Fairmont expands Green Key rating programme worldwide

FAIRMONT Hotels & Resorts has committed its global portfolio of landmark properties to becoming members of the Green Key eco-rating programme (Green Key).

As part of the luxury hotel brand’s 20-year commitment to environmental stewardship, sustainability and responsible tourism, the extension of this highly-respected programme to its properties outside of North America will provide guests with an unbiased guarantee that no matter where they are in the world, a stay with Fairmont will be as green as possible.

The partnership between Green Key and Fairmont dates back to the original development of the programme in the mid-1990s.  In 2009, the brand committed its entire North American portfolio to the Green Key system and the success of the initiative led to a brand-wide extension that will include hotels from Scotland to Shanghai.

“Guests around the world continue to demand environmental sensitivity when they travel, so when the Green Key programme expanded internationally from its Canadian roots it made perfect sense to enroll our entire portfolio of hotels,” said Chris Cahill, president, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.  “Our hotels have implemented an incredible number of green initiatives over the past 20 years and this rating system is a great way for them to audit, benchmark and even further reduce their environmental footprint.”

The Green Key evaluation is a comprehensive 150-question self-assessment that is administered by the staff at the participating property, covering a broad range of operational areas and sustainable practices. Upon completion, the answers are tabulated and the property is awarded a ranking of  one to five keys and a corresponding display plaque.  The property also receives a comprehensive report that includes recommendations, best practices and potential areas for improvement and savings and a listing on the www.greenkeyglobal.com website, a valuable resource for environmentally-conscious travellers.  Green Key includes random, on-site verification of self-assessment results, mitigating the risk of score inflation.

The cornerstone of the programme is its focus on sound sustainable practices specifically for the lodging industry. Green Key was developed by a leading environmental engineering firm with support from the Canadian Government to withstand the scrutiny of a wide-range of environmental experts.  The programme has also received praise from the US Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria and the Rainforest Alliance and is the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AH&LA) programme of choice.

For close to two decades, Fairmont has strived to minimise its impact on the planet through its award-winning Green Partnership programme, a comprehensive platform focused on key areas such as waste reduction, energy management, water conservation and innovative community outreach programmes.

In a sign of corporate leadership, the company also encourages others to follow in its footsteps and has developed the Green Partnership Guide, a how-to text that any company can obtain to create or grow their environmental programming.  For more information on Fairmont’s Green Partnership program, please visit www.fairmont.com/environment.