How Hilton’s ESG strategy is keeping the Seychelles sustainable

It’s no secret that sustainability is fast becoming a key driver for where travellers choose to stay. The Hilton 2022 global trends report showed that 86% of travellers want to travel more sustainably, but only half of that number manage to do so often. Our role as hoteliers is to find ways to make it easier for guests to take care of the world around them, whilst taking time out for themselves and ensuring that we are doing our best to minimise our impact on our beautiful planet. ‘Travel with Purpose’ is Hilton’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. Through it, we seek to create a positive environmental and social impact across our operations, supply chain and the communities which surround our hotels. In the Seychelles, we have three properties on the main island of Mahé, and the only resort on the neighbouring Silhouette Island. We are proud of the strides we are making towards supporting Hilton’s overarching goals of cutting environmental impact in half by 2030, and doubling investment in social impact. Naturally, we’re committed to preserving one of the most desirable locations in the world by working with local conservationists and communities to safeguard our stunning marine and forest ecosystems. We’ve focused our efforts around reducing environmental impact via energy efficiency, water stewardship and reducing waste. I hope that by sharing some of our initiatives, they may serve as an inspiration for other hoteliers. Partnering with local conservation organisations allows us to benefit from their expertise and introduce initiatives that really make a difference to our environment. For example, Hilton Labriz Resort and Spa is collaborating with the Silhouette Island Conservation Society (ICS) to establish reef and beach clean-ups. Guests can explore the wonders of the undersea world, while helping to keep the water clear of debris. Similarly, Hilton Northolme Resort and Spa has also partnered with the Marine Conservation Society to develop an impressive coral reef restoration programme: guests can snorkel along the 650-metre coral trail to see the positive impact of the work. Helping educate guests about the fragile wildlife of their destination and finding a way for them to help preserve it has also been very successful for our properties. For example, guests at Hilton Labriz Resort and Spa can go on night-time bat counting expeditions as part of a project which protects the endangered Seychelles Sheath-Tailed Bat on one of their few homes, Silhouette Island. Working together with the ICS and The Silhouette Foundation, we help protect the bats’ roost by minimising risks from predators. Likewise, to ensure the survival of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise, which roam wild on Silhouette, we’ve opened a sanctuary for the young so they can safely grow to a size more able to withstand predators when we reintroduce them to their creep. Hilton Seychelles Labriz guests and their children love visiting the sanctuary to learn more about these incredible creatures. Whether nestled in beautiful natural surroundings or in the centre of a bustling city, we all have the opportunity to design a more sustainable food and beverage offering. I strongly believe that hotels need to invest in local artisans and entrepreneurs to localise procurement as much as possible to avoid unnecessary food miles. Back on Mahé at Hilton Northolme Resort and Spa, we offer an environmentally conscious menu that’s made using locally sourced ingredients from the island’s farmers. The Labriz resort has an organic, pesticide-free garden which allows us to grow herbs, leaves and other plants to further reduce our need for unnecessary packaging and importation. We’ve even looked to our wine menu, which now includes Wild Spirits Wine of Africa – a collection that supports the World Wildlife Fund. This allows our guests to feel good about doing their bit for the planet, while enjoying a glass of wine. Of course, I have to mention reducing plastic consumption: Labriz has adopted a no plastic bottle or straw policy, offering guests stainless-steel bottles at check-in that they can refill at water points and uses biodegradable pasta straws (also at Northolme!) in cocktails and other drinks. In fact, all of our drinking water at Labriz comes from the top of the island’s mountain, Mont Dauban; it’s filtered through our state-of-the-art filtration system and filled in glass bottles, which are used all over the island and even sent across to Mahé for guests at Northolme to enjoy. Sustainability within the hospitality sector must be seen as an opportunity to make the right choices and do the right thing at every stage of the business, and to continue evolving. Last year alone, we implemented an additional 22 sustainability initiatives, ranging from education and conservation, to menu engineering. Looking ahead, we will be working closely with the Silhouette Island Development Company, with the aim of powering the Labriz resort entirely by renewable solar energy by the start of 2024. It’s the third largest island in the Seychelles, and we’re lucky that we’ve been able to closely observe the learnings from similar projects on smaller islands so that we can ensure our project is a success. To conclude, the ways in which hotels can become more sustainable are endless and will only serve to attract respect from our guests. That is, provided that the efforts are genuine and meaningful, and where possible, allows guests to be involved and do their bit for the planet, too.