Sofitel Dubai The Palm earns Green Globe

Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa has become the latest luxury hotel in Dubai to be awarded the international Green Globe Certification (GGC) on account of its commitment to sustainability.

The five-star hotel, which is part of the Accor Group, received the certification after achieving a 90% rating in a sustainability audit conducted by Farnek Consultancy, GGC’s preferred partner in the MENA region.

Commenting on the award, Christophe Schnyder, general manager, Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa, said: “We are very proud to receive Green Globe Certification, which is the result of many months of preparation and hard work by the management team and all members of staff, highlighting our true commitment towards sustainability.”

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The Polynesian themed resort, which opened in July 2013, had a number of energy efficient systems included within its initial design, which furthered its sustainability goals. For instance, solar panels on the hotel’s roof are responsible for providing 50% of its hot water supply.

Another of its sustainability initiatives has been to drain the condensation from the hotel's air conditioning and recycle it to irrigate its 27,000m2 of landscape. The irrigation system itself is monitored by a weather station located on the property, which help operate the sprinklers more efficiently.

The hotel also has an extensive waste segregation programme—in just six months, the programme has helped save the equivalent of 759 trees, 187,446KWh of energy, 25,505 litres of oil, 2,678 pounds of air pollutants and more than 1.1mn litres of water.

Other 'green' initiatives done by the hotel include the fitting of water aerators in all public area taps to save 6,000m3 of water and the replacement of 80% of the resort’s 24-hour lighting with LED lights, which have saved more than 290,000KWh of energy in less than four months.

Sandrine Le Biavant, divisional director, Farnek Consultancy, also highlighted the hotel’s training programme. “The synergy between the engineering department and the learning department is exceptional,” she said.

“Employees have engaged in sustainable best practice with passion and creativity,” Le Biavant said. “Each day, there are energy and water saving updates and monthly green team meetings where the hotel management recognize sustainable achievements and encourage employees to suggest additional initiatives.”

Moving forward, Rohit Salunke, the hotel’s director of engineering, was enthusiastic about the positive effect that an international award would have on their sustainability strategy.

“The certification process provided us with a perfect framework to create awareness about sustainability throughout the resort,” Salunke said. “This has and will support our plans for further investment in energy efficiency.”