Tag: Australia

Accor enters partnership with Ecotourism Australia

AUSTRALASIA: Accor, which has more than 19 brands across Australia and the Pacific, has joined forces with Ecotourism Australia to certify all Accor hotels in the region. 

AUSTRALASIA: Accor, which has more than 19 brands across Australia and the Pacific, has joined forces with Ecotourism Australia to certify all Accor hotels in the region. 

Accor has entered into a strategic partnership with Ecotourism Australia to certify all Accor hotels, apartments and resorts across Australia and the Pacific as Sustainable Tourism certified businesses.

Ecotourism Australia’s Sustainable Tourism Certification programme was introduced in 2022 and the standard is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

Sustainable Tourism Certification is designed for all tourism operators and businesses in the tourism supply chain to meet and gain recognition for best practice sustainability initiatives.

Ecotourism Australia assesses businesses across the four pillars of sustainability: sustainable management, environmental impacts, cultural impacts, and socio-economic impacts for which each business is independently audited. The Sustainable Tourism Certification is an extension to the existing ECO Certification program that has been in Australia for more than two decades.

Ecotourism Australia CEO, Elissa Keenan, said, “We are delighted that Accor Pacific is leading the industry across Australia and New Zealand with this commitment to achieving international best practice sustainability using Ecotourism Australia’s 30 years’ experience in sustainable tourism. “

Accor has significant presence across the regions, including Ecotourism Australia certified ECO Destinations Port Douglas Daintree, Bundaberg and the Coffs Coast, and seventeen other regions currently undertaking certification, and throughout regional areas and capital cities.

Keenan added: “This is a key partnership for our organisations and we look forward to working with Accor properties across [its] hotel, apartment and resort brands on sustainable and responsible tourism practices.”

Sarah Derry, CEO of Accor Pacific, said: “Sustainability is redefining our business model and we are proud to lead the industry forward by investing in our sustainability actions and activities in the region. Our next phase of growth is built on our powerful sense of social, environmental and economic responsibility.”

In 2022 Accor Pacific removed 43 single use plastic items such as individual toiletries from guest facing areas in more than 80 per cent of its hotels.

In 2023 it has committed to taking these actions further into the removal of single use plastics from back of house operations, micro plastics in laundries and by finding an appropriate long term solution to replace plastic water bottles.

Derry added: “We know there is a lot more to do and our teams will continue to focus on driving sustainability actions. There are no limits to our ambition.”

From luxury to economy, Accor has 19 international brands across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia, including Sofitel, MGallery, Art Series, Pullman, Swissôtel, Mövenpick, Grand Mercure, Peppers, The Sebel, Mantra, Handwritten Collection, Novotel, Mercure, Tribe, BreakFree, ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget and Ennismore’s So.

Last year Radisson Hotel Group joined the GSTC as well as Trip.com and CWT (One of the world’s leading Travel Management Companies).

voco hotels announces packages with sustainable twist

WORLDWIDE: IHG Hotels & Resorts’ voco hotels has announced limited-edition packages, which feature amenities and activities with a small sustainable twist. 

WORLDWIDE: IHG Hotels & Resorts’ voco hotels has announced limited-edition packages, which feature amenities and activities with a small sustainable twist. 

The exclusive packages offer room upgrades and “eco-minded” amenities and experiences. 

Jane Mackie, senior vice president, global marketing, luxury & upscale brands, IHG Hotels & Resorts said: “We welcome guests to ‘come on in’ and experience what makes this unique brand reliably different, while also enjoying an eco-friendly painting activity or hitting the pavement in a way that treads lightly on our planet – be it walking or cycling.”

The packages, which are already available in the US, will be rolling out at selected voco hotels in the UK, Australia and New Zealand over the next few weeks.

One of 17 brands in the IHG Hotels & Resorts portfolio, “Step by step” is voco’s sustainability mantra, built on a belief that small steps collectively make a big difference.  Some of the small steps the brand has taken include duvet and pillow fillings made from 100 per cent recycled materials, and glass water bottles in guest rooms.

Guests who book the Birds of a Feather package in the US will receive a voucher for a free pair of sustainably-made Allbirds Tree Runners, a local city guide, and choice of a barista-style coffee or a cocktail – including a zero-proof option – in addition to a room upgrade. 

In the UK, guests who book the Very Important Peddlers (VIPs) package will have access to a fleet of bicycles to explore local attractions, as well the choice of a barista-style coffee or a cocktail – including a zero-proof option – along with a room upgrade. 

The bicycles will be available at voco St. John’s Solihull, voco St. David’s Cardiff, voco Reading, voco Grand Central Glasgow and voco Edinburgh – Haymarket.

When booking in Australia or New Zealand, guests can participate in the region’s first upcycled art series created in partnership with a local sustainable artist. The Sustainable Sip & Paint package will offer a complimentary Pinot & Picasso voucher to create upcycled artwork on voco bedsheets, which are part of the Better Cotton Initiative. Included in the package is the choice of a barista-style coffee or a cocktail, in addition to a room upgrade and QR code packed with tips and inspiration from the artist. The package is available at voco Auckland City Centre, voco Brisbane City Centre, voco Gold Coast, voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley and voco Melbourne Central.

IHG Hotels & Resorts currently operates 41 open voco hotels properties in more than 25 countries around the world with an additional 34 in the global pipeline, including the upcoming voco Guadalajara Naruda, voco Dubai the Palm and voco Avignon – Le Bristol.

Six Senses Hotels & Resorts recently launched a Sustainability Camp for teenagers.

IMage: IHG

Qantas encourages Australian flyers to stay green

AUSTRALIA: Qantas Frequent Flyers who live in Australia will now be rewarded for making sustainable hotel choices. 

AUSTRALIA: Qantas Frequent Flyers who live in Australia will now be rewarded for making sustainable hotel choices. 

The Qantas Green Tier will unlock rewards for frequent flyers once they have taken part in five sustainable activities – including staying in an “eco hotel”. Other activities include carbon offsetting, buying green products at home, choosing green energy and taking a sustainability quiz.

Rewards for those who achieve Green Tier status include 10,000 Qantas Points, 50 Status Credits, or for three tonnes of carbon to be offset on your behalf. 

For those staying in eco hotels, Green Tier members will earn 150 bonus Qantas Points per night on all eligible eco-accredited hotels booked through the Qantas hotel link here . 

Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said: “This program makes it easier for frequent flyers to make more sustainable choices, at home and when they travel, and rewards them when they do. We know that points influence behaviour, we’ve seen that when we’ve provided points for walking and sleeping through the Wellbeing App as well as to reward those who got vaccinated. We also know that small changes by many, can have a big impact.”

Reading the small print, Qantas Frequent Flyer members must stay at a selected eco hotel for one night only to achieve bonus points. You can find the list of hotels, which are included in the Green Tier programme here.

Qantas says all of the hotels on the list have been selected using “a range of global eco-accreditation standards and are leaders in the sustainability space. All properties go above and beyond fulfilling the required criteria to minimise their environmental and social impact.”

To make the cut, each hotel on the list has to have been taking part in the following sustainable practices.

  • Clean energy: implementing renewable energy sources and energy efficient systems to power hotels.
  • Community: working alongside local communities to offer education, employment and more.
  • Conservation: introducing initiatives to preserve and protect the surrounding natural environment and wildlife.
  • Fair food: ethical sourcing of local, clean and healthy food that honours all members involved in its production and preparation.
  • Water management: effective resourcing and distribution of water resources used in the property to maximise usage and limit overuse.
  • Waste management: reducing presence of single-use items across the property and implementing effective recycling programs.
  • Green/Innovative design: designing and constructing property using natural resources and limiting the overall impact of infrastructure development on the surrounding environment.

The website explains how the hotels on the list were chosen and how they adhere to green standards. This is what Qantas says:

Hotel sustainability performance was assessed based on public information and reports disclosed by listed properties detailing environmental, social and governance issues. Strategies aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures or other industry recognised Sustainability reporting standards or initiatives. 

Consideration was also given to Hotels with recognised performance in sustainability through third party certifications or awards including B Corp, Climate Active, Green Star rating or eligible international certification standards.

Wirth added: “Like many Australians, our frequent flyers are concerned about climate change, as are we. As a business, we are working towards net zero emissions by 2050 and later this month, we will be releasing more details on our interim 2030 emissions target and the steps we are taking to get there.”

easyJet recently launched an eco hotel booking page on its website, to help its customers with their sustainable accommodation choices.

Image from one of the Qantas eco-hotels Daintree Wilderness Lodge.

Adelaide hotel development to be carbon neutral

AUSTRALIA: Thrive Construct in Adelaide has announced a AUS$300 million plan to develop two international hotels with a focus on sustainable construction.

AUSTRALIA: Thrive Construct in Adelaide has announced a AUS$300 million plan to develop two international hotels with a focus on sustainable construction.

The two hotels will be in Adelaide’s city centre and on the coast at Whyalla foreshore.

To help make the construction sustainable the company will be using cross-laminated timber (which is eco friendly in the sense renewable and made from sustainable materials) and green steel, which is steel with the lowest carbon footprint possible at the time.

Barrie Harrop, executive chairman of Thrive Construct said: “Upon completion, the Victoria Square site will be the tallest hotel in the world manufactured from cross-laminated timber. We have worked with Cox Architects to develop a structure that is completely carbon neutral and constructed from renewable plantation pine and green steel. All supplied from Australian industry”. 

The Victoria Square hotel in the city will have 324 rooms and 22 apartments as well as a rooftop bar. The Whyalla property will have 164 suites and 49 apartments surrounded by the botanic garden.

The hotels will be prefabricated using modular construction and factory assembled before being constructed onsite.

Both hotels are expected to be completed by 2024 with the Whyalla foreshore hotel construction beginning later this year and Victoria Square construction starting early next year.

Image: Thrive Construct