Hotel in Saigon Cuts Oil and Water Consumption by 8% as Occupancy Grows

The Caravelle Hotel in Ho Chi Minh has passed its second round of EarthCheck benchmarking, out-performing on nine of eleven key indicators at or above best practice levels set by the globally recognised EarthCheck Program.

Compared to the previous year, in 2011 the Caravelle managed an 8.3% reduction in diesel oil, 7.5% reduction in water consumption, and a 2% reduction in electricity, even as its room occupancy grew by 8.25% from 2010.

According to EarthCheck’s most recent report, over the course of 2011 the Caravelle managed to raise its performance from baseline levels to best practice levels in the categories of CO2 emissions, potable water consumption and waste management.

“What is great about this new report is that all the improved figures are in categories based on consumption per guest night,” said John Gardner, the hotel’s General Manager. “We’ve taken all kinds of measures that we know will pay off in the long run, but it’s heartening to see there is actually a day-to-day difference taking place in our operations.”

This month the hotel launched a paperless check-in and check-out option for eco-minded guests. By scanning crucial documents, having guests digitally sign their names onto a handheld tablet, and offering soft copies of invoices, the hotel expects to slash its paper waste for some 3,500 guests each month.

In 2010, the Caravelle became the third property in Vietnam to earn EarthCheck Silver Certification. The only other properties in the country currently holding EarthCheck’s Silver Certification are the Novotel Ocean Dunes and Golf Resort and the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake.

Since 2008, the Caravelle Hotel has boosted its sustainability efforts, installing a $75,000 wastewater treatment facility that recycles 30% of the property’s water and implementing a property-wide switch to energy-saving light bulbs and biodegradable cleansers. In 2011, the Caravelle achieved international ISO 14001:2004 certification for environmental management.

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