Our new partners at the Hotel Marina Grand Beach are leading the way to inspire hotels across Europe to improve environmentally sustainable tourism practices.
The hotel is centered in the Golden Sands Resort, one the most sought-out and beautiful resorts in the country. The Black Sea shoreline is literally footsteps from the hotel and the resort’s other activities are also in very close proximity. Whether guests are looking to play golf, go boating, experience a jeep safari, or any number of motorized water sports, all are available without having to stray too far from the hotel.
The Black Sea is only the beginning of the entertainment available at the Hotel Marina Grand Beach. As Bulgaria is a gateway between the East and West, the Golden Sands Resort offers guided excursions to the nearby cultural and natural wonders of Bulgaria, as well as more involved voyages to many regional tourist attractions including Istanbul and Cairo.
General Manager Elitza Goranova’s quest to further her properties’ eco-orientation, after the hotel introduced a policy avoiding the use of single-use and disposable items, brought our companies together. Being unable to attain a suitable sustainable amenities program in Bulgaria, she contacted us after noticing our referrals from “many other leading tourism enterprises”. This led to the Hotel Marina Grand Beach to outfit their entire property with our AVIVA Dispensers.
Long before coming in contact with us, the Hotel Marina Grand Beach had been making great strides towards their goal of sustainable operation. They have achieved a Certificate of Energy Effectiveness Class “A” by implementing an effective guestroom energy management system: an energy saver switch system that controls the operation of the rooms’ light and heating/cooling system, as well as a balcony door sensors that disable the Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning system when left open, and only purchasing energy efficient appliances. They have also implemented a waste management and recycling system to minimize waste generation of their own accord and before any formal regulations were in place and without assistance by the municipality. In addition they use dual-flush model toilets that conserve water, encourage customers to participate in programs where they can have an impact on water, energy, and waste management.
In many parts of Europe, and even more so in Asia, we have seen the utter destruction that has been caused by the mass tourism that is attracted by the lush landscapes and historical sites that can be found in these parts of the world. An example of such tragedy can be found in the Maldives’ Thilafushi Island, where the waste from tourism has created an environmental disaster and sparked a global outrage (http://www.dispenseramenities.com/news/garbage-island/). For this reason we cannot overlook the importance of hotels like the Hotel Marina Grand Beach taking on the responsibility of not only providing an excellent experience to the travelers that want to see the Golden Sands resort and the Black Sea, but going above and beyond in making sure that the experience they provide does not take away from the environment and general health of the region.