Articles Tagged with: Green hotels

A Mexican resort is leading the way when it comes to green travel in Central America.

The Hacienda Tres Rios resort in Riviera Maya has just been awarded a Green Globe award for the second year running. The Green Globe certification scheme recognises tourism businesses which adhere to strict environmental and sustainable tourism practices.

The luxury resort was also crowned “Mexico & Central America’s Leading Green Hotel” at the 2009 World Travel Awards and has been nominated in no less than four categories this year including “Mexico & Central America’s Leading All-inclusive Hotel”.

“Luxury All Inclusive” and “Green Travel” are not words often heard together in the same sentence, so just what is Hacienda Tres Rios doing to win such high acclaim?

Opened in 2008, the resort was built with the principles of environmental responsibility in mind from day one. Situated on 326 acres of jungle, mangrove forest and coastal dunes, the resort stands on stilts which allow natural springs to circulate.

All systems have been designed to reduce energy consumption and to respect the natural environment. All products used are biodegradable to minimise impact on the aquatic environment and all solid waste is recycled.

Guests have exclusive access to the Hacienda Tres Rios Nature Park which encompasses rainforests, jungles, mangroves, coastal dunes, freshwater rivers that flow to the Caribbean Sea and a white sandy beach. The park itself is home to over 90 species of indigenous plants and animals and the park undertakes conservation activities including re-forestation schemes.

Speaking about the resort’s second Green Globe award, Hacienda Tres Rios president Romárico Arroyo said: “Tres Rios started out as an ecological park and we have been consistent in following our set guidelines and standards to protect the extraordinary beauty and diversity of the region. Our guests are able to reconnect with nature while they enjoy the Mexican hospitality and all the luxury we offer”.

Green Globe Certification CEO Guido Bauer added: “It is reassuring to see how a luxury beach resort can operate at such high standards of sustainable management. The Tres Rios sustainability team are experts in managing natural resources, including the care of 120 species of plants and 90 species of animals. This conservation management is further enhanced by their training programs for staff and the local community.”

And if you have any doubts as to the ability of an eco-resort to deliver true luxury, think again. Each of the 273 suites is furnished to the highest standard, most having a two-person jacuzzi and views of the Caribbean sea.

Jurys Inn has become the first hotel chain to have all its properties awarded a gold star by the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS).

The Aberdeen Jurys Inn is the latest to receive the award, which is the only environmental scheme validated by national tourism agency Visit Britain. The hotel chain has properties at popular city and seaside locations around the UK and Ireland, including Manchester, Dublin, Birmingham, London and Brighton.

Company management say that the green practices the chain has employed will save a substantial £1m over the next three years. And with rooms starting from as little as £39 per night, this is one hotel where being green won’t cost customers the earth.

Green practices in place at Jurys Inn include using renewable energy from Airtricity for all Irish Inns through to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Nearly 60% of waste is recycled across the group thanks to state-of-the-art recycling and composting facilities.

The hotel group also has an energy saving team in place at each hotel and has put in place several measures to save water across the group. Examples of water-saving features include efficient shower heads and toilet cisterns, in addition to electronic washroom systems.

John Brennan, chief executive at Jurys Inn, said: “Getting everyone at Jurys to help has been essential. The energy, attention to detail and ‘buy-in’ from staff is one of the main reasons Jurys has been able to achieve so many gold awards.”

New hotels are due to be opened in Portsmouth, Bradford, Gateshead and Glasgow over the next year. As would be expected from a gold-star winning chain, environmentally friendly features including heat recovery systems, solar panels and rain harvesting systems are being factored-in to the designs.

The GTBS is the UK’s national sustainable tourism certification scheme and the only scheme validated by Visit Britain. Businesses that want to be accredited by the scheme are visited in person by a trained assessor and graded bronze, silver or gold according to the standards of environmental care adopted at each location.

In addition to being a green choice for city breaks, Jurys Inn has a number of special offers on family breaks. These include hotel and attraction packages for Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and Cadbury World Birmingham. Just make sure you travel by train to ensure that your holiday really is green.