Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts has become the latest hospitality group to join forces with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the leading responsible hospitality network. The group has a portfolio of 26 properties across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. The move brings it into the Alliance’s reach of over 7 million rooms, as well as its strategic and supply chain partners.

The luxury hotel group has already engaged in a range of sustainability initiatives, which cover both the environment and the community. It has started working to eliminate single-use plastics by removing plastic straws and transitioning to sustainable packaging across its properties. Its on-site water bottling and filtration systems have prevented over nine million single-use plastic bottles from reaching landfill sites, or oceans, per year.

It has set up on-site hydroponic farms to supply fresh produce to restaurants, which consume 70% less water per yield. The implementation of innovative food tech systems has also helped reduce waste and serves to convert the waste produced into fertiliser for local use.

Furthermore, Jumeirah’s Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project has released over 2,000 rehabilitated turtles back to their natural habitat and its free education programmes for children promote the protection of biodiversity.

Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts operates gender equality initiatives. It invites female placements from developing nations and provides training to build the skillsets for successful hospitality careers in their home countries. Katerina Giannouka was recently appointed as its first female CEO, and the group has strict corporate governance and programmes designed to support equal opportunity, gender parity, and equal pay.

Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts is committed to identifying and co-creating new ways to incorporate sustainable and inclusive practices across our business ecosystem, to shape the best possible future where everyone can thrive. The hospitality industry touches many communities and industries worldwide, and we believe we have the opportunity with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance to bring about transformative change, by working alongside our industry peers and finding practical solutions that will ultimately set the foundations for long term value creation and sustainable growth.

Thomas B. Meier, Chief Operating Officer of Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts

Each new member brings a unique perspective and set of experiences which complement our existing community of responsible businesses, which enables us to better support the wider hotel industry around the world – at all stages of their sustainability journeys. We are delighted to welcome Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts to the Alliance and look forward to their insights and contribution as, together, we support the industry to achieve net positive hospitality.

Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance