Since embarking on the sustainability journey with a pledge to eliminate plastic straws, Avani Hotels has been committed to implementing eco-conscious initiatives focused on preserving the planet for future generations. In celebration of Earth Day on 22 April 2021, the brand shares select Sustainable Well-being stories from its properties worldwide.
Reducing plastic
In 2018, Avani Hotels introduced a ban on plastic straws, which today extends to all its 33 properties worldwide. Instead, paper, bamboo or other materials that reduce landfill waste are prioritised, alongside embracing other sustainable practices such as zero waste food management. Avani+ Samui Resort took the initiative one step further by phasing out plastic packaging completely and opting for reusable materials for its picnic boxes and bottled water. At Avani+ Luang Prabang Hotel, recycled tree bark is turned into packaging for the hotel’s all-natural soaps and other products.
Farm-to-table
To reduce carbon emissions and to put the freshest food possible on the table, several Avani Hotels lead the way with farm-to-table initiatives, such as partnering with the local farmer community. Overlooking a Buddhist heritage temple, Avani+ Luang Prabang Hotel in Laos successfully launched a 140-sqm rooftop garden boasting some of the best views of the UNESCO heritage town and supplying hotel kitchen with everything from organic fruit to local herbs.
In a coastal town in Thailand, Avani Pattaya Resort’s hydroponic farm supplies the property’s produce and the local Pattaya community. The farm grows over 22,000 plants, including a wide range of salads and greens.
Another success story is Koko at Avani+ Samui Resort. This wellbeing-minded, plant-based café gets over 90% of all ingredients from the nearby farms.
Another impressive farm-to-table track record is Avani+ Hua Hin Resort, where over 90% of kitchen supplies are grown locally. The resort carefully selects partners that run ethical and fully sustainable operations, whether organic eggs from a free-range chicken farm or artisanal products made without artificial colours and flavourings.
Delicious and Sustainable Cocktails
At SEEN Rooftop Restaurant & Bar located on the rooftop of Avani+ Riverside Bangkok, all cocktails are served with reusable or biodegradable straws. While over at FCC Angkor by Avani’s Scribe Bar in Cambodia, an innovative zero-waste cocktail programme allows the ingredients to be reused, recycled and upcycled. The Colonial Fare cocktail at Scribe Bar, for example, features locally sourced pineapple as the main ingredient. After the fruit is juiced for the cocktail, the pulp is dried to reappear later as a garnish or an ingredient in another cocktail.
Sustainable Future
Avani Hotels has also embraced sustainability-led innovations to minimise environmental impact when it comes to building new properties. These initiatives range from using recycled materials to installing the latest energy-saving technology, such as low-flow faucets to save groundwater.
At the newly open Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites, toilets and showers come with aerator fittings to reduce water consumption, and all lighting is LED, which uses 50% less energy. The property also uses greywater for irrigation; the building’s finishing materials feature low-lead water-soluble paints, while the façade glass has a high solar reflective index to reduce AC energy use. In addition, an in-house water bottling plant serves all dining facilities, thus eliminating the need for plastic bottles.
Avani+ Koh Lanta Resort, scheduled to open by Q4 2021, will be running beach clean-ups and setting up a plant nursery programme for the guests to promote nature conservation awareness. Seafood and fish will be sourced ethically from the local fishermen allowing guests to enjoy the day’s catch while reducing carbon footprint.
Opening by Q4 2021, Avani+ Khao Lak Resort will be built to respect the excising landscape with its natural ponds and lush gardens. The 96,000-sqm property was able to preserve over 600 trees, with another 100 was replanted thanks to a tree nursery initiative that helped keep the plants healthy during the construction phase.
Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort, set to open by early 2022, is located on a gorgeous tear-shaped island in the Baa Atoll — nature’s playground and a UNESCO-designated World Biosphere Reserve. The team works closely with the local government to keep the project as eco-friendly as possible: preserving the landscape in its natural state, maximising the resort layout and utilising recycled materials.
Avani Hotels is also currently working on an app that will facilitate paperless check-in, check-out, and billing by prioritising digital payments and other paperless transactions.
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