LONDON, UK - Media OutReach - 4 October 2021 - Small
Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) today announces the launch of Considerate
Collection, a community of Actively sustainable luxury hotels going
the extra eco mile, proving that luxury is compatible with longevity. The hospitality brand renowned for its diverse
portfolio of boutique properties also announces new sustainable initiatives
forming part of a renewed strategic vision to mark its 30+1year anniversary.
From the biodiversity-promoting Keemala in Thailand to the culture-preserving Gangtey Lodge in carbon-negative Bhutan, *Considerate Collection debuts
with 26 pioneering hotels in 16 countries, each meeting the highest criteria in
sustainability.
SLH has collaborated with the most respectable
sustainable travel and luxury hospitality players to create a trusted and
transparent framework. These include
Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) – the international, independent,
not-for-profit body established by the United Nations Environment Program
(UNEP) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); and Greenview,
whose platform is the only GSTC-recognised sustainable tourism management tool.
Daniel Luddington, VP of Development, Small
Luxury Hotels of the World said "We've carefully curated the Considerate
Collection to spotlight luxury boutique hotels exemplary in their
sustainability efforts, making it easier for customers and the travel trade to make
better-considered choices. Staying in small, independent hotels goes hand in
hand with travelling sustainably and all SLH hotels are already steeped in the
many facets of sustainable hospitality, so we haven't had to look far outside
of our portfolio for the launch collection. We also have an exciting pipeline
of new hotels to add in the coming months." He adds, "This is not about creating a new
brand, but rather building on the strong brand values that have existed within
SLH since inception - independent spirits, community-centric, questioners,
storytellers and the ultimate belief that Small is beautiful and a better way
to travel."
Criteria for the Considerate Collection align with
the GSTC Criteria across three key pillars ensuring all the hotels are **Community
Minded, Cultural
Custodians and Environmentally
Conscious. These
pillars are all underpinned by a strong sustainability management system. Each
hotel within the Considerate Collection either has been certified by a GSTC
Accredited Certification Body or certified to a GSTC Recognized Standard, or
has passed an assessment by the SLH Sustainability Advisory Panel with review by
the GSTC.
Randy Durband, CEO, Global Sustainable Tourism
Council said: "SLH has impressed us with their dedicated support of their
member hotels, and we're delighted to collaborate with them to devise a robust
framework, consistent with GSTC measures but uniquely matched for all luxury
boutique hotels. We are sure it will be
a huge success."
SLH is
making it easier for travel trade and customers to identify each Considerate
Collection hotel by featuring them within a specific section on the website www.slh.com/considerate. The hotel pages are also stamped with a sage
leaf and include dedicated content outlining their notable sustainability initiatives.
Currently, with a luxury hotel portfolio of over 520
hotels in 90 countries, SLH has taken a holistic approach to sustainability to
complement its long-term brand vision – a future where people explore the world
with intention, experience its intensity, and protect its integrity. Over the
last two years, SLH has worked with hospitality sustainability consultancy, The
Considerate Group, to develop bespoke toolkits to support its member hotels and
plans to continue this approach to "help our hotels walk all this
sustainability talk", adds Luddington. H2 Sustainability Consulting, headed by former
legendary hotelier Hervé Houdré, is among the consultancies SLH is
collaborating with to support hotel members.
SLH's quality inspection reports, carried out annually
by its international mystery hotel inspectors (all SLH hotel guests), has also
been revamped and is currently being trialled to include a 60-point Considerate
module focusing on customer-facing, front of house initiatives.
The company has also turned the microscope on itself
to update its corporate head office policies making sure to practice what it preaches
to hotel members. These include
implementing volunteer days for staff and the launch of a partnership with social change and reforestation charity,
TreeSisters, among
other initiatives.
Each SLH room night booked and stayed using an SLH INVITED member rate includes a donation to plant a minimum of three trees with TreeSisters. SLH INVITED membership is complimentary.
Through individuals and businesses that give back to
Nature every month, TreeSisters has so far funded the planting of over 19
million trees across 12 locations in Brazil, Borneo, Cameroon, India, Kenya,
Mozambique, Madagascar, Nepal and West Papua.
For more information, visit www.slh.com/considerate
Images can be downloaded
here or via www.slhimages.com
Notes
to editor
*Considerate
Collection Hotels (26)
APAC
Bhutan Spirit
Sanctuary, Shaba, Bhutan
Gangtey Lodge, Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Heritage Le Telfair Golf
& Wellness Resort, Bel Ombre,
Mauritius
The
Fortress Resort & Spa,
Galle, Sri Lanka
Keemala, Phuket, Thailand
Pimalai Resort
& Spa, Lanta Island, Thailand
The Racha, Phuket, Thailand
EMEA
Columbia Beach
Resort, Limassol, Cyprus
Domaine de Manville, Les Baux de Provence, France
Domaine des Etangs, Massignac, France
Le Domaine d'Ablon, Ablon, France
Hotel Rangá, Hella, Iceland
FORESTIS, Brixen, Italy
Lefay
Resort & Spa Lago di Garda, Gargnano, Italy
Lefay
Resort Dolomiti, Pinzolo,
Italy
Susafa, Polizzi, Generosa, Italy
La Sultana Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco
The Dylan Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Storfjord Hotel, Skodje, Norway
Hotel Arima & Spa, San Sebastian, Spain
Torre del Marques, Monroyo, Spain
Grove of Narberth, Wales, United Kingdom
AMER
GAÏA Riverlodge, Cayo
District, Belize
Hotel Nantipa, Santa Teresa de Cobano, Costa Rica
Tabacón
Thermal Resort & Spa, La
Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica
Petit St Vincent, Vincent Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
** Considerate Collection Pillars
Community Minded
Proactive, positive members of the local community
Like
the humble honey bee who works hard to keep his hive happy and healthy,
Considerate Collection hotels are passionately committed to making their
communities a better place for both locals and visitors to enjoy alike.
- Many of our hotels are locally owned and family-run,
who have a deep rooted, personal connection to the people who make a place
special. By ensuring equal employment opportunities to local residents,
including managerial positions without discrimination of any kind, the hotel
invests in its community while giving guests a more authentic experience of its
people's culture, language, and storytelling.
- As champions of local, fair-trade produce, our hotels
buy local wherever possible to support the community's supply chain – whether
it's serving fresh fruit from the morning market where the hotel chef knows the
farmer by name, or providing hand-woven bags made by a local artisan for guests
to use by the pool.
- It is not enough for our hotels to simply give back to
the community, they must continuously strive to enrich local lives through
social impact initiatives, educational, health, and training programmes, and
projects which address the impacts of climate change.
Cultural Custodians
Protectors and preservers of cultural heritage
To
better understand and appreciate the culture and customs of another country is
one of travel's greatest joys. Each Considerate Collection hotel and
destination has its own cultural identity which it works tirelessly to protect,
preserve and promote for generations to come.
- Elements of traditional and contemporary local
culture are incorporated in the operations, design, decoration, cuisine, or
boutiques of our hotels, while respecting the intellectual property rights of
local communities.
- Going beyond the maintenance of local buildings, and
the protection of culturally, historically, archaeologically, and spiritually
significant sites, our hotels aim to enhance and sensitively improve upon
properties of cultural interest through ongoing heritage and restoration
projects.
- Immersing guests in the local culture through an array
of authentic activities is integral to our hotel experience, from traditional
cooking classes in a rural farmhouse to pottery making in an ancestral ceramics
studio.
Environmentally Conscious
Maximising benefits to the environment
These
trailblazing eco-hotels know that luxury travel shouldn't cost the earth, which
is why their sustainable strategies go well beyond reducing negative impact on
their immediate environment with regenerative and restorative action.
- Conserving resources – our hotels make an active
effort to increase their use of renewable energy and sustainable sources such as solar,
wind, geothermal or biofuels, while assessing, measuring, and
minimising energy and water consumption.
- Reducing pollution – greenhouse gas emissions from all
sources controlled by our hotels are identified, calculated where possible, and
procedures implemented to avoid or minimise them. Wastewater is effectively
treated, and is only reused or released safely with no adverse effects to the
local population or the environment, while solid waste is reduced, reused or
recycled. Significant steps are taken by Considerate Collection hotels to
reduce their carbon footprint.
- Conserving biodiversity, ecosystems, and landscapes –
from coral reef regeneration and ocean conservation to wildlife rewilding and
tree reforestation, our hotels play an active role in restoring the natural
beauty of our planet. Protected natural parks and areas of high biodiversity
value are especially looked after, while any interaction with free roaming
wildlife is non-invasive and responsibly managed.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.