Avani Hotels has strengthened its commitment to the future of sustainable travel by signing the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge. Launched in 2019, and in collaboration between UNESCO and Expedia Group, the pledge aims to promote sustainable travel, community resilience and heritage conservation globally and counts the E.U. Ecolabel and Green Tourism Accreditation among its members.
Every Avani hotel or resort must hold an independently audited Green Growth 2050 certification. The group is part of several global pledge campaigns including Google’s Green Leaf Eco-certification, Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable Scheme, the upcoming GHA Green Collection and, most recently the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge.
In line with its vision of becoming a net-zero carbon organization by 2050, Avani is introducing science-based targets for energy, carbon and water intensity as well as pledging to cut organic waste to landfill in half in the next eight years. Avani has pledged to curb the usage of single-use plastic by 75 percent by 2024. Additionally, every nature-based property will support long-term habitat or species conservation by 2023.
In announcing its decision to support the global travel ecosystem, Avani adds over 30 properties across the globe to the list of signatories to the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge.
Avani embarked on the sustainability journey with a pledge to eliminate plastic straws in 2018. Along with sister brand Anantara, it became the first major hotel brand to eliminate plastic straws at every single property in Asia. Besides replacing plastic straws with those made of fast-growing bamboo by artisans of northern Thailand, Avani properties also implement creative uses for natural materials. For instance, at Avani+ Luang Prabang Hotel in Laos, recycled tree bark is being turned into packaging for the hotel’s all-natural soaps and other toiletries.
Avani has also embraced sustainability-led innovations to minimize environmental impact when it comes to building new properties. These initiatives range from using recycled materials to installing the latest energy-saving technology, such as low-flow faucets to save groundwater.
To reduce carbon emissions, several Avani hotels have embraced the farm-to-table movement. For instance, Avani+ Luang Prabang Hotel in Laos launched a 1,506-square-foot rooftop garden to supply the hotel kitchen with organic produce. It is also working on a larger project set amidst paddy fields nearby. In a coastal town in Thailand, Avani Pattaya Resort’s hydroponic farm grows over 22,000 plants, enough to meet resort needs and to give back to the community.
Avani Hotels is also developing an app that will facilitate paperless check-in, check-out and billing by prioritizing digital payments and other paperless transactions.
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