The first-ever Macao Green Hotel Platinum Award has gone to the Venetian Macao casino resort (pictured) for its strategies to improve the environmental sustainability of the property.
The operator of the Venetian Macao, Sands China Ltd, issued a statement saying the establishment won the award for 2017 – just announced – for a year-on-year reduction in waste over a 12-month period. The Venetian has provided parking and charging facilities for electric vehicles used by staff and guests, introduced a guest mattress replacement scheme friendlier to the environment, monitored the effects on the environment of its shuttle buses, reduced food waste and performed regular carbon audits.
The Environmental Protection Bureau and the Macao Government Tourism Office jointly give out the Macao Green Hotel Awards to raise awareness of the importance of environmental management in the hotel industry and to commend hotels that take measures to protect the environment. The Macau government decided last year to create a platinum award to promote efforts that go beyond the established targets.
“Sands China is truly honoured by this distinction,” said Mark McWhinnie, the company’s senior vice-president of resort operations and development. “Our company continues to develop and implement innovations as part of the Sands ECO360 global sustainability strategy of our parent company, Las Vegas Sands Corp. This strategy has helped Sands China remain at the forefront of sustainable operations in our industry, while continuing to further reduce our impact on the environment.”
The Four Seasons Hotel Macao and the Parisian Macao, also run by Sands China, each won a Gold Award at this year’s event. The Grand Hyatt Macau, a hotel property at Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd’s City of Dreams Macau, also won gold recognition.
The winner of each Green Hotel Award is entitled to cite the accolade for a three-year period. Sands China says five of its other establishments – St Regis Macao, Cotai Central; the Conrad Macao, Cotai Central; the Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central; and the Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central – retain Gold Awards received in previous years.
Sands China said in its press release that by using energy-saving LED lights and optimises heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems it had saved 21 million kWh of electricity last year. That was enough to power more than 50,000 households for 12 months, it stated.
