THE Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, once again proudly participated in Earth Hour with properties across the Middle East not just switching off lights but also increasing their commitment by holding awareness raising activities throughout the day.
Earth Hour is a global lights out environmental initiative supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) but this year businesses and individuals were encouraged to ’Go Beyond the Hour’.
Rezidor hotels in the region turned off external signage, used minimal lighting in all public areas and invited guests to participate through a series of in-house promotions. Guests staying in Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were invited to enjoy candlelit dinners. The Park Inn Hotel in Muscat took advantage of Mother Nature’s light by inviting guests to its rooftop terrace, Sama Terazza, to enjoy complimentary refreshments under the star-lit sky.
The Radisson Blu Residences, Dubai Marina got its staff and residents involved by holding a painting competition throughout the day. Held in conjunction with the Emirates Wildlife Authority, the competition saw entries from a range of ages from five to 50 all based on the topic ‘Save Mother Earth.’ Held outdoors, to take advantage of natural daylight, participants sat on mats made out of recycled paper. Prizes were given to the top three paintings with all children who attended receiving a memento of the day. All the paintings will now be framed in a giant collage that will be displayed in the Dubai Marina property.
The Radisson Blu Resort in Aqaba, Jordan involved the local community by inviting children and local environmental groups to help plant a range of trees, fruit, vegetables and herbs with the aim of creating a bio garden in the hotel’s grounds, which will supply the property with fresh produce. More than 30 people joined the event before moving on to help clean up local beaches and public areas.
Rezidor Hotel Group recently announced that all its operating hotels in the Middle East have become Green Key certified and the group has also just been been recognised as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the second year in a row following a first award in 2010 from the Ethisphere Institute US.
Marko Hytonen, area vice president of the Rezidor Hotel Group said: “Participating in initiatives such as Earth Hour is crucial for all our Middle East hotels as we look to continually strengthen our ongoing commitment to the environment.
“We believe that it’s important to take these activities and awareness ‘Beyond the Hour’ into our everyday operations. This is why this year many of our hotels carried out additional activities throughout the day and will continue to do so throughout the coming months and years.”
Rezidor has been green for 20 years, with its corporate responsible business programme established in 2001.