center Hotels, will do what we can to minimize the environmental impact of our operations. We are very lucky to have an incredible team that is truly dedicated and excited about taking part in all our green initiatives.”

Moreover, Sigridur Helga Stefansdottir, Director of Marketing at Center Hotels added:

"We are thrilled about the Green Key contract. We understand the importance of practicing sustainability and we know that our guests coming from all around the world feel the importance as well and want to know what we are doing in terms of sustainability practices at our hotels. We are therefore excited to have the opportunity to share the progress, the results, and the Green Key programme with them." 

© Vottunarstofan Tún

The commitment of Center Hotels is important for Icelandic tourism, including the opportunities for travellers to choose sustainable accommodation in Iceland’s capital as Center Hotels’ eight establishments, account for roughly 18% of all hotel rooms in Reykjavik. It is therefore exciting to wait while the eight hotels go through the application process before they can be Green Key certified.

Learn more about Center Hotels here.