( Bangkok, Thailand, 31st March 2014 ) EarthCheck, the specialist organisation that sets the benchmarks for environmental awareness and conservation for the international hospitality industry, has awarded 2013 Silver Certification for 10 hotels within the Centara Hotels & Resorts group.
Eight of the properties are part of Centara’s five-star Grand portfolio, including all of the self-owned Grand hotels, fulfilling a corporate target one year ahead of schedule.
“Green and sustainable tourism is at the heart of our corporate culture, and we have been working with EarthCheck for several years to ensure that we operate all of our hotels to strict environmental standards,” says Thirayuth Chirathivat, Centara’s chief executive officer.
“We have set our own internal targets for progressing through the certification levels, and it gives all of us immense satisfaction to say that our targets are being achieved.
“Our target for 2015 is to have a total of 15 hotels with Silver Certification, including all of the self-owned Hotels & Resorts core brand.”
The 10 Silver Certification hotels for 2013 are Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at Central World, Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok, Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi, Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas Hua Hin, Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui, Centara Grand Island Resort and Spa Maldives, Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, Centara Karon Resort Phuket, and Centara Kata Resort Phuket.
EarthCheck operates an Environmental Management System, a series of practical tools for the benchmarking and certification of operations practices.
The environmental performance of each property is monitored against policy, benchmarking the indicators against baseline and best practices. The environmental and social impact is measured through the EarthCheck Online Self Assessment. All results are assessed and verified by third party auditors on an annual basis.
To achieve Silver Certification all participating hotels are required to have a sustainable policy in place and to implement an environmental action plan for proper monitoring and measurements on 10 key performance areas, namely greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, management of freshwater resources, ecosystem conservation and management, social and cultural management, land use planning and management, air quality protection, wastewater management, solid waste management, and elimination of environmentally harmful substances.
Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading operator of hotels, with 46 deluxe and first-class properties covering all the major tourist destinations in the Kingdom.
A further 21 resorts in Maldives, Vietnam, Shanghai, Bali, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Qatar and Laos brings the present total to 67 properties. Brands and properties within Centara ensure that specific categories such as couples, families, individuals, and meetings and incentives groups will all find a hotel or resort that is appropriate to their needs. Centara operates 27 branches of Spa Cenvaree, one of Thailand’s most luxurious and innovative spa brands, together with its recently launched value brand Cense by Spa Cenvaree, which provides core spa services for busy travellers. The company’s Kids’ Club is available at all the family-friendly resorts to ensure that the youngsters and teens have their own leisure zone. Centara Hotels & Resorts also operates three state-of-the-art convention centres in Bangkok, and two in northeastern Thailand, one being located in Udon Thani and the other in Khon Kaen. The latest Centara brand is named COSI Hotels, an economy brand designed for travellers who predominantly make their bookings via the internet and who want comfort and convenience at the most friendly prices available; the brand is under development with the first property due to open in 2016.
For more information and reservations, please contact tel. +662 101 1234 ext 1 or e-mail to reservations@chr.co.th or website www.centarahotelsresorts.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/centarahotelsresorts
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MyCentara
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