Guests at all Four Hotels Receive Special Incentives to Turn Lights off during Earth Hour
All four IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) hotels in Singapore will be participating in this year’s Earth Hour ‘blackout’ on 27 March for the second year running.
InterContinental Singapore, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre and Holiday Inn Atrium will be offering in-house guests special incentives between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m., the designated Earth Hour, to encourage guest participation by turning their lights off.
During Earth Hour, InterContinental Singapore’s Olive Tree restaurant will host a ‘blackout’ draw with special privileges on food and beverages. All martinis, special cocktails and Naturalis teas will be priced at SGD8.30++ at the Lobby Lounge and Victoria Bar. At Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, in-house guests will be invited to the Lobby Lounge and Bar ’75 to enjoy 1-for-1 promotions on house pours and snacks, with all proceeds during the 60 minutes donated to WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Singapore. Holiday Inn Atrium will be offering a 50 per cent discount on the buffet for in-house guests and 1-for-1 for local guests at the Melting Pot Cafe. Finally, Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre will be organising an Earth Hour poolside cocktail party for all in-house guests.
IHG properties in Asia Australasia saved an estimated 80GJ or 22100kWh of electricity during Earth Hour in 2009. This substantial amount is equivalent to making 800,000 cups of coffee, powering up to 30 homes for one month, removing 16 tonnes of carbon dioxide, or planting 4.3 acres of trees.
“The intention is to really drive home the environmental message of our responsibility to respect the environment and manage our impacts for the benefit of the communities we operate in,” said spokesman for IHG’s four Singapore hotels and Crowne Plaza Changi Airport’s General Manager, Mark Winterton. “As we have a duty of care to our guests, it is impossible for hotels to switch off all lights as we must give priority to guest safety. By inviting guests to take a personal interest in Earth Hour – in a novel way – we not only support the cause but also educate and increase awareness of the impact we have on our environment.”
Mr. Winterton added that IHG hotels were about to embark on an ambitious, online environmental programme focussed on reducing wastage and energy usage. Called ‘Green Engage’, the worldwide software programme will help hotel general managers manage energy consumption more effectively. Early trials have shown potential energy savings of up to 25 per cent. The system automatically compares hotels of a similar nature across the world and lists a series of actions that each hotel can take to reduce waste and the consumption of energy and water.
“Our focus on the environment responds to growing levels of interest from guests who are looking for sustainable hotels that manage their environmental impact,” said Mr Winterton. “As well as location, price and amenities, guests are now factoring in a hotel's environmental credentials when booking a place to stay.“
In 2008, IHG launched Innovation Hotel, an online example of what a future hotel might look like if it used new green technologies. Guests can provide feedback on which of these they feel are important, allowing IHG to consider how they can be implemented as part of the Green Engage programme.
Other IHG hotels in Asia Pacific have also committed to take part in Earth Hour. These include Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, Southern Asia and Korea, and Greater China.
