The Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora Hotel in Tenerife has been named one of the best resorts in Spain on repeated occasions and received numerous awards over the 9 years it has been open, during which it has also received recognition for its environmental and social commitments, including Earthcheck certification every year for the last five years.
Gold certification is the result of genuine efforts by the Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora to improve the environmental, social and cultural environment in which it operates. Located in the southwest of the island of Tenerife on the shores of the Atlantic and with the Teide National Park as a backdrop, the hotel has a mission to incorporate the values and principles of sustainable development into its business processes.
Based on the belief that sustainability will allow tourism to continue to drive the regional economy and create wealth for the municipality and surrounding areas, in 2012 Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora appointed a Sustainability Coordinator to enhance cooperation between the different departments in integrating sustainability principles into operational processes and improve training and raise awareness among employees and other stakeholders and open up communication channels with them.
The environment is an essential foundation of the hotel’s activity and one of the main reasons why guests choose to stay at the hotel. The hotel therefore makes a very special effort to measure and reduce the environmental impact of its activity and help preserve the biological diversity of Tenerife through integration with the landscape and respect for its flora and fauna. The management and progressive reduction of waste and energy and water use are part of an action plan that is closely monitored in all the hotel's daily operations.
In addition to environmental issues, the comitments of Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora also extend to social concerns, aiming to generate opportunities for shared economic growth that will help reduce social inequality and poverty. The hotel is especially committed to creating job opportunities for local people and responding to the social needs of employees. The hotel is an active participant in voluntary and cooperation projects to support the disadvantaged and children.
Progress on the environment
The hotel publishes an annual Sustainability Report, which reports on social and environmental progress, and this year includes special activities carried out during the "International Year of Sustainable Tourism" in 2017. During this year, the hotel has also taken measures to enhance accessibility to swimming pools and the beach, which obtained a Blue flag in 2017.
Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora organised the first "Sustainability Forum" around the theme of "Sustainable Development and the local perspective", and also implemented several campaigns and actions to improve waste management and awareness including training on the collection of cooking oil, the creation of waste separation points in offices and waste separation facilities for housemaids’ trolleys and kitchen packaging areas. The hotel also takes part in the European Union "Urban Waste" project together with the Tenerife and Canary Islands authorities, seeking to adapt waste management regulations to new EU requirements. The hotel was invited due to the number of visitors it attracts to its more than 600 rooms, the general scope of its facilities and the fact that it already carries out waste management controls and audits.
Thanks to new refuse bins and the consciousness-raising campaigns, the hotel has reduced the residue volume per stay, which maximum in 2018 has been less than 7 litres, while the previous year exceeded the 16 litres.
The Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora is also actively reducing the use of paper, having eliminated printed payrolls and paper in all customer information areas in 2017, replacing them with displays and QR codes with access to the Meliá App. The hotel is completely allied with the company’s commitment for the elimination of single use plastics, and Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora has already removed the totality of plastic straws, mixers and cups.
Regarding social action, the hotel promotes blood donation and several solidarity campaigns such as a charity market and charity races, involving the local population and supporting local projects.
In order to optimise occupational health, prevent possible workplace injuries and enhance the work environment in general, the hotel also implemented well-received warm-up sessions for housemaids at the beginning of their shifts. In terms of employment, the hotel is also actively supporting youngsters at risk of social exclusion through the Nahia Project.
As the Hotel General Manager, Saad Azzam, explains, "Earthcheck certification provides us with a valuable management and reporting tool which can help us get better every day, and is also a powerful medium for transmitting our achievements in environmental issues. As General Manager of the Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora, I feel that this is the most important award among the many that this hotel has achieved, placing us among the elite of the most sustainable Spanish and international hotels".
