The secret activities of The Ritz-Carlton – Poll

by Annie Scott on


This past weekend when I was checking out the Ritz-Carlton’s event capabilities, I attended several presentations, including one on the ways the luxury hotel chain is continuing to expand and improve.

Not going into much detail, the Ritz-Carlton representative talked about packages called Give Back Getaways, Meaningful Meetings, A Vow to Help Others and VolunTeaming — I hadn’t heard of any of those before. One catchphrase he also mentioned (which did ring a bell) was Community Footprints, aka the Ritz-Carlton’s commitment to doing good things for the local communities they occupy.

With a little Googling, I found the Community Footprints website, which lists some of the above programs as well as their “Human Rights Policy Statement.”

I was not the only one who felt that this important stuff was glossed over in the presentation (which talked more about how the RC has expanded from 32 to 74 hotels in the last nine years and that they are developing a new concept called Ritz-Carlton Reserve, which will be a series of smaller, more intimate hotels). In the question and answer section at the end, many of my fellow attendees wanted to know more about all these great things the Ritz-Carlton was doing — and helping guests to do — for the environment and their local communities.

Then I learned something. Senior Vice President Ezzat Coutry responded with “We are very careful about bragging about what we do for the communities.”
What? Don’t they know that if travelers knew how much work they’re putting into their communities (we’re talking $8.55 million in cash and in-kind donations and 57,000 hours of volunteering in 2008 alone!), it would make them look good?

Yes. They do know that. And they’re way ahead of us. “We struggle with that,” Coutry continued, “We do something great — do we say it or not?”

“We don’t want it to appear self-serving,” added Verona Carter, Area Director of Public Relations for Mexico and the Caribbean.

Here’s what I learned — in my career-long quest to find out what’s cool and great and tell everybody, getting information about the good stuff some larger companies like the Ritz-Carlton are doing has often felt like pulling teeth. I never really understood why getting the information was so hard; why there weren’t fabulous press releases and huge celebrations … and it turns out that the answer is simple modesty.

In this age, where we crave more corporate transparency, do we just want to know the bad things that our large chains are doing, or do we want to know the good things? Does the fact that the Ritz-Carlton is so actively working on sustainability and the well-being of their communities make you like them more — and if they’d advertised it (above and beyond it just being there on the website if you go looking), would you feel differently?

Well, in any case, the word’s out now. What do you think?
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Win a volunteer vacation to South Africa from Keen

by Kraig Becker on

Outdoor gear manufacturer Keen is joining forces with U.K. based travel company i-to-i to send one lucky winner on a trip to South Africa, where they’ll have the opportunity to take part in a week-long volunteer vacation at an animal rescue society in Cape Town. To enter to win, simply go to the contest website and fill out the online form. All entires must be received before August 21st, and the winner must travel before Sept. 30, 2010.

The trip, which is valued at $4000, includes airfare to South Africa, and accommodations in the volunteer hostel at the TEARS animal rescue shelter, where the winner will have the opportunity to help educate locals on care of their pets, provide veterinary care, and distribute food parcels for pets of underprivileged families. TEARS also works with children, teaching them the responsibilities of pet ownership and instilling a nurturing attitude.

Voluntourism has been a growing trend in travel over the past few years and i-to-i has been on the forefront of that trend. Since its founding in 1996, the company has sent more than 20,000 people on volunteer vacations in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. It seems only natural that they would team up with Keen, who has also been very forward thinking in their approach to sustainable gear and environmentally friendly practices.

This is certainly an interesting contest. I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone give away a volunteer vacation before. But it is an interesting way to explore South Africa, especially Cape Town, and give a little something back while you are there.

The hard truth of green luxury travel

by Tom Johansmeyer on

“Green” has become yet another upscale offer for hotels and resorts around the world. The concept allows a premium to be charged – and justifiably so, given the increased expenses that come with minimizing environmental impact. Guests get to feel good when they indulge, and the hotel makes a few extra bucks. Everyone wins, right?

Well, it isn’t that simple. Any environmentally friendly measures publicized by a resort may be inherently “green.” A bag made from recycled material, for example, may result in a lower carbon footprint. However, this probably won’t compensate for wasteful behavior elsewhere on the property. Luxury is wasteful by design, and travelers seeking green resorts need to think past the trappings of conscience publicized by the resort.

Think about any hotel room – from mid-range through the absurdly upscale. The toilet paper is replaced when only a third of the roll has been used. Soap used once or twice is swapped for a fresh bar. You can opt to use the same towel two days in a row – likewise sheets – but it isn’t the norm. It’s a choice you get to make. So, who gives a shit if the lettuce is grown locally?

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Well, that’s a tad unfair. Every measure does count. So, a hotel that only buys produce from local growers or fish from sustainable sources is making a difference. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to reconcile these behaviors with what you see when you walk into your guestroom for the first time.

The lights are on.

The air conditioner is running.

The television is turned to the hotel’s proprietary station.

The radio next to the bed is playing slow, carefully selected music.

And so on.

When it comes to the confluence of luxury and green, the priority will always be given to the former. Any measure that detracts from the guest experience will not be adopted – which becomes increasingly true as the standards of the hotel or resort increase. And, this is probably what you want. After all, when you choose a destination based on service, comfort and style, you’re looking for service, comfort and style. You elected not to sleep in a tent in the middle of the desert for a reason!

Since a luxury property won’t cut back on some of the basics, there are a few things you can do to trim your carbon footprint when you check into an upscale establishment. First, use only the lights that you need, open the curtains and turn off the devices that don’t matter to you (e.g., the television tuned to the hotel’s ads). Turn the lights off when you leave the room. Do the basics … the stuff you would do back home.

Since you can’t erase your impact completely, buy your way out of it. You can purchase carbon offsets (from Terapass, for example). These are financial devices that basically compensate for the carbon emissions for which you’re responsible. Let’s say you drive your car 10 miles. You’ve created some emissions, and there’s nothing you can do about that. But, you can buy energy that’s created through sustainable sources (via the offset). That means that green power has been created and sent to the grid … and eventually is consumed. You used fossil fuels but balanced it out by supplying someone else with energy from an eco-friendly source.

Consider making a positive impact. “Voluntourism” is gaining momentum. You don’t have to take a vacation strictly to volunteer somewhere. Instead, set aside part of your trip to make a difference. The Ritz-Carlton’s “Giveback Getaway” program, for example, allows you to set aside as little as a few hours to help an organization near the resort (for me, it was helping on a panther refuge at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida).

The eco-friendly lingo may deceive you at some resorts, but you can overcome the marketing hype and take control of your carbon footprint. From the small to the profound, there are steps you can take while traveling to make a difference. If you don’t care – hey, that’s your choice. Just be realistic about the green offering and the impact it has.