A significant step for the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance) was announced last week in a roundtable event held in Dubai, where the Alliance revealed it was in the final stages of discussions with Sustainability Kiosk to act as a strategic agency for them in the region.This agreement would see Sustainability Kiosk cover the UAE and support the Alliance in curating a network of members, managing relationships with hospitality businesses and partners, delivering key programme content such as embedding standards and reporting frameworks and marketing The World Academy training programmes. It would also support in driving the Global Sustainability Awards programme. This new approach, creating regional agencies, reflects the Alliance’s recent rebrand as the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – a global and growing alliance with influence across the globe.
Sustainability Kiosk is a leader in the UAE’s sustainable hospitality industry, with a platform that helps hoteliers reduce operational emissions from energy, water, waste and consumables. The organisation creates actionable plans which help bridge the gap between business as usual and more sustainable operations. They offer training, programme development, assessment, knowledge sharing, networking and other learning opportunities to their hospitality clients against the backdrop of a robust regulatory environment set by the local tourist authority, Dubai Tourism, who hold companies to the highest standards of performance, progress and strategy in ESG.
The announcement was made at a side event of the Arabian Travel Market titled ‘Sustainable Hospitality’ in the Novotel DWTC. 15 C-suite and senior hospitality and tourism professionals with decades of experience in the region from brands Minor, Hilton, Millennium, Rove, IHG, Accor, Rotana and the support of Dubai Tourism who attended the Sustainable Hospitality roundtable.
The event included in-depth discussions on pressing sustainability issues, regional needs and opportunities, and evolving priorities within the industry.
The UAE representatives of the Alliance would provide a forum for industry professionals to connect, exchange ideas, collaborate and navigate the transition to green jobs in the hospitality sector. The Kiosk would look to establish a local network of Alliance member companies to meet regularly to share knowledge and progress and to deliver the Alliance’s key programmes.
Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance said, “I am delighted to be in discussion with Sustainability Kiosk about them becoming a representative agency of the Alliance in the UAE. We hope this will forge valuable connections with like-minded leaders in the region and foster collaboration, creating tangible change in the industry. By harnessing the knowledge and best practices of hospitality brands in the UAE we can accelerate the industry towards Net Positive. This is the first of many planned regional chapters which will expand the Alliance’s global influence and reach.”
CEO of Sustainability Kiosk Radhika Arapally, said, “We’re honoured to be in discussions with the Alliance about becoming their UAE local representative. This is a tremendous opportunity which will convene regional industry leaders and empower hotels on their net-zero journeys through capacity training, goal setting, and measuring waste and consumption. Together, we can build a more sustainable future for hospitality in the region through collective concrete actions.”
Growing the Alliance’s global footprint is an ambition which was outlined in the organisation’s 5-year strategy, unveiled last year. The Alliance is in discussions with organisations in other key global markets to support in this growth. These regions include the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Asia, notably Hong Kong and Japan, with discussions ongoing in the USA, Australia, Mexico and Kenya.
The next executive roundtable event hosted by Sustainability Kiosk is slated to take place on the 3rd of October 2024, which will build on the insights and discussions at the Sustainable Hospitality roundtable.
