The Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, a 380-room luxury resort nestled in Bermuda, has made history as the island’s first Green Key-certified property. This prestigious certification, awarded by Green Key International, recognizes the hotel’s commitment to sustainability and its strides in reducing environmental impact through innovative practices.
National Bee Day - Maynette Honey Sweets
Tim Morrison, General Manager, Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, said:
“We are pleased to be recognized by Green Key International as the first in Bermuda. The hotel team have worked hard on this initiative, and the hotel’s Sustainability team, lead by our Champion & Assistant Director of Engineering D’Esta Ascento, were major players in the accomplishment of our goals.”
The resort began its journey toward a more sustainable tourism back in 2016. Tasks began with no single-use plastic in any of the ‘front of house’ areas such as the hotel restaurants and bars. Plastic water bottles were replaced by paper bottles and aluminium reusable water bottles. Hot and cold drink tumblers were also sold to encourage refilling, and last summer refillable water stations were installed throughout the hotel and Beach Club.
Water bottle refill challenge
Take-out coffee cups were replaced with a double-insulated version to eliminate the wasteful coffee cup sleeve and the plastic lids were replaced with those made out of composed paper. The stirrers and straws are made from bamboo or hay. Where drinking cups, utensils or containers were needed, the hotel uses products supplied by the Sustainable Agave Company, which have been upcycled and are compostable.
The hotel also collaborated with ecoSPIRITS, a company which has developed the world’s first low carbon, low waste packaging technology for premium spirits and wine. This international company provides a spirits and wine distribution service, which aims to end the use of single-use glass bottles. Furthermore, for every ecoTOTE container they sell, 1kg of ocean waste is collected and to date our efforts have contributed to 748 kg’s collected and 3,114 single-use glass bottled avoided.
In guest rooms, single-use 90ml shampoo, conditioner and hand lotion amenities were replaced with larger 480 ml multiple use bottles and all single use plastics were removed from the rooms. In room coffee stations include paper cups, paper lids, bamboo stirrers and the espresso machines use recyclable aluminium pods.
Hotel Sustainability Champion & Assistant Director of Engineering D’Esta Ascento and her team were very focused on energy efficiency and waste management reduction. LED lighting, heat recovery systems, energy management systems, promoting recycling, an in-house reverse osmosis machine, and the ORBISK food waste management systems all came online in 2024.
Last fall, Hamilton Princess partnered with BE Solar, a Bermudian solar company, to implement a partial solar energy system to offset a portion of the hotel’s energy consumption. At present, the hotel has stopped the use of more than 6,000 barrels of oil from being consumed and prevented over 3,100 metric tonnes of carbon emissions from entering its atmosphere. Also, they are generating enough energy to power 30 guest rooms daily. A total of 245 solar panels were mounted in its first phase, providing clean, renewable energy for at least 30 years, and redefining what sustainable hospitality looks like.
Tim Morrison and Cristina (staff) planting a tree
Ms. Ascento said, “General Manager Tim Morrison’s leadership has been a constant source of support, and Director of Operations Roydell Neverson has been key in driving our sustainability initiatives. Sustainability has truly become part of our culture, thanks to the collective effort of our Brand, Hotel ownership and all of the Operational Team.
“Having this kind of support is essential because change can be challenging,” she continued. “We’re focused on shifting perspectives, creating a more sustainable mind-set for both our guests and our team. When sustainability becomes second nature, new initiatives are embraced with open arms.”
The feedback to the hotel’s sustainability efforts has been overwhelmingly positive. “It means so much to the ongoing success of our hotel and in our care for our community,” Ms. Ascento reflected, noting the lasting impact of these initiatives.
The hotel aims to reach net zero by 2050.
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