Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu receives Green Hotel Standard Award

The Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu was recently awarded the “ASEAN Green Hotel Standard”. The award was given in recognition of the resort’s compliance with environmentally friendly and energy conservation measures.

The ASEAN Green Hotel Standard is one of the six ASEAN tourism standards that the 10 ASEAN member countries of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam consider essential for helping the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be a Quality Single Destination. One measure in the road map for integration of the tourism sector to realize the ASEAN economic community is the establishment of the ASEAN tourism standards. The ASEAN tourism standards task force is currently chaired by Thailand, through its Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and vice-chaired by Indonesia.

The Green Hotel Recognition Committee selected several hotels from each country based on the following criteria and requirements: Environmental policy and actions for hotel operation, use of green products, collaboration with the community and local organizations, human resource development, solid waste management, energy efficiency, water efficiency, air quality management (indoor and outdoor), noise pollution control, waste water treatment and management, and toxic and chemical substance disposal management.

The following undertakings are among the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu’s notable endeavors to be one of the leading environmentally friendly deluxe property in the country:

-  The Shangri-La Marine Sanctuary spans five hectares from the beachfront, and teems with over 50 species of fish and coral.

- Hotel management and staff participate in regular coastal clean ups, dive clean ups, and coral recovery programs.

- Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu is one of the first resorts in the Philippines to comply with ISO 14001, the international environmental standard, in all operations, encompassing environmentally friendly and cost efficient practices that include installing energy-saving light bulbs, biodegradable cleaning materials, water restrictors, and sewage treatment facilities to prevent water pollution.

- The resort is also one of the first resorts in the Philippines to be awarded a certificate of approval by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LQRA). 

- A water desalination plant processes the resort’s drinking water. Seawater undergoes chlorination to kill bacteria, after which it goes into the neutralization tank to balance water hardness. The US$1.4 million facility is capable of producing an average of 900 cubic meters of water daily, while the resort’s consumption is 800 cubic meters.

-  A sewage treatment plant manages waste by means of processing waste to water, and simultaneously providing water to irrigate the resort’s extensive landscaped gardens.

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