Thai hotel brand Dusit to be Green Globe Certified By 2010

The Dusit International brand is furthering its efforts in environmental protection by undergoing eco-benchmarking to receive independent proof of its environmental commitment and become Green Globe certified by 2010.

“Eco-friendly initiatives are compelling to the hotel guests,” says Octavio Gamarra, senior vice president, Dusit International. “Hotels around the world are making a significant effort to lower their energy and water usage, and reduce waste as well as contributing to the local communities as customers become more concerned about the environment, and they are willing to change their behavior by choosing to stay or partner with hotels that share the same environmental values. A green-friendly hotel is becoming a preferred choice of the guests.”

“Not only do we realize that it’s our priority to contribute to the well-being of the communities within which we operate as we prepare for the growth and development of our company, it is also imperative that we initiate programs to reduce the carbon footprint and ensure the sustainability of our exciting expansion,” Gamarra adds. “With our commitment to the Green Globe certification program as delivered by EC3 Global, we can assure our partners, staff and shareholders that we are building on our foundations to be recognized as one of Asia’s leading hotel brands.”

Dusit recently conducted a workshop designed to train Dusit’s Green Globe coordinators and engineers from Dusit hotels and resorts on how to implement the environmental program to achieve Green Globe certification.

“The workshop has been very informative and gave us a deeper insight into the Green Globe certification and benchmarking process,” says Kenneth Fong, regional director of technical services, Dusit International. “I wish for all participating hotels in the Green Globe Program to obtain the bronze benchmarked status by third quarter 2010, followed by silver certification thereafter. This will be a major step for Dusit International in the Green Globe initiatives.”

The training program was aimed to train Dusit’s Green Globe coordinators and engineers in all technical and operational processes, to set up the most proficient practices, while an on-site mock audit was initiated at Dusit Thani Bangkok to help participants better understand the impact to the environment of daily hotel operations. Bot initiatives were led by Claire Hendrie, operations manager of EC3 Global, who is specialized in observing the performance of operational processes and procedures relating to benchmarking and certification.

“Globally, corporations are playing an increasingly important role in sharing and promoting the principles of sustainability both within their organizations and throughout the broader community,” Hendrie says. “The tourism industry is particularly vulnerable to the environmental and social issues that face our planet today with the impacts of climate change and growing populations threatening the very resources on which the industry depends. With consumers now having to adapt their lifestyles in response to growing pressures on the environment, their expectations and choices of travel destinations and experiences are also evolving. It will be important for the future viability of corporations to ensure they are prepared and able to respond to consumers’ environmental choices and changing expectations on responsible tourism.”

“Dusit is a distinctively Thai brand with Thai values and culture strongly embedded within the corporate culture and services offered across its hotels,” Hendrie says. “The value and prominence of the brand and its hotels in Asia places Dusit in a strong position to influence and foster a more sustainable approach to tourism development and management and outcomes for the greater community. We look forward to working with Dusit to assist the group to become recognized as one of the world’s leading hotels in sustainable development and operations.”

Dusit properties that are participating in the Green Globe certification program in Thailand are: Dusit Thani Bangkok, Dusit Hua Hin, Dusit Thani Pattaya, dusitD2 chiang mai, Dusit Princess Srinakarin Bangkok, Dusit Princess Korat, Royal Princess Larn Luang and Royal Princess Chiang Mai.

Outside of Thailand, properties include: Dusit Thani Manila, Dusit Thani Dubai and Dusit Residence Dubai Marina.

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Read more about: Asia, climate change, development, Dubai, environmental protection, Green Globe International, Hotels, resorts, responsible tourism, sustainable, Thailand

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