DSPA announces Green Hotel Awards winners

The 2015 Macau Green Hotel Awards, organized by the Environmental Health Bureau (DSPA), rewarded 23 hotels for their part in raising awareness of the importance of environmental management in the city’s hotel industry.
During a ceremony held yesterday, several hotels were awarded the Gold Status Award, namely Crown Towers, Sands Macao Hotel, Hotel Okura Macau, Grand Hyatt Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel.
Grand Lisboa Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Royal Hotel, Galaxy Hotel, Riviera Hotel, Hotel Guide and Grand Emperor Hotel were awarded the Silver Award. L’Arc Hotel Macau received the Bronze Award.
The 2015 Macau Green Hotel Awards also presented the “Prémio Pensão Verde,” a new award for budget hostels. Four guesthouses, including East Asia Hotel, Ole London Hotel, Hotel Sun Sun and Ole Tai Sam Un Hotel, received the award.
This year, an award titled “Green Loyalty Award” was given to seven hotels. The new award aims to acknowledge the support received by the Green Hotel Awards from several hotels.
DSPA Director Tam Vai Man said that the 2015 awardees have surpassed last year’s achievements.
“The [hotels] had achieved the best results in various ways, either in reducing their consumption of electricity and water or in reducing general and food waste.”
He also revealed that the bureau would create an “environmental protection certificate” for budget hotels that have taken basic eco-friendly measures, in order to encourage them to improve their environmental performance.
According to data provided by DSPA, the awarded hotels saved an average of 19,000 kWh of electricity and some 240m3 of water per room.
The hotels also reduced their waste by over 15 percent this year, more than 5,000 tons of recyclable waste in 2015.
Sands China Ltd director of Sustainability & MEP – Plant Operation, Syed Mubarak, stressed that all Sands’ properties are Macau Green Award-certified and proudly participate in several green initiatives such as “Green Meetings” and the “Green Stay Program.”
“We do have a program that our guests can participate in and receive reward points,” he revealed. “Of course, we promote how they can focus on reducing energy consumption when staying with us.”
General manager of Grand Hyatt Macau Paul Kwok also said the hotel has invested in green measures by replacing lighting with low-wattage LED lights in all guestrooms, restaurants, function rooms, public areas and the plant rooms.
“The cost of LED lights are much lower and they could last for two years,” Kwok said, revealing that it has already reformed 75 percent of the hotel’s lighting.
According to Kwok, all of their measures in practicing environmental-friendly actions are a “win-win situation,” as the hotel experiences a cut on its overall cost while participating in the green initiative.