Sustainability at Hotels Post-COVID

The global pandemic hit home the importance of caring for our planet. As the world learns to live with COVID, we’ve put together a round-up of hotels’ efforts to promote environmental sustainability in the new normal. 

Alma
Alma is implementing what it believes is Vietnam’s most ambitious hotel solar power project yet. Starting this year, the 580-room resort will install 5,634 solar panels totalling 12,500 square metres on the roofs of its 196 pavilions and two V-shaped towers. With a capacity of 2,480 kilowatts peak - the rate at which it generates energy at its peak performance on a sunny day – the solar power system will fuel between a quarter to almost half of Alma’s energy needs, depending on occupancy. The system will save the resort up to USD 16.85 million (VND 390.85 billion) in electricity bills and reduce Alma's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 72,670 tonnes over the next 25 years.

Meliá Chiang Mai

Meliá Chiang Mai is embracing sustainability and promoting healthy eating with the launch of its ‘360° Cuisine’ concept. Developed by executive chef Suksant Chutinthratip, the ‘360° Cuisine’ dishes include produce from the hotel’s organic farm and a commitment to using every part of each ingredient possible before leftovers are returned to the farm as compost. “Our ‘farm to plate’ efforts, sourcing organic produce that travels only a short distance to our hotel and using every part of each ingredient we can – roots, leaves, stems, stalks and more – come full circle with ‘plate to farm’, whereby we return food waste back to the farm as fertilizer in a truly 360° concept,” the chef said. Under the program, the hotel’s kitchen works closely with local farmers to help them improve sustainability and encourage ethical production.

Fusion Resort Cam Ranh
Fusion Resort Cam Ranh, on Vietnam’s south central coast, has made huge eco-strides over the course of the pandemic. The property now cultivates one of the largest farms at a resort in Vietnam - with more than 250 animals, a mango orchard, and a herb & vegetable garden of more than 3,000 square meters producing over 40 kg of fresh organic vegetables daily. In 2020, the resort established the Fusion Farm school, which provides complimentary classes daily to guests and employees' children. The subjects include how to care for animals and grow vegetables. All of the resort’s wet raw food waste is used to feed the animals, resulting in zero removal of waste from the property.

Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion
Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion embraces RRR (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse) at every level. At their on-site organic farm they use food waste to produce compost and feed animals. The produce grown on the farm supplies the resort’s restaurants and staff canteen and any extra produce is sold to the staff or local community at a reduced rate. Last year the Alba team planted 2,000 trees after a storm damaged the surrounding forest. The damaged wood from fallen trees was also reused to build bridges on the property and make repairs. Among several other important initiatives Alba runs education programs with local children where they learn the value of organic farming, plastic reduction and environmental awareness.

Azerai Can Tho
Set on a private islet in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta that’s only accessible by boat, Azerai Can Tho has long been committed to promoting sustainability. The resort—part of Adrian Zecha’s portfolio that also includes Azerai La Residence, Hue and Azerai Ke Ga Bay—features a solar power plant that generates up to 2,500 Kwh of electricity, covering much of the resort’s overall power needs. Azerai has also introduced solar-powered buggies, installed a high-tech, eco-friendly sewage treatment plant, eliminated the use of plastics (single-use plastics and others) and more. Staff at the resort regularly participate in river clean-up activities and they are also involved in efforts to preserve the local mangroves.

Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh
Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh is the first hotel in Cambodia to partner with ecoSPIRITS, a company that pioneers the world’s first low-carbon method of packaging and distribution for high-end spirits. The hotel’s signature bar, The Attic, serves up its popular cocktails in which all ingredients have zero wastage. ecoSPIRITS is a closed-loop distribution system which uses a low-waste, low-carbon spirits distribution technology, thereby minimising packaging waste and transport cost, to reduce carbon footprint emissions in the spirits supply chain. By partnering with ecoSPIRITS, Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh aims to reduce 40% of its transport and packaging carbon emissions, including single-use glass wastage.

Meliá Bali

This oceanfront resort, situated along some of Bali’s most idyllic coastline, is making sure visitors can enjoy the sea for years to come through a hands-on collaboration with local non-profit, Nusa Dua Reef Foundation. Through the joint project Meliá Bali staff have undergone training on how to establish and protect coral and have started to plant coral on a nearby reef, just ten minutes from the property. Guests can show support for the initiative by purchasing coral through the resort, which is then used by Meliá Bali on their reef project. Upon special request the resort is able to arrange coral plantation activities for 10 or more participants, who would like to plant the coral themselves and learn about local marine life.