New guide helps Dubai hotels go green

Dubai: A new guide will help Dubai hotels go even greener.

And hotel customers can expect more water-saving shower heads, more recycling bins, smart lighting and smart air-conditioning at many of the 134,000 hotel rooms across Dubai by the end of the year following the release on Wednesday of the new eco guide for the hospitality industry.

Dubai Tourism penned its new ‘12 Steps Towards Sustainability User Guide’ to help hotels rein in costs, energy use, and waste to forge a more sustainable economy that helps, not hurts, the environment.

Dubai Tourism said in a statement on Wednesday that it is offering the free guide in concert with the Green Building Council “to help hotels and hospitality establishments map out a sustainable journey and trigger a positive impact on the environmental performance of the tourism industry”.

Yousuf Lootah, executive director of Tourism Development and Investments, Dubai Tourism, said with “more than 700 hotels operating in the first six months of 2018 alone, Dubai undoubtedly has the potential to strategically position itself as a landmark for sustainability by ensuring all hotel properties are engaging in responsible practices”, Lootah said.

Dubai Tourism has said the emirate crossed the 100,000 hotel-room mark in 2016 and expects to see that number rise to 134,000 by the end of this year to accommodate growing numbers of tourists.

More environmentally friendly operations by the hotel industry will reduce the emirate’s carbon footprint and the amount of waste going into local landfills.

To get there, the guide focuses on four prime areas of hotel operations — energy conservation, water conservation, waste management and sustainability engagement of staff and guests.

Lootah said, “We hope that this comprehensive manual will inspire hotels and their staff to help make a difference to the sustainability landscape. We are certain that these best practices will play a pivotal role in achieving sustainable goals that support the continuous development and expansion of Dubai’s tourism sector, and we look forward to continuing to support hotels on their green journey.”

To download the guide, log on to dst.dubaitourism.ae