Almond Resorts, operator of premium all-inclusive hotels on Barbados and St Lucia, is striving to be the most environmentally sensitive all-inclusive hotel group in the CaribbeanIts Barbados properties are the only ones on the island which have been consistently re-certified for Green Globe status.

The Almond Beach Village and Almond Beach Club & Spa on Barbados have implemented a number of operational measures in order to become more eco-friendly hotels. Almond Beach Village has begun to use solar power throughout the property to heat water, and can now irrigate the golf course entirely from waste water by using the newly installed waste water treatment plant. The Almond Beach Club & Spa features locally made product lines and packages, as well as local art works in its recently opened state of the art spa. 

                                                     

Almond Resorts has already received recognition for its environmental efforts, having recently won the Barbados Hotels and Tourism Association Award for Environment. This award is based on Almond’s commitment to promoting the environment as part of the hotels’ future and for implementing programmes that benefit the community; such as supporting local schools, children’s homes, local fairs and events and sponsoring major cultural events on the island.

The environmental achievements of the two Almond Resorts hotels tie in with the recent acquisition of Casuarina Beach Club on the south coast of Barbados, which is part of the Green Hotels Association and which won every major world environmental award between 2004 and 2005. The hotel will re-open in spring 2007 as Almond Casuarina Beach Resort and will continue its campaign to promote environmentally sensitive tourism.

 

The environmental programmes in operation at Almond Resorts on Barbados have also been implemented at the recently opened Almond Morgan Bay on St Lucia, and the group hopes that Almond Morgan Bay can replicate the Barbados properties’ success and the recognition received for its efforts.

 

To build on its dedicated environmental efforts, Almond Resorts has appointed Casuarina’s environmental manager Loreto Duffy-Mayers, as its overall group director of environmental programmes. Loreto’s role includes implementing environmentally sensitive programmes across the group’s hotel portfolio, and maintaining high levels of environmental responsibility in its operations.

 

Peter Grace, sales & marketing director for Almond Resorts, comments “Focusing on the environment is a high priority for Almond Resorts, as it keeps the resorts and the islands sustainable for the future. Having a dedicated environmental director will ensure that Almond’s strict environmental targets are met and that we continue to develop new strategies to conserve local resources and minimise their impact on the fragile environment in which they are located.”

 

As part of its environmental focus, Almond Beach Village recently hosted the annual World Environment Day exhibition for the 5th time, which gave Barbadian companies the opportunity to showcase their environmental products and services.
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