Rotana Hotels & Resorts launches new sustainability initiatives

Rotana Hotels & Resorts, the leading hospitality management group in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe, is set to implement two new sustainability initiatives, following a successful year for ‘Rotana Earth’, the group’s global corporate social responsibility programme.

The first of these projects involves building on Rotana’s commitment to “Responsible Procurement” by developing a responsible procurement code.

This would require Rotana properties to continue meeting their needs for goods, services, and utilities in a way that optimises product life-cycle value by cutting long term procurement costs, averting sustainability risks, and reducing operating costs.

Rotana will also implement a ‘Stakeholder Engagement Plan’ – through surveys and targeted interactions – to actively engage with its stakeholders by listening to them and responding to their concerns in a mutually beneficial way, thus building better relationships with the societies in which the group operates, ultimately resulting in improved business planning and performance as well as reduced impact on the Earth’s resources.

Rotana’s ambitious sustainability initiatives coincide with the results of its recent Sustainability Report, which provides a definitive review of the Group’s progress in achieving the goals set out under ‘Rotana Earth’.

Throughout 2014, Rotana undertook a total of 273 CSR activities across its portfolio of 50 properties, raising the equivalent of over £360,000 through cash and in-kind contributions as well as employee volunteering and fundraising.

The CSR initiatives covered a diverse range of areas including society, economy, health, education and the environment to name but a few.

Rotana also achieved a combined saving of £530,000 in 2014 from waste management and recycling programmes which ensured that 74,064 litres of used oil was recycled and over 1,100 tonnes of recyclable waste was diverted from landfill sites.

Omer Kaddouri, president, Rotana, said: “Rotana is focused on developing innovative solutions to reduce our environmental impact and operating costs.

“We believe protecting the environment is everybody’s responsibility, and at Rotana our commitment to sustainability extends beyond our own wide-ranging green initiatives to engaging and educating various stakeholders – including guests at our properties in sustainability topics in order to build awareness and inspire action.”

He added: “By integrating sustainability into our strategy, ‘Rotana Earth’ provides a practical guide to achieving our business goals without sacrificing the environment and the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

“Within one year alone, we have already exceeded our targets and we look forward to further improvement. ‘Rotana Earth’ will continue to set the guiding principles for the Group as we press ahead with our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and integrate green practices into our operations across the value chain to build a more sustainable future for everyone.”