Sustainable tourism: Sheraton sustains practice with key green initiatives

In line with the clean energy and sustainable tourism practice focus of Marriott International, Sheraton Lagos Hotel has boosted its quest for clean energy solutions and a green environment for guests, staff members and the general public with key investments.

Sheraton Lagos Hotel, one of the first internationally branded hotels in Nigeria, has commissioned a new gas generator and gas burner, as well as installed boilers.

The green key initiatives, according to the hotel management, is a further effort at saving on pollution on the planet and also to join in the global chain’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliance.

Expressing appreciation to Ikeja Hotel PLC, the owning company, Martins Brednoord, general manager, Sheraton Lagos Hotel, commended them for seeing the worth in investing on a gas generator.

“The generator that you see behind us, they purchased outright, so it is not a rental. It is completely owned by Ikeja Hotel PLC and obviously managed by us, Sheraton Lagos Hotel,” the general manager said.

Offering an overview and benefits of the investments, Maged Ibrahim, director, engineering, noted that the new enery solutions help in environmental sustainability.

“The first and most tangible benefit of this project is that it impacts our immediate environment positively. It doesn’t emit as much air or as much waste as other generators do.

We are all familiar with the drawbacks of diesel: the noise, the soot, and the emissions that also affect the air quality around us,” Ibrahim said.

According to him, natural gas is cleaner and is the main reason the hotel owners made the investment.

“By making this switch, we are significantly reducing localised pollution. This means cleaner air for our guests, for our team, and for the community because Sheraton Ikeja Hotel is part of the environment”.

“Also, from an environmental performance standpoint, she explained that natural gas burns more effectively and efficiently, which translates directly into the massive reduction of CO2 emissions, which also helps the plants.

“Also, this brings us to the bigger picture. Our commitment to the 2030 sustainability and sustainable energy goals. We are not just looking at operational efficiency intent. We are actively participating in the global solution for climate change, and that is why we are here, and we stand for that.

“Every ton of CO2 we eliminate moves us closer to our sustainability targets and firmly positions us as a forward-thinking leader in the industry,” he said.

Looking beyond environmental sustainability, the general manager disclosed the impact of the new energy sources on the cost of operation of the hotel, confirming a drop in cost.

“We all know the rising costs of not only electricity, but also diesel, as well as the running costs and maintenance costs of diesel engines.

“For the gas generator, we have already seen a very big drop in cost in the short time, during the testing phase before even the commissioning,” he said.

“We are looking at an 18-month return on investment. Only 18 months from our calculations and by God’s grace, that will happen,” he said.

The gas generator, which is the major energy source and burner, according to him, will complement other sources of electricity supply in the hotel, as well as an electric charging station at the hotel’s parking is aimed at encouraging guests to boost sustainability by going for sustainable vehicles and solar power too.

“Now we are mainly running on the gas generator, and the diesel will be on the backup supply. Solar will be a small contribution, and the vehicle charging station is very small”.

On his part, Theophilus Eniola Netufo, managing Dldirector/CEO, Ikeja Hotels PLC, expressed deep appreciation to Sheraton, the operators of the hotel, for the cooperation both have enjoyed over the years.

“I commend the team of Marriott for allowing us to collaborate and to ensure that our operations are run cost-effectively and for taking advantage of the

synergy to deliver quality services and improve the bottom line for the benefit of the stakeholders and fund providers for this project,” Netufo said.

“It will go on record that this is the first time in the history of this company that the operators and the owner will work together and achieve great results that we are having today”.

The managing director and CEO also noted that it has been a wonderful experience for the owning company for some time now as the company Haa been doing well in the capital market.

“The company has become an investor delight. That was not the case before,” while commending everybody involved; the operators, the owning company, and the vendors for their commitment and dedication to the progress of the hotel.

Ikeja Hotel Plc is a premier Nigerian hospitality company listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) under the ticker IKEJAHOTEL.

Founded in 1972, the group owns and operates major luxury assets, including the Sheraton Lagos Hotel.