Al Bait Sharjah sets sustainable course from Grand Opening (United Arab Emirates)
Leave it to a country that’s actually named one of its residential communities The Sustainable City to also produce a resort where the salon uses only organic ingredients in its nail treatments. |
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Al Bait Sharjah sets sustainable course from Grand Opening (United Arab Emirates)
Leave it to a country that’s actually named one of its residential communities The Sustainable City to also produce a resort where the salon uses only organic ingredients in its nail treatments. |
Category: Middle East - United Arab Emirates - Exclusive experiences
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This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2019-07-02
Filed by Balcony Media Group
Still in its first year of operation, the Al Bait Sharjah has come out of the gate with a sustainability strategy that’s banished plastic consumables from the resort and that’s embraced recycling, organics and energy efficiency strategies.
“The U.A.E. is on a mission to reduce its carbon footprint by 70% and source 50% of its energy from renewables over the next three decades,” said Patrick Moukarzel, general manager of the Al Bait Sharjah. “We want to help them get there.”
Indeed, the plastic-free resort has distilled its commitment to sustainability with a piece of art, a glass water-drop sculpture that guests leave on top of their beds as a signal to housekeeping. Already more than 40% of the resort's guests opt to retain the same bed sheets for multiple nights of a stay.
The same artistic inclination has likewise manifested itself in a more durable alternative to plastic room keys — an actual metal key with tassel.
“Sometimes you have to dig into the past to make your way into the future,” said Moukarzel.
A more aggressive assault on plastic is a consequence of the resort’s portable water filtration plant, where filtering and ionisation results in water that’s bottled in attractive, glass stoppered decanters on site. All sales of the resort’s bottles support the Big Heart Foundation and its effort to bring water and education to kids in refugee camps and underprivileged kids in general.
In pursuit of a zero-waste policy, Al Bait Sharjah recycles all food waste as compost for its landscaping. They segregate their recyclable plastic, glass, cardboard and cooking oil, each of which is collected separately by a waste management contractor.
At the same time the resort has minimised its dependence on consumables, it’s trying to mitigate its use of energy in general. The Drop of Water campaign has drastically curtailed its use of water, and energy. Furthermore, on the energy front, the resort’s air conditioning defaults to 26° C when guestrooms are not occupied. Elsewhere at the front of house, timers power down AC when not needed. Sensors are even attuned to the kitchen’s exhaust fans: the cooler the air, the slower the fan.
As the resort lightens its carbon footprint, it’s cultivating a spa that uses organic, Halal-certified product only. None of the products contain artificial colour or fragrances, GM ingredients, petrolatum or petrochemicals, parabens, animal derivatives or sodium lauryl sulphate.
As for those nail treatments, the resort uses only vegan, wildcrafted, organic Spa Ritual products -- free of toluene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate and parabens that are normally found in nail treatment products.
ABOUT GHMEstablished in 1992, GHM (General Hotel Management Ltd.) is known for conceptualising, developing and operating an exclusive group of hotels and resorts. With an intimate portfolio and more projects in the pipeline, GHM prides itself in providing guests with an unrivalled lifestyle experience.
Each GHM property is an original. A symbiotic relationship between the hotel and the local culture enables GHM to provide guests with a genuine, close-up experience of the best each destination has to offer. The signature GHM style melds contemporary interpretations of Asian designs and distinctive local touches to create inspired, memorable spaces.
GHM’s portfolio includes:Al Bait Sharjah, UAE
The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
The Chedi Luštica Bay, Montenegro
The Chedi Muscat, Oman
The Chedi Andermatt, Switzerland
GHM properties currently under development:
The Chedi Kuda Villingili
The Chedi Mumbai, India
The Chedi Khorfakkan, Sharjah, UAE
The Chedi Zhudong, Hsinchu, Taiwan
The Chedi Club Zhudong, Hsinchu, Taiwan
The Chedi Residences Zhudong, Hsinchu, Taiwan
In addition to these, GHM has joined with like-minded partners and entered into meaningful collaborations to deliver innovative brands, continuing its legacy of setting new benchmarks of excellence in the hospitality industry.Ahn LuhAhn Luh is a joint venture partnership forged among Duan Qiang, the co-founder and chairman of Beijing Tourism Group (BTG), Adrian Zecha, the visionary behind Amanresorts, along with Hans R. Jenni, President and Director of GHM and Duan Wei Hong, the founder of Great Ocean Group.
It is a brand that combines the essence of Old World Chinese hospitality in today’s context of contemporary elegance, reflecting in its service, architectural design and interior décor, how tradition and modernity can intertwine to present an original, urban resort concept.The Ahn Luh portfolio includes: - Ahn LuhZhujiajiao, Shanghai
- Ahn Luh Lanting, Shaoxing
- Ahn Luh Qiandao Lake, Hangzhou
- Ahn Luh Nanjing, Jiangsu (2019)
- Ahn Luh Huangbai Mountain, Hubei (2021)
- Ahn Luh Zhuhai, Guangdong (2021)
Tin HotelsTIN Hotels is the new artisanal brand by GHM focusing on lifestyle experiences. By pushing the boundaries of what a new generation of hotels can be to a global traveller, our goal is to provide guests with social spaces that deliver unrivalled communal experiences, great style and wholesome nutrition at a more accessible price point without compromising the standards that our world-class luxury brands are known for.
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