Awards in this category focus on environmental education helping people develop skills to make informed decisions about the environment. What people learn leads to behavioral changes triggering them to implement actions helping to reduce negative impacts to the planet, while making positive impacts to preserve biodiversity.

Accommodations playing a role, first, to educate guests and staff, and second, to implement actions benefiting biodiversity, including plants, animals, microorganisms, and their genes. The local people and destination are the beneficiaries of the healthy biodiversity.

This category links with agreements with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the World Heritage Convention (WHC), the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (a landmark agreement to preserve biodiversity by 2030 and beyond).

Actions can focus on 1) supporting local farms 2) planting local flowers, fruits, and vegetables 3) implementing water conservation initiatives 4) supporting local habitat restoration projects (staff time, sponsorship, guest involvement, use of hotel facilities/MICE, etc.) 5) conserving threatened species in artificial ecosystems such as nurseries, botanical gardens, and gene banks within a property, and/or achieving actions with related suppliers 6) utilizing their property or green/blue area for environmental education and 7) providing education tours and engagement for staff, guests and community. 

The judges will be considering methods and actions taken, which may include, among other things, one or more of the following:

• ‍Promoting local and indigenous knowledge of biodiversity

• ‍Conserving biodiversity in an inclusive way

• ‍Taking actions to improve the environment

• Participating in the education and protection of the environment

• Encouraging action by building awareness of biodiversity issues and practical solutions for implementation.

• Whether your property invites guests to make a financial contribution to a charitable organisation that takes care of local environmental initiatives. Guests may be able to participate in the organisation’s activities when present.

  Note: Emphasis will be placed on quantification/measurement of impacts/practices where applicable.

Often the best environmental development solution is not demolishing an existing asset and rebuild, or replacing an existing building with a new exemplary green building; in many cases the least environmental impact is to reuse the existing building capital by renovating and applying sustainable strategies during the “rehabilitation and adaptation” of existing structures. Sustainable development can embrace the lessons of long-lasting existing buildings with positive environmental, social, and economic implications.

Accordingly, awards in this category focus on embedding innovative methods to preserve natural and cultural resources in the renovation, retrofit, repurposing, or adaptive reuse of existing facilities and structures.

Note: Emphasis will be placed on quantification/ measurement of impacts/practices where applicable.

The judges will be considering, among other things, aspects such as:

• Identification and preservation of existing developments and/or buildings with historic and heritage significance

• Retention of the setting and visual esthetics of the existing structures and facilities

• Reuse of existing structures and building components

• Innovation in adaptive reuse for hotels  

• Use of local, environmentally sustainable, and culturally significant materials or furnishings

• Upgrade of existing systems and application of sustainable technologies

• Best-in-class management of deconstruction processes, recycling and reuse of demolition debris and construction waste, and repurposing of building elements

• Innovation in investment and financing mechanisms to fund the renovation (i.e. Green Bonds, crowd funding, grants, government or supplier partnerships, incentives and rebates, etc.)

Awards in this category focus on actions taken to reduce climate change and increase resilience to future climate-related impacts. It recognizes hotels can play a role in increasing energy efficiency and decarbonization in their buildings, operations and value chains, helping to support global climate action in line with the Paris Agreement, the Glasgow Declaration, The Baku Declaration on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism and the UN Sustainable Development Goals 7, 12 and 13.

Actions can incorporate the use of technological, behavioral and nature-based solutions and can focus on reducing or sequestering carbon emissions, increasing the use of renewable energy and reducing the consumption of materials and resources in the building design, on property and in the supply chain.

Note:  Emphasis will be placed on quantification/ measurement of impacts/practices where applicable.

The judges will be considering action methods taken, which may include, among other things, one or more of the following:

• Advanced generation or procurement of renewable energy to reduce emissions and local fossil fuel reliance

• Waste management initiatives contributing to CO2 emissions

• Project structuring and design to go beyond minimization of impacts to enhancing them and creating more positive impact

• Conservation or restoration of key carbon sinks, such as forests and oceans, or use of technology to sequester carbon

• Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) models, or supply chain initiatives, to reduce carbon footprints from purchased goods within FF&E, OS&E, and/or F&B

• Proactive and large-scale guest engagement or community involvement to catalyze awareness on the impacts within the destination as well as elsewhere resulting from the hotel’s activities and purchasing

• Encouraging action through staff to build awareness of practical solutions they can implement in their roles.

• Innovation in investment and financing mechanisms to fund the projects (i.e. Green Bonds, crowd funding, grants, government or supplier partnerships, incentives and rebates) that lower the cost of capital, or create fixed-cost asset models from traditional variable cost items such as energy and waste

Awards in this category focus on optimizing a hotel’s resources and reach generating tangible positive impact for local communities; moving beyond philanthropy toward strategic use of resources, expertise, and funds creating better community engagement models with win-win benefits and quantifiable impact metrics.

The judges will be considering, among other things, aspects such as:

• Innovative use of inventory or routine areas of spend to maximize community benefit

• Methods of building programs and models with local suppliers and partners to stimulate entrepreneurship, local business ownership, and autonomy 

• Reviving and protecting authentic cultural heritage traditions that benefit the wider destination and strengthen its sense of place

• Generating positive multipliers for other sustainable development goals such as enabling communities to address climate change and sustainable consumption & production

• Innovative and effective stewardship addressing water stress, access, and quality concerns

• Data-driven analysis of results demonstrating positive social impact metrics, beyond just volunteer hours, cash donation amounts, or number of community members served

• Innovation in investment and financing mechanisms to fund the projects and create value for the hotel or the project

• Whether your property invites guests to make a financial contribution to a charitable organisation that takes care of local societal initiatives. Guests may be able to participate in the organisation’s activities when present.

Awards in this category focus on the design brief agreed and ways in which developers, owners and operators have worked with architects, designers, engineers, etc. in realizing most innovative and holistic methods, strategies and technologies in both building materials and operational efficiency, minimizing impacts to the site and its surrounding natural environment and local communities, and creating value to the location’s natural and cultural heritage.

Note: Property must be completed/operating at time of entry.

The judges will be considering, among other things, aspects such as:

• Specific innovative design elements promoting the latest technology in sustainability to reduce impacts and increase efficiency (renewable energy, net-zero building, water recycling, waste/water treatment, use of vegetation, advanced building materials, electrification and energy procurement/storage/distribution, building and operational automation, etc.)

• Integration and protection of the natural environment and layout within the wider landscape to preserve ecosystems and minimize disruption of biodiversity

• Overall appreciation of the design within the community and landscape to create an appropriate sense of place (reflecting cultural norms, heritage, traditions, authenticity, etc.)

• Specific innovative elements in the building’s construction and development, such as using materials with renewable or circular economy aspects, passive design, biomimicry, permaculture, water harvesting, etc.

• Integration of aesthetics, guest experience, and innovative design with sustainability

• Innovation in investment and financing mechanisms to fund the projects (i.e. Green Bonds, crowd funding, grants, government or supplier partnerships, incentives and rebates) that lower the cost of capital, or create fixed-cost asset models from traditional variable cost items such as energy and waste