InterContinental Hong Kong has secured the prestigious EarthCheck Gold level of certification through the world’s leading certifier of travel and tourism organizations. This makes InterContinental Hong Kong the first hotel in Hong Kong and also the first IHG property globally to achieve gold certification.

With this certification, InterContinental Hong Kong joined an elite group of industry leaders who, over a period of five years or more, have consistently demonstrated their commitment to host communities and high standards of environmental management.

As per Jean-Jacques Reibel, Managing Director, InterContinental Hong Kong, “We are very proud to be the first hotel in Hong Kong to receive EarthCheck Gold Certification and to have made great strides in our environmental initiatives.  As a globally responsible business, we want to promote Green Living not just for our hotel guests and employees, but also within the local community.”

In 2009, InterContinental Hong Kong was the first hotel in Hong Kong to achieve Silver Certification with its environmental management system fully in place. Over the past five years, under the guidance of the hotel’s Green Committee, the hotel has worked hard to achieve Gold Certification by focusing on Waste Recycling & Reduction, Energy Savings, Green Purchasing and Environmental Activities.

Commenting on the hotel’s Gold Certification, Stewart Moore, CEO of EC3 Global, said,“I wou ld like to congratulate InterContinental Hong Kong on being the first hotel in Hong Kong and across IHG Hotels worldwide to achieve EarthCheck’s Gold Certification. InterContinental Hong Kong is a stand-out sustainability champion for InterContinental Hotels Group. The EarthCheck team is delighted by the hotel’s efforts and hard work.”

He adds, “This year, EarthCheck supported InterContinental Hong Kong’s highly successful ‘Breathing Hong Kong Video Competition’, which was aimed at increasing environmental awareness about air pollution in Hong Kong. As a key member of the judging panel for this competition, I was fortunate enough to witness the team’s tireless commitment to implementing numerous sustainability initiatives to promote green living, not just to its hotel guests and employees, but also within their local community.”

To gain EarthCheck Gold Certification, InterContinental Hong Kong also had to report its environmental footprint and adhere to an internationally recognized standard of Best Practice. Each year, leading up to certification, InterContinental Hong Kong submitted 12 months of operational data to EarthCheck, to be benchmarked against industry Best Practice. A number of key indicators were measured; including energy and water consumption, total waste production, and community commitment.

“Achieving EarthCheck Gold Certification is not an easy task to achieve,” explained EarthCheck CEO Stewart Moore. “There are no short cuts, no ways to buy your way in; it’s a matter of being able to prove the integrity of an organisation’s operational practices year-in and year-out, and then be willing to have everything verified by an independent, third party auditor.”

By taking a scientific approach to measuring the effectiveness of their sustainability practices, InterContinental Hong Kong was able to identify where it was out-performing others and where room for improvement remained.

“This requires a commitment across all levels of an organization, from the very top, all the way through to part time staff and even volunteers,” Moore continued.

For economies reliant on travel and tourism, EarthCheck’s benchmarking data provides the only historical record of the global environmental impacts of the industry over the past 12 years. More importantly, it rates the effectiveness of industry efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) and conserve natural resources at a project-by-project level.

For travellers the world over, it’s good to know there’s a credible body keeping track of sustainability claims. The EarthCheck logo represents travel and tourism’s efforts to come together and take meaningful steps to address the serious challenges faced by the planet.

EDITOR’S NOTES:

InterContinental Hong Kong

Acclaimed as one of the world’s top hotels, InterContinental Hong Kong is prized for its unrivalled views of Victoria Harbour, luxurious accommodation, impeccable service and celebrated dining with three Michelin star restaurants - SPOON by Alain Ducasse (2-stars), Yan Toh Heen and THE STEAK HOUSE winebar + grill (1-star each), plus NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong.  All 503 contemporary guest rooms, including 87 harbourview suites, feature 24-hour butler service, in-room dining, concierge and business services. I-Spa, the Fitness Centre (open 24 hours) and Pool Terrace, with unique three-temperature infinity spa pools, offer an Asian resort ambiance.

For further information on the hotel’s Green Initiatives, please click here.

For an image of InterContinental Hong Kong’s Green Committee celebrating its Gold Certification, please click here.

EarthCheck

EarthCheck is one of the world's largest certifiers of sustainable travel and tourism operators; with more than 1,200 clients in over 65 countries. EarthCheck certification complies with the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 14064 range of standards for greenhouse gas accounting.

Media contacts:

InterContinental Hong Kong

Carole L. Klein, Director of PR & Communications

Ph: + 852 2313 2335

Email: carole.klein@ihg.com

Web: www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com / www.intercontinental.com

EarthCheck

Marketing & Communications Manager

Ph: +61 7 3238 1900

Email: marketing@earthcheck.org