Once all the information is gathered, wide-ranging recommendations will be made. So you see, there is a real need for hotels in Egypt to start not only 'thinking' green, but 'acting' green as well. Major international tour companies are becoming environmental watchdogs themselves, Radi explained. Some operators have adopted policies not to recommend or book tourists in hotels that do not carry 'green' accreditation from such organisations as the international Green Globe 21. Helping hotels gain accreditation is a large part of the project, but launching the mission wasn't easy.
Every location is unique and so every hotel has individual environmental concerns.
Ultimately, however, it was a matter of convincing hotel managements to undertake necessary measures to ensure efficiency. In the long run, proper management and a heightened awareness of environmental concerns will pay off for these hotels, but in the short term, taking the medicine was tough to swallow. Hotels were instructed to cut back on energy and water use, to scale back waste production and to install the latest waste treatment processes. Throughout the hotel grounds, energy efficient bulbs were installed for ground lighting and in the lobby, the hotels now provide details of local arts and crafts centres and offer eco-friendly tours to local natural and heritage sites. Hotels, like the Shams Alam Hotel, have made efforts to encourage people to rely more on fresh air being circulated in the room.