Riad Al Massarah awarded Travelife Gold Award

Riad Al Massarah awarded Travelife Gold Award

Travelife Gold Award

We are delighted to announce that we have just achieved a prestigious Travelife for Hotels & Accommodations Gold award. Travelife – the international sustainability certification scheme – assesses a property’s performance in managing their social, environmental and economic impacts.

The labelling scheme helps hotels cut costs and increase sales, by improved sustainability.
To gain Travelife Gold certification the hotel must meet their 150 sustainability criteria. This includes environmental issues, such as minimising their waste and use of energy, water and chemicals; as well as taking positive action on social responsibility, such as employee welfare, working with the local community, child protection and human rights. They must also show how they are helping to support local businesses, protect local traditions and engage with the local community.

Energy

We have reduced our energy use by using solar power for water heating, installing low-energy lighting, active management of in-room air conditioning, and setting and achieving energy efficiency targets.

Waste

We have reduced the amount of waste it produces by the development of a waste minimisation programme, including reducing the amount of resources used, reusing materials or recycling, using refillable containers, buying in bulk, and setting and achieving waste minimisation targets.

Water

The Riad uses various methods to save water, including dual flush toilets, low-flow shower heads and taps. In addition, shower cold water is collected for plant watering or toilet flushing, night-time watering of gardens to avoid unnecessary water evaporation and using less water when cleaning.

As well as these day-to-day environmental measures, the Riad goes further to protect the environment by using environmentally friendly cleaning products, providing re-usable bags for guests shopping and encouraging guests to participate in eco-friendly activities.

We measure our performance regularly to monitor the impact of our sustainability efforts, report on results and plan improvements.

Supporting people

Travelife certification shows that the Riad is committed to treating people fairly and with respect. As well as providing good working conditions for staff and investing in its employees by providing regular training, we aim to be an active member of the local community. The Riad supports local people by giving money to local charities such as Atfalouna and Espoir, encouraging guests to donate clothing or visit the charities and engaging with the local community on issues affecting them.

Local economy and businesses

We also try to support the local community from an economic perspective by buying food/other services from local suppliers and encouraging its guests to visit local restaurants, markets and attractions so that they have an opportunity to spend money and support the local economy.

A key reason for tourism businesses to care about sustainability is to help protect the unique natural and cultural characteristics of their resort, so it continues to attract tourists in the future. We therefore serves local food, albeit with a modern twist, provides information on local customs and etiquette, heritage sites/places of cultural interest, restaurants, and places to buy locally-made goods or souvenirs, particularly from co-operatives.