World Environment Day, the biggest annual event for positive environmental action, and it is a subject close to the heart of each luxury property belonging to Corinthia Hotels.
Corinthia’s environmental sustainability is championed through its Premier Partnership with international water-aid charity Just A Drop. Over the last three years Corinthia has brought life-changing clean water to a total of 43,325 children and families across five Just A Drop projects, the most recent in Zambia and Tanzania.
As a collection of luxury, five-star hotels worldwide, eco-friendly policies play a major role and sustainability is a top priority. The group’s philosophy is to become a more environmentally-conscious business while technological improvements are allowing it to protect the environment and be economically efficient at the same time.
“We strive for sustainability across three areas of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda, in environmental sustainability, personal sustainability and community sustainability,“ says Commercial Director Matthew Dixon.
Each of the hotels in Corinthia play their part, whether it be saving enough water to irrigate 15,000 trees for three years, interest free loans for bicycle purchases, fund-raising for worthwhile charities and solar thermal panels, are just some of the ways in which Corinthia Hotels is developing energy efficient hotels and exceeding the group’s corporate social responsibility targets.
Corinthia Hotel Lisbon led the way with CSR initiatives 12 years ago and was recognised for its efforts in 2013 when it was awarded the Western Europe Energy Project of the Year. The Lisbon hotel initiatives have become a source of inspiration for the other Corinthia hotels in the group.
“In the upscale hotel market, the ability to provide a high-quality service and accomplish it by utilising the minimum resources possible is nowadays considered with increasing care and importance,” said Pedro Ferreira, engineer at Corinthia Hotel Lisbon.
He goes further when he says that energy efficiency is one of the hotel’s unique selling points.
In a diverse range of ways eight hotels in the group – London, Budapest, Lisbon, Khartoum, St Petersburg, Prague and two in Malta – are becoming extraordinarily sustainable.
Here’s what Corinthia London are doing
- Environmental sustainability: Purchasing practices revolve around local producers, farmers, fishermen and artisan producers of mainland and British Isles primarily, where possible.
- Plastic, paper and cardboard is all recycled, while damaged linen become rags for back of house and night cleaning.
- There are interest-free loans for bicycle purchases and bike storage at the hotel as part of its Ride To Work Scheme.
- Personal sustainability: Schemes include an investment of 0.5% of the hotel’s payroll to support apprenticeship schemes from 2017.
- Community sustainability: Includes working with three charities: Springboard UK, Cardinal Hume and Good People Connect by offering free fundraising event space, donating, giving presentation/skills talks and offering work experience placements.