Southeast Asian Hotels Steer toward an Eco-Friendly Horizon

With spring well and truly in the air, at least in Southeast Asia, Indochina's vivid spectrum of colors is showing itself to full effect. Yet in three environmentally progressive hotels in the region, the predominant hue is undoubtedly green.

As the price of crude oil surges toward $100 per barrel and beyond, driven by ongoing unrest in the Middle East, some hotels are doing what many of the major automakers did not: retooling and building anew with conservation uppermost on the agenda.

In Cambodia, the new Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, has wasted no time in establishing its eco-friendly credentials.The hotel, which became the first five-star property to open in Phnom Penh in more than a decade when it debuted in December 2010, has adopted a range of policies designed to reduce its carbon footprint.

The property recycles 80% of its garbage every month to produce the bio gas, methanol, which is then used to provide energy for the staff canteen, the hotel kitchen and one of the property's boilers.Other initiatives undertaken by the hotel include the recycling of its wastewater and a carbon offset programme where 1,300 trees have been planted on the hotel's grounds.

"You can't open a hotel in 2011 without significant investment in green technologies. The world just doesn't work that way anymore," says Didier Lamoot, Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra's general manager. "No one can afford to have soot all over their footprints."

Meanwhile, over the Vietnam border in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, older properties like the iconic Caravelle Hotel are belying their venerable status by promoting cutting-edge green policies.  In December, the Caravelle completed installation of a wastewater treatment facility that recycles 40% of the property’s water each month.

The innovation was a central plank of the hotel's efforts to achieve ISO certification, which it did in February.Other green policies adopted by the Caravelle in recent times include reducing electricity consumption by switching to energy saving light bulbs and installing a high-efficiency chiller to power its air conditioning system.

Over the course of the next year, the hotel aims to reduce harmful Co2 emissions 4 percent by replacing its current diesel fuelled boiler with a high efficiency heat pump.Another ambition is the attainment of Green Globe certification, widely regarded as the premier standard for environmental sustainability development worldwide, especially in the field of tourism.

"We view environmental best practice as an imperative, not an option," says John Gardner, the Caravelle's general manager. "The hotel industry has not always had the best reputation when it comes to protecting the planet and rightly so.

"At the Caravelle, we want to put our money where our mouth is. Nothing could be more important than the future of our planet, which is why our commitment to environmental best practices is non-negotiable."

Gardner's view is shared by Scott Hodgetts, general manager of the Sheraton Nha Trang. The hotel, which opened in Vietnam's premier beach resort last year, has adopted stringent environmental policies and has been an enthusiastic participant in a number of green initiatives.

To wit: It uses solar power to run its hot water system and has been proactive in encouraging residents to save on water and energy usage by placing signs in every guest room. In addition to its own eco-friendly creed, the hotel blacked out for Earth Hour 2010 and staff participated in a major clean up of the local beach.

"In Nha Trang we have one of the most beautiful settings in Asia," says Hodgetts.  "We only have to look out of our window to see the importance of preserving the planet for the enjoyment of future generations."

Source = ftnnews