Responsible Business

Taking responsibility for the environment and local community has been an important part of the broader commitment of The Rezidor Hotel Group to sustainable development for many years. In 2001, this commitment was fortified and placed within the scope of a program called Responsible Business (RB). Each hotel has a unique RB Action Plan covering areas such as community outreach, cultural heritage, employee and children’s rights, health and safety, as well as environmental improvements. To read more about the RB program, visit www.responsiblebusiness.rezidor.com

The hotels are engaged with both local charity groups and the corporate international charity organisation of The Rezidor Hotel Group, the World Childhood Foundation. The mission of Childhood is to defend the rights of the child and to promote better living conditions for vulnerable and exploited children at risk all over the world. Visit www.childhood.org for further information.

Responsible Business achievements of this hotel include:

• Annual participation in Earth Hour, during which all of the hotel's lights are switched off for one hour to support the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) and to deter climate change www.earthhour.org.
• Continual staff training in first aid, fire evacuation and use of the heart defibrillator.
• Hotel-run herb garden with over 40 herbs, which the kitchen staff incorporates into Mediterranean dishes.
• Regular gathering of clothing and toy donations.

Environmental achievements:

• When the windows are open, the air conditioning automatically switches off in order to save energy.
• A guest key card-activated main switch controls light and air conditioning in each guest room.
• In an effort to curb waste water, guests’ towels are only replaced with fresh towels when not returned to the towel rack.
• All bathrooms feature water-saving shower heads, which only use one-third of the usual amount of water.
• All lights in the back offices, parking area and guest floor corridors operate on motion sensors.
• The hotel recycles paper, glass, aluminum, batteries, bulbs, cardboard and plastic bottles.
• The hotel uses double-sided printing for all internal reports and lists.
• The hotel participates in ongoing staff training in Responsible Business through a Responsible Business Hotel Trainer.

How guests can be a part of the hotel's commitment:

• Let the hotel know that it's not necessary to change the sheets and towels every day. The hotel will not replace guests' towels if they are placed back on the towel rail after use.
• When leaving the room, take the room card along to automatically switch off all lights and conserve energy.
• Turn off the tap water while brushing your teeth.
• When not in use, switch off all electrical devices completely. (Stand-by mode still uses a lot of energy.)
• On cold nights, draw curtains to keep the heat in the room; on hot days, draw curtains to keep the heat out of the room.

Dany Lützel
General Manager