We recognize that much of our success – the reason why people come to Malta and use our hotel – is due to the beautiful location in which we carry out our business. Our company has always been at the heart of the community in Malta, as an employer, an important user of local produce, providing venues for local and foreign people to relax and unwind, as a supporter of local initiatives and as proud owners of a landmark for significant events in Maltese history.
It is therefore in our interests to take account of the effect our activities have on an increasingly vulnerable environment. We are committed to doing this by supporting the principles set out by the Government of Malta in its Eco-Active initiative and in particular the guidelines contained within The Malta Tourism Authority’s Eco Guide.
The key areas where we are concentrating our efforts are:
Natural environment (biodiversity)
We recognise that all our activities, can (directly or indirectly) impact the natural environment, and we will do our entire utmost to conserve this.
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Water conservation
We do all we can to ensure efficient use of water, installing water saving fixtures in public areas and guest rooms, to use 2nd class water for flushing system, installation of water strainer and to limit interference with the natural order of the Island’s eco-systems. Efforts are made to avoid the use of chlorine and other harmful chemicals, while using a reverse osmosis system to supply the hotel’s water supply and encouraging both guests and staff to be mindful of scarce water resources.
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Waste management/recycling
Efforts are continuously being made to reduce the amount of waste generated and reallocation of equipment and machinery within the company is always considered before disposal. Whilst some waste (for example glass) is sorted for recycling at the disposal stage and reduction of printing as documents are being saved as soft copies. We recognise that more could be done within the Island as a whole and will work actively with the appropriate authorities to achieve this goal.
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Transport
We recognise that, in order to reach Malta, the majority of our guests will chose to travel by air, although we always ensure that information about sea routes is made available as an alternative. However we are able to influence more environmentally friendly forms of transport once our guests are on the Island and as such ensure that information about buses, and in particular about cycling and walking, is made readily available.
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Visitor awareness
We advise guests and other customers about our commitment to environmental improvements and invite them to support initiatives such as reduced towel laundering and energy and water conservation. We also encourage visitors to give us feedback about our performance in this area and to suggest ways we can make even more of a difference.
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Staff awareness
Awareness of our Environmental policy is a key feature of employee induction and training. We want to encompass the enthusiasm and commitment of staff by setting up "Green Teams" to help drive through improvements and initiatives, to generate new ideas and to monitor and to provide feedback on our activities.
Each of our departments is required to develop Eco Action plans which are monitored on an ongoing basis. These plans focus on the above activities in the following areas – Guest Facilities (pools, lounges and other public areas), Housekeeping, Food and Beverage, Administration and Reception.