AWARD WINNING MELIÁ BALI CHALKS UP BALINESE ECO AWARDS

Meliá Bali, leading European hotel chain Sol Meliá's first Asian property has recently received the Gold rating Commendation Award 2000 for the Eco-Hotel Rating Program by the Governor of Bali.

In recognition of the Meliá Bali's pioneering role in promoting conservation of Balinese natural environment , this is the latest in a succession of eco-friendly awards received by the hotel, the last being the Green Global Commendation Award (second year in a row) at ITB Berlin.

Following the guidelines in the Sol Meliá Environmental Protection Manual, the Meliá Bali has implemented a sophisticated environmental management programme that includes, amongst other things, waste recycling, energy saving, sound pollution reduction and the use of environmentally-friendly products and materials.

In addition, the hotel has introduced several measures related to the conservation of its natural environment, including the creation of the first biological garden in Nusa Dua, eliminating the use of pesticides and fertilisers, and the launch of "Fly Project" which aims to rescue injured birds and nurse them back to health before releasing them back into the wild.

Mr. Daniel Lozano, General Manager Meliá Bali says, "We are honoured to receive this award. As a hotel that is committed to maintaining Sol Meliá's high standards of quality and successful environmental programmes, Meliá Bali has always been very focused on environmental management and sustainable tourism development practises. The future of the hotel industry, must be based on the development of fully integrated resorts. The natural beauty of a tourism destination represents tremendous added value, and these natural resources must be respected and taken into account both in the design and operations of hotels."

Sol Meliá, Europe's leading hotel group and the ninth largest hotel company in the world, has a portfolio of more than 260 city and resort hotels in 28 countries under the brand names of Meliá, Sol and Paradisus hotels. The newest additions to the Group include 10 new properties in Paris, the Meliá Roma Aurelia (in Rome), Meliá Mexico Reforma (in Mexico DF) and Meliá White House (in London). Its properties in Asia include Gran Meliá Jakarta, Meliá Bali (incorporating The Garden Villas), Meliá Benoa (Bali), Sol Lovina (Bali), Meliá Purosani (Yogyakarta), Meliá Panorama (Batam), and Sol Elite Marbella (Anyer) in Indonesia; Meliá Hanoi in Vietnam; Meliá Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Meliá Hua Hin and Sol Twin Towers (Bangkok) in Thailand. Sol Meliá has signed contracts to take-over and manage a further 60 hotels by the year 2002.