Towards a better tomorrow

Park Inn hotel recently won an award for their green activities. This is a testament to the efforts being put in by various organisations in Oman to go green. A report by Susmita De

is the A progressive step towards a better tomorrow, Green Technology is gradually gaining ground in the hospitality sector of Oman. Already implemented in European countries, the idea is catching up in this part of the world. Recently, Park Inn Muscat was certified as having met the requirements of the Green Globe Standard. First in Oman, and second in the Middle East region, the hotel, a part of the Rezidor Group has earned the Green Globe seal of approval which stands for the highest quality in sustainable practices within travel, tourism and allied industries across the globe. Recognised by travellers, Green Globe is associated with companies who strive to upgrade their immediate environment through energy saving, recycling and waste minimisation. The four basic criteria for ensuring best performance are sustainable management, corporate social responsibility, conservation of cultural heritage and environment.

Responsible business

Situated in the heart of the capital city of Muscat, Park Inn, with its soothing facade and vibrant interior, attract travelers from all over the world. It enjoys a good reputation amongst the business community for its spacious meeting rooms and splendid living quarters. There is also another reason for its popularity -- its environmental performance.

“This is what is called Responsible Business,” says Sushant Pawar, chief engineer, Park Inn Hotel. He further explains, “Every company has corporate social responsibility. We named it Responsible Business. It is all about doing business while taking responsibility for the welfare of the community. One way of doing it is by striving to reduce the negative impact on environment.” Pioneering the green cause, Pawar has initiated effective green measures within the Park Inn premises, which has helped Park Inn in clinching the award.

One of them is monitoring the conditions of the vehicles of the vendors every month whose products Park Inn purchases for consumption. As for its water policy, it is the first hotel in Oman to have installed faucet aerators in all its guest rooms, public toilets, showers, taps, on which it is making around 12 per cent saving on overall water consumption. The safety of drinking water is ensured by a regular monitoring done by the municipality. Salt is now used for swimming pools
instead of chlorine, which is not always suitable for skin.

To make it energy efficient, Park Inn has also replaced the normal spotlights with LED lights, thereby reducing energy consumption considerably. The building itself has eco-friendly materials like the green ply. For waste management, the hotel has initiated paper recycling through a local company. Going beyond its immediate premises, Park Inn has involved itself in beach cleaning. Planting saplings features among the green initiatives in the coming months. In compliance with local legislation and regulations, Park Inn is doing the needful for the green cause.

Out of 248 standards, it is mandatory for a company to achieve 51 per cent of these to be certified by Green Globe. Park inn has gone beyond this limit and achieved 75 per cent of compliance, which is the second highest in the region. Green Globe is a US-based certification body which has accredited auditors in every region who verify the documents online.It is a third-party verification in line with ISO 19011 standards for auditing sustainability management systems.

To meet the specifications of the certification and fully understand the extent of the job to be done, Park Inn management had to strive to train its personnel in environmental concerns. Mobilising fund was not difficult as it involved no major investment, though changing the behavioural pattern of people was time-consuming.

To keep the good work going, it is important to assess the level of customer satisfaction, which is often a pointer to the hotel’s environmental performance. Park Inn takes the help of an online process called Middealia, whereby a guest logs on into the website as he checks out and gives his feedback on his stay in the hotel. That acts as an alert, through which customer dissatisfaction can be taken care of. In Europe where the green awareness is at a higher level, a survey shows that customers have preference for green hotels even at higher prices. In Oman’s tourist initiatives, going green can obviously prove beneficial for the hospitality sector.

Collective responsibility

“Protecting the environment is a collective responsibility. Other hotels in the city are also trying to get Green Certification, though in Oman we need more awareness for the Green cause,” says Pawar.
Francois Galoisy, the general manager of Park Inn, who has supported the new measures, is hopeful of the new trend in Oman. He says, “This certificate is going to help our tourism initiatives. We would like others to follow the same step. Oman’s scenic beauty is a definite crowd-puller. But on top of that if our business is clean and our operations are sustainable, it will tell the world that we are respectful of our environment. Oman can surely become a responsible green destination for travelers and tourists.”

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