 |
| mohamed-awadalla-time-hotels |
Independent UAE hospitality brand wins Best CSR
Initiative accolade at Leaders in Hospitality Awards 2016; homegrown hotel group’s top down
commitment to sustainability praised by industry peers
UAE-headquartered TIME Hotels
has walked away with the Best CSR Initiative accolade at the inaugural Leaders
in Hospitality Awards 2016 hosted by Hotel News ME.
The
win marks the latest addition to its collection of ‘green’ awards, as the group
is recognised once again for its commitment to environmental sustainability and
innovative operations.
The
annual awards, which took place at the St. Regis Dubai on 19 April, were
attended by hundreds of industry figures with 19 categories covering all
aspects of the hospitality industry. TIME outshone the competition to bag the
highly contested award, beating nominees Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and
Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan By Rotana.
TIME
Hotels is the first hospitality chain in the Middle East to launch a
carbon-offsetting programme with 368 tonnes of carbon emissions offset over 12
months from April 2014 to March 2015.
As
part of its environmental campaign strategy, the chain has also been certified
across all its properties by internationally-recognised body, Green Globe, as a
sustainability leader in the Middle East, and was also named a 2015 recipient
of the prestigious Dubai Chamber’s CSR Label Award; the only hospitality
company to receive such an acknowledgement.
“Since
its inception, TIME Hotels has had a top down commitment to CSR and
sustainability issues. Over the years we have created and launched a range of
activities designed to give back to and support communities at a local, and now
global level,” said Mohamed Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels. “Winning this award is
once again vindication of our passion for putting CSR initiatives into the
heart of everything we do and demonstrating to our hospitality peers that this
is a commitment that needs to be taken seriously across the entire industry, in
order ensure that what we do today has a positive impact on the world, not just
tomorrow but for future generations.”
Other
high profile TIME initiatives include Slow Food, a commitment to sourcing
produce and ingredients within a 3,000-kilometre radius of Dubai and an Urban
Garden. There’s also the newly launched digital platform, Tomorrow’s World (www.tomorrowsworld.ae), which
contains a wealth of information about various activities and initiatives
designed to enhance wellbeing in the workplace, community and environment.
People can even use the portal to donate to special projects or volunteer their
time to worthy causes.
Extending
its outreach programme beyond the UAE, for the first time, TIME Hotels has also
partnered with Etihad Airways on a charity initiative to support the
development of three schools for underprivileged children in the remote areas
of Kakamega County in western Kenya. The Likuyani primary school, nursery and
special needs boarding schools, which have a student capacity of 1,700, were
handed over earlier this year after a 12-month programme of building repairs
and improvement work. TIME raised an impressive AED10,000 in cash donations for
the cause through visitor donations in just three months.
“CSR covers many things, from community
support to charity and environmentally sustainable operations. The judges were
impressed by the results achieved by TIME Hotels and how these will positively
impact the local environment. To beat such stiff competition shows how highly
regarded TIME Hotels is across the industry,” commented Sophia Soltani of BNC
Publishing, organiser of the awards.
Judged
by an independent jury of high profile industry players, the Leaders in
Hospitality Awards 2016 boasted an expert panel including Daniel During,
principal and managing director, Thomas Klein International; Rabih Feghali, director, Roya International Hospitality and Leisure Consultants; Ali
Manzoor, associate partner, Knight Frank; Rupprecht Queitsch, CEO and founder,
INHOCO Group; Marianne Saulwick, industry liaison director, Emirates Academy of
Hospitality Management; Gaurav Sinha, founder and CEO, Insignia Worldwide; and
Filippo Sona, director and head of hotels MENA for Colliers International.
