PHILIPSBURG:--- The Green Key jury of Sint Maarten has determined that two hotels have met the stringent environmental and safety criteria required to receive this prestigious award. This is the third consecutive year that Princess Heights Luxury Boutique Condo Hotel has achieved the Green Key while Holland House Beach Hotel on Front Street in Philipsburg has received its first Green Key award. They are part of an elite group of 2,500 Green Key establishments in 53 countries.
The Green Key Program is a leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operations within the tourism industry. The quality of the program is maintained via thorough documentation an
d periodic audits. It is recognized by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
“Considering our significant overall growth, it became even more important to focus on sustainability and to reduce our environmental footprint. The Green Key program helped us to identify areas of concern and has proposed great solutions which led to improved efficiency of the hotel, thereby creating a win-win situation” Paul Boetekees, Director of Holland House, explained.
There are four principles which together form the basis of the Green Key program. The first principle is education, to educate not only the staff of the hotel but also the guests and local community. Secondly, the program is constantly on the lookout for the latest innovations in order to reduce the overall environmental footprint. Lastly, the Green Key adds value to the site and offers a promotional advantage when establishments show their engagement with the environment and sustainability issues.
Princess Heights Hotel Assistant General Manager Arnaldo Phelipa said, “It is always gratifying to be certified by Green Key another year after our great efforts during the year to meet their environmental standards. We are honored to have become pioneers of hotel green practices on St. Maarten. After three consecutive years of compliance, we have strived to be a responsible and sustainable business and encourage other properties to join these eco-friendly practices. I would like to thank our passionate and engaged team for the work they do every day. It is our company philosophy that being environmentally and socially responsible is sound business practice. Congratulations to the Holland House Beach Hotel on receiving this prestigious award ".
Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) is the national operator of the Green Key Program and, along with the local Green Key jury, manages the certification of hotels such as Princess Heights and Holland House. The program is run internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). FEE is a global foundation based in Denmark from which they operate a total of five programs. All of these programs are geared towards building a sustainable future through education.
“We are excited to see the Green Key Program growing on Sint Maarten. Corporate Social Responsibility is essential to a healthy community and environment and the Green Key award is an exceptional tool for demonstrating this concern” noted EPIC President Natalia Collier.
For more information, contact EPIC at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit http://www.greenkey.global/
