Hotel Verde, in Cape Town South Africa, has just been awarded a second LEED® Platinum Green Building Certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) making Hotel Verde the first hotel globally to achieve a double Platinum certification for LEED®. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
The first Platinum certification was awarded in May 2014 for New Construction in the Green Building Design & Construction category. This established Hotel Verde as one of only 6 hotels in the world and the only hotel in Africa, to receive this accolade, at the time. The second and most recent certification was awarded for the Existing Building Operations & Maintenance of the hotel, giving Hotel Verde their double Platinum status and proving that Hotel Verde is, in fact, Africa’s greenest hotel.
Sustainability consultants for Hotel Verde on the LEED submission, André Harms of Ecolution Consulting and Jutta Berns-Mumbi of Ecocentric, targeted several strategies to obtain the second Platinum Certification in the category for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (v2009).
LEED Category Hotel Verde Score Card:
SUSTAINABLE SITES = 21 OF 26
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY = 8 OF 15
WATER EFFICIENCY = 12 OF 14
ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE = 32 OF 35
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES = 7 OF 10
INNOVATION IN OPERATIONS = 5 OF 6
REGIONAL PRIORITY CREDITS = 4 OF 4
TOTAL SCORE = 89 / 110
Hotel Verde’s ardent team have collectively gone above and beyond conventional industry practices by dedicating themselves to a sustainable work lifestyle. From stringent waste management and procurement policies to corporate responsibility campaigns, departmental sustainability, biodiversity maintenance and offering a carbon neutral hotel experience. Most importantly, it is the hotels aim to create an eco-friendly working environment in which staff health, happiness and productivity is optimized.
“I quickly realised that my dream to provide something luxurious and sustainable was not only possible, but it was also a business model worth sharing, with the potential to change lives and the industry as we know it,” says Mario Delicio, owner of both Hotel Verde, Cape Town Airport and Verde Hotels.
Launched during the World Travel Market Africa tourism trade show, Verde Hotels is leading hotel management solutions that are not just sustainable, but thrivable. Thrivability is the new frontier of sustainability. It encompasses all that is associated with sustainability but supersedes it by maximising the triple bottom line of people, profit and planet. It is on these principles that Verde Hotels bases its core foundation.
“We had the opportunity at Hotel Verde, Cape Town Airport, to look at everything from the ground up with regard to sustainability and efficiency with the commitment to operate sustainability. But The latest accolade showcases that Verde Hotels is ready to also optimise the operation and maintenance of existing buildings” said André Harms, Sustainability Manager and founder of Ecolution Consulting, a trained mechanical engineer and the expertise behind some of the more technical aspects of Hotel Verde.
“As a hotel management company, this certification has been fundamental in allowing us to provide our potential clients with the assurance that we deliver truly sustainable and commercially viable hospitality solutions,” says Delicio, “Managing a thrivable hotel means a higher return on investment, lower operational costs, better environmental quality, a lower carbon footprint and a higher PR and marketing value, all whilst safeguarding natural resources and uplifting local communities.
READ MORE ABOUT HOTEL VERDE AND VERDE HOTELS:
(Click on the linked text below)
Cover Story – May 2015
Thrivability in Green Hotel Development
Property Review: Hotel Verde
About LEED: LEED is the foremost program for buildings, homes, and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated, for improved environmental and human health performance. There are four levels of LEED certification – Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum – the number of points a project earns, determines the level of LEED certification that the project will receive. Each rating system is made up of a combination of credit categories, with specific criteria that projects must satisfy and a variety of credits that projects can pursue, to earn points.
About Hotel Verde: Hailed as “Africa’s greenest hotel,” Hotel Verde showcases some of the most advanced, environmentally conscious technological installations, construction methods, procurement and operational practices in the world.
The four-star property offers 145 rooms, conference facilities, restaurant, bar, indoor gym, outdoor jogging trail and gym equipment, with an eco-pool and 24-hour deli. Hotel Verde not only offers every luxury but also the added element of extensive green features such as Carbon Neutral Stays for Corporate and guests alike.
Hotel Verde has also been awarded Green Hotelier of 2015, Africa and the Middle East and a winner of the INTERNORGA Trendsetter Award, at a ceremony held at the INTERNORGA Trade Show, in Hamburg, Germany. This annual award goes to a company that demonstrates with ‘great intuition, innovation, courage and passion – how business practices and sustainable management can work together for optimal results.
In 2015 Hotel Verde was voted as top 1% by Travellers Choice on TripAdvisor.
In June of 2015 Hotel Verde was awarded the highest accolade of a 6 Star rating in the Green Star SA Existing Building Performance tool with 82 points, a first for a hotel in South Africa, by the GBCSA. The rating received is valid for a period of 3 years in order to ensure the building is continually operated on stringent efficiency and sustainability targets.
Hotel Verde will be celebrating their second “birthday” in August of 2015.
Website: www.verdehotels.co.za
Website: www.hotelverde.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hotelverdect
Twitter: @Hotel Verde
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/HotelVerde
