The cluster of hotels – InterContinental Dubai Festival City, InterContinental Residence
Suites Dubai Festival City, Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City and Holiday Inn & Suites
Dubai Festival City – to prevent the disposal of about 2 million single-use plastic water bottles within the next 12 months.
IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City have announced a series of
initiatives aimed at reducing its waste footprint and promoting sustainable practices guided
by the company’s 10-year responsible business plan, ‘Journey to Tomorrow’.
The Dubai Festival City cluster has recently completed the installation of its automated
Nordaq glass bottling plant. This move aims to reduce water wastage and reduction of
single use plastics by utilizing reusable glass bottles and offer water produced through the
in-house water treatment and bottling operations. This is a significant milestone, allowing
the hotels to replace single-use water bottles in all their rooms and suites, preventing the
disposal of about 2 million bottles within a year. This initiative also extends to the hotels’
restaurants and conference facilities where filtered water has already been served in
carafes since 2019.
The hotel cluster has now partnered with Swedish company, Nordaq, a leader in the water
bottling industry. The sustainably produced water has been described as the ‘purest tasting
water’ by some of the best chefs and sommeliers around the world, as the Nordaq patented
filtration system turns tap water impurity-free all while preserving healthful minerals,
ensuring premium quality and natural taste.
“IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City have a long-standing commitment to adopting
sustainable operating practices and minimizing waste impact. This new bottling facility has
been specifically created to provide guests with fresh, premium water in both the rooms and
restaurants. As a result of phasing out plastic bottles from operation on an annual basis, we
are safeguarding the environment in support of the Dubai Can initiative and the Dubai
Sustainable Tourism (DST) program. Our goal is to help shape the future of responsible
travel together with those who stay, work and partner with us,” said Thomas Schmelter,
Area General Manager IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City.
The latest endeavour of IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City also seeks to contribute towards
reducing the carbon footprint by restricting the transportation of bottled water from
overseas.
“These sustainable initiatives demonstrate our unwavering commitment to prioritising
sustainability in our operations. We believe that every small change adds up to a big
difference. We hope that our initiatives will inspire other hotels and businesses to follow in
our footsteps and embrace sustainable practices,” added Franz Kupka, Operations
Manager at InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City, who has overseen the
project.
“Nordaq, is a sustainability company focusing on eliminating single used plastic. To
transport water over water is one of the most illogical things we can do. We automatically
shrink our own source and make it harder to get clean water because we pollute the soil.
For us, it´s about making a difference and changing a market, making people aware so they
can see the consequences of their actions. Nordaq provides, in my opinion, the world’s
most innovative and effective water solution for superior taste and less waste. I hope as
Franz Kupka mentioned that this initiative will inspire other hotels and businesses to follow
in our water footsteps and continue to embrace sustainable practices,” says Johanna
Mattsson, CEO of Nordaq.
In addition to the bottling plant, IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City have implemented a
range of measures across its four properties to reduce its waste output further and promote
sustainability. One of the most significant changes is the replacement of plastic key cards
with eco-friendly, biodegradable wooden ones. This initiative aims to save an estimated
120,000 plastic cards per year. The cluster has also eliminated bathroom miniatures in
favour of larger-size amenities to minimize single-use items, reducing 620,000 miniatures
annually.
