Responsible Business - Let's take responsibility

Responsible Business is This Sharm El Sheikh Egypt Hotel's Commitment
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 programme called Responsible Business (RB). Each hotel has a unique RB Action Plan covering areas such as community outreach, environmental improvement, employee well-being and health and safety. To read more about the RB programme, please 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. For more information, visit www.childhood.org.

Responsible Business activities of this hotel include:

Promote Health and Safety

• In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, National Programme for Aids fighting and Family Health International, the hotel doctor arranged for a two-hour HIV & Aids session at Radisson Blu Resort. The session was conducted by three doctors, each representing the mentioned organizations and attended by 20 of the hotel staff and trainers. The session focused on Aids prevention and awareness. At the end of the session, the doctors distributed information prepared by the Ministry of Health and the USAID.
• The hotel has tested the performance of the fire-fighting and evacuation team by conducting fire drills and other safety procedures.
• The Security Manager and the Industrial Safety Coordinator conducted annual safety training.
• Twenty food handlers have attended the Food Safety Management Training, and 12 managers have attended the HACCP system Training. The session was conducted at Radisson Blu Resort, Sharm El Sheikh by the Hospitality Training Consultant certified by AH&LA in affiliation with the Egyptian Tourism Federation, the Egyptian Hotel Association, USAID and AH&LA.
• Various managers and staff attended two days of Emergency Preparedness training on how to respond in case of fire, evacuation, bomb threat, robbery or illness.

Employee Appreciation and Development

• The Responsible Business Coordinator conducted a training course on teamwork. The training included two workshops, role-play and teamwork activities.
• The Management Team took the employees who have worked for the hotel for five years on an unforgettable desert safari. The group rode on quad bikes to a Bedouin Tent to enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner. Surrounded by the mountains of Sinai, the group watched a live show of Egyptian folklore.
• The hotel conducts regular orientations to educate new and existing employees about the hotel's Responsible Business efforts.
• To boost morale, increase employee performance and foster a good work environment, the hotel organises staff trips to the protected area in Nabq Bay. Hotel employees swim and enjoy a barbecued meal while discovering the treasures of the Nabq protected area.

Environmental Responsibility

• After coordination with the in-house parents and their children, the hotel celebrated Earth Day. The Chief Gardner and his team, along with six children, planted a tree. Mr. Glanzmann, the General Manager, joined the children in digging the hole and planting the tree.
• Every Friday, about 15 employees from the Housekeeping Department meet early in the morning to collect litter in the area as a part of their commitment toward the local environment. The team from the Housekeeping department has collected 12 bags of tissues, stones, cigarette butts and dry leaves.
• The hotel team celebrated the first crop of the Organic Orchard after three months of working the designated land. Gardeners have harvested onions, watercress, wheat, corn, radish, mint, potatoes, tomatoes and coriander to be used by the hotel kitchen. All products are organically grown without fertilizers and are irrigated by recycled water from the hotel rooms.
• In affiliation with the Environment Affairs Agency - Department of Natural Protectorates under the Egyptian Cabinet, the hotel organised a two-day marine environment workshop for all Recreation staff. The workshop discussed natural wealth in the South Sinai and Red Sea, pollution, and Egyptian law violation fines. Employees passed the quiz and were awarded certificates signed by the Deputy Manager of South Sinai Protectorates and Nabq Protectorate Manager.
• Tourism and Sustainability: The hotel team believes that ensuring the sustainability of Egypt as a tourist destination is of paramount importance. It is equally important to deliver a sustainable holiday to hotel guests. Toward this end, three of the hotel management team (HR Manager, Chief Engineer & RB Coordinator) attended the Responsible Tourism Seminar conducted by the FTO and the Travel Foundation in Sharm El Sheikh. The seminar discussed the following topics: Successful Environmental Management for Tourism Businesses, Reducing Energy and Water related costs, Building better Employer-Employee relationships and Ensuring that the Local Community benefits from Tourism.
• Water Conservation Effort: "Use less water by using common sense" has been the slogan for Hotel Environment Action Month. To preserve water for future generations, the hotel significantly reduced water use by equipping the Staff Housing bathrooms with a full bottle of water (0.75 litre) inside the toilet flush box, which represented a 35% savings per toilet, as well as reducing indoor water consumption.

Community Outreach

• As part of this Sharm El Sheikh Egypt hotel's commitment to the community, the hotel helped to protect those in need from the cold by donating unused staff uniforms to the Red Crescent organization in South Sinai. These clothes were distributed to people in need in El Tour City. The donated clothes included 331 items, including shirts, T-shirts and trousers. As a result, Red Crescent has awarded the hotel a medal of recognition for continuous contribution.
• The hotel contributed to "Save the Children" to help children in need.