ABU Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which manages the emirate’s tourism industry, has begun piloting its green hotel guidelines across four properties in the early design stage.
When the trial is complete and assessed, by the middle of next year, the authority will absorb its green hotel standards into its world-class hotel classification system.
“This is the first government green hotel design guidelines for new hotels and is based on Abu Dhabi’s Estidama Pearl Rating Scheme, which is a green building rating system for all new buildings in the emirate,” explained Nasser Al Reyami, tourism standards director, ADTA.
“By the middle of 2011, Abu Dhabi’s hotels and hotel apartments will have a green rating included in their star rating.”
Al Reyami said the guidelines are being piloted across two four-star and two five-star hotels representing a mix of resorts and down-town urban properties.
The director said the guidelines are part of a comprehensive programme of green initiatives the authority has devised to help deliver a world-class sustainable tourism destination in line with Abu Dhabi Government’s 2030 plan.
“Hotels use more energy and water and produce more waste than all other buildings,” said Al Reyami. “So, if we want to help reduce the impact of buildings on our environment, then it is a good idea to start by focusing on hotels.”
Al Reyami said ADTA’s Green Hotels Programme will be the world’s largest with more than 120 properties involved.
ADTA has already developed an environmental, health and safety management system (EHSMS) for the emirate’s tourism industry – the only one in the world to cover an entire tourism sector.
“We developed this system in conjunction with our hotel stakeholders,” explained Al Reyami. “The system sets 10 per cent energy, 20 per cent water and 20 per cent waste reduction targets and requires all hotels and hotel apartments to develop their own entity EHSMS.
“By the end of this month, all our five and four-star hotels and deluxe hotel apartments will have their own entity EHSMS and their own programmes to meet our targets. By the end of December, all hotels and hotel apartments in Abu Dhabi – and that’s more than 120 – will have their own entity EHSMS – probably the highest number of hotels in any city with a compliant EHSMS.”
Al Reyami explained that the authority had collected baseline data on energy and water use in its hotels and hotel apartments, as well as waste production, for 2008 and 2009 and is using the baseline to benchmark performance. It has set green design standards and is providing industry training and support to meet the targets.