Source: Media Outreach
LONDON, UK – Media OutReach – 4 October 2021 – Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) today announces the launch of Considerate Collection, a community of Actively sustainable luxury hotels going the extra eco mile, proving that luxury is compatible with longevity. The hospitality brand renowned for its diverse portfolio of boutique properties also announces new sustainable initiatives forming part of a renewed strategic vision to mark its 30+1year anniversary.
From the biodiversity-promoting Keemala in Thailand to the culture-preserving Gangtey Lodge in carbon-negative Bhutan, *Considerate Collection debuts with 26 pioneering hotels in 16 countries, each meeting the highest criteria in sustainability.
SLH has collaborated with the most respectable sustainable travel and luxury hospitality players to create a trusted and transparent framework. These include Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) – the international, independent, not-for-profit body established by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); and Greenview, whose platform is the only GSTC-recognised sustainable tourism management tool.
Daniel Luddington, VP of Development, Small Luxury Hotels of the World said “We’ve carefully curated the Considerate Collection to spotlight luxury boutique hotels exemplary in their sustainability efforts, making it easier for customers and the travel trade to make better-considered choices. Staying in small, independent hotels goes hand in hand with travelling sustainably and all SLH hotels are already steeped in the many facets of sustainable hospitality, so we haven’t had to look far outside of our portfolio for the launch collection. We also have an exciting pipeline of new hotels to add in the coming months.” He adds, “This is not about creating a new brand, but rather building on the strong brand values that have existed within SLH since inception – independent spirits, community-centric, questioners, storytellers and the ultimate belief that Small is beautiful and a better way to travel.”
Criteria for the Considerate Collection align with the GSTC Criteria across three key pillars ensuring all the hotels are **Community Minded, Cultural Custodians and Environmentally Conscious. These pillars are all underpinned by a strong sustainability management system. Each hotel within the Considerate Collection either has been certified by a GSTC Accredited Certification Body or certified to a GSTC Recognized Standard, or has passed an assessment by the SLH Sustainability Advisory Panel with review by the GSTC.
Randy Durband, CEO, Global Sustainable Tourism Council said: “SLH has impressed us with their dedicated support of their member hotels, and we’re delighted to collaborate with them to devise a robust framework, consistent with GSTC measures but uniquely matched for all luxury boutique hotels. We are sure it will be a huge success.”
SLH is making it easier for travel trade and customers to identify each Considerate Collection hotel by featuring them within a specific section on the website www.slh.com/considerate. The hotel pages are also stamped with a sage leaf and include dedicated content outlining their notable sustainability initiatives.
Currently, with a luxury hotel portfolio of over 520 hotels in 90 countries, SLH has taken a holistic approach to sustainability to complement its long-term brand vision – a future where people explore the world with intention, experience its intensity, and protect its integrity. Over the last two years, SLH has worked with hospitality sustainability consultancy, The Considerate Group, to develop bespoke toolkits to support its member hotels and plans to continue this approach to “help our hotels walk all this sustainability talk”, adds Luddington. H2 Sustainability Consulting, headed by former legendary hotelier Hervé Houdré, is among the consultancies SLH is collaborating with to support hotel members.
SLH’s quality inspection reports, carried out annually by its international mystery hotel inspectors (all SLH hotel guests), has also been revamped and is currently being trialled to include a 60-point Considerate module focusing on customer-facing, front of house initiatives.
The company has also turned the microscope on itself to update its corporate head office policies making sure to practice what it preaches to hotel members. These include implementing volunteer days for staff and the launch of a partnership with social change and reforestation charity, TreeSisters, among other initiatives.
Each SLH room night booked and stayed using an SLH INVITED member rate includes a donation to plant a minimum of three trees with TreeSisters. SLH INVITED membership is complimentary.
Through individuals and businesses that give back to Nature every month, TreeSisters has so far funded the planting of over 19 million trees across 12 locations in Brazil, Borneo, Cameroon, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Madagascar, Nepal and West Papua.
For more information, visit www.slh.com/considerate
Images can be downloaded here or via www.slhimages.com
Notes to editor
*Considerate Collection Hotels (26)
APAC
Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary, Shaba, Bhutan
Gangtey Lodge, Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort, Bel Ombre, Mauritius
The Fortress Resort & Spa, Galle, Sri Lanka
Keemala, Phuket, Thailand
Pimalai Resort & Spa, Lanta Island, Thailand
The Racha, Phuket, Thailand
EMEA
Columbia Beach Resort, Limassol, Cyprus
Domaine de Manville, Les Baux de Provence, France
Domaine des Etangs, Massignac, France
Le Domaine d’Ablon, Ablon, France
Hotel Rangá, Hella, Iceland
FORESTIS, Brixen, Italy
Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda, Gargnano, Italy
Lefay Resort Dolomiti, Pinzolo, Italy
Susafa, Polizzi, Generosa, Italy
La Sultana Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco
The Dylan Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Storfjord Hotel, Skodje, Norway
Hotel Arima & Spa, San Sebastian, Spain
Torre del Marques, Monroyo, Spain
Grove of Narberth, Wales, United Kingdom
AMER
GAÏA Riverlodge, Cayo District, Belize
Hotel Nantipa, Santa Teresa de Cobano, Costa Rica
Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa, La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica
Petit St Vincent, Vincent Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
** Considerate Collection Pillars
Community Minded
Proactive, positive members of the local community
Like the humble honey bee who works hard to keep his hive happy and healthy, Considerate Collection hotels are passionately committed to making their communities a better place for both locals and visitors to enjoy alike.
Many of our hotels are locally owned and family-run, who have a deep rooted, personal connection to the people who make a place special. By ensuring equal employment opportunities to local residents, including managerial positions without discrimination of any kind, the hotel invests in its community while giving guests a more authentic experience of its people’s culture, language, and storytelling.
As champions of local, fair-trade produce, our hotels buy local wherever possible to support the community’s supply chain – whether it’s serving fresh fruit from the morning market where the hotel chef knows the farmer by name, or providing hand-woven bags made by a local artisan for guests to use by the pool.
It is not enough for our hotels to simply give back to the community, they must continuously strive to enrich local lives through social impact initiatives, educational, health, and training programmes, and projects which address the impacts of climate change.
Cultural Custodians
Protectors and preservers of cultural heritage
To better understand and appreciate the culture and customs of another country is one of travel’s greatest joys. Each Considerate Collection hotel and destination has its own cultural identity which it works tirelessly to protect, preserve and promote for generations to come.
Elements of traditional and contemporary local culture are incorporated in the operations, design, decoration, cuisine, or boutiques of our hotels, while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities.
Going beyond the maintenance of local buildings, and the protection of culturally, historically, archaeologically, and spiritually significant sites, our hotels aim to enhance and sensitively improve upon properties of cultural interest through ongoing heritage and restoration projects.
Immersing guests in the local culture through an array of authentic activities is integral to our hotel experience, from traditional cooking classes in a rural farmhouse to pottery making in an ancestral ceramics studio.
Environmentally Conscious
Maximising benefits to the environment
These trailblazing eco-hotels know that luxury travel shouldn’t cost the earth, which is why their sustainable strategies go well beyond reducing negative impact on their immediate environment with regenerative and restorative action.
Conserving resources – our hotels make an active effort to increase their use of renewable energy and sustainable sources such as solar, wind, geothermal or biofuels, while assessing, measuring, and minimising energy and water consumption.
Reducing pollution – greenhouse gas emissions from all sources controlled by our hotels are identified, calculated where possible, and procedures implemented to avoid or minimise them. Wastewater is effectively treated, and is only reused or released safely with no adverse effects to the local population or the environment, while solid waste is reduced, reused or recycled. Significant steps are taken by Considerate Collection hotels to reduce their carbon footprint.
Conserving biodiversity, ecosystems, and landscapes – from coral reef regeneration and ocean conservation to wildlife rewilding and tree reforestation, our hotels play an active role in restoring the natural beauty of our planet. Protected natural parks and areas of high biodiversity value are especially looked after, while any interaction with free roaming wildlife is non-invasive and responsibly managed.
– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.
