MINNEAPOLIS—On March 25, more than 350 Carlson Rezidor Hotels from Fiji to Brussels to Chicago participated in the annual worldwide Earth Hour, a worldwide movement encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses across the globe to turn off non-essential lights for an hour to raise awareness of the need to act on climate change.
The Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inns & Suites and Park Plaza hotels practice Earth Hour—an environmental initiative supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)—as an opportunity to engage with guests, employees and business partners to encourage energy savings by organizing several engaging activities in the dark, for example, romantic candlelight dinners featuring special Earth Hour cocktails and Earth Hour menus.
“Our hotel teams are eager to participate in Earth Hour by switching off non-essential lights and still creating memorable moments for our guests, in an original, fun and responsible manner,” says Inge Huijbrechts, Vice President, Responsible Business for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “The Earth Hour complements our Think Planet strategy and ambition to be the driving force of a more sustainable hospitality industry.”
Some of the hotels’ Earth Hour highlights include:
Radisson Blu Fiji Denarau Island kicked off global Earth Hour celebrations with local school children of the hotel’s “adopted schools” singing a welcome song and the symbolic beating of the Fijian drum. Guests, local community members and students of the schools counted down to 8:30 p.m., the start of Earth Hour, when all lights were turned off and the Bula Fijian Warriors sprang out of every corner of the lobby with tiki torches to help light all the candles. The Warriors then led all guests around the resort in candle lit procession, ending up on the waterfall lawn where the big 60+ sign was lit by everybody taking part. A Pacific Island fire-show followed, adding to the entertainment.
The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Mysore, India lit a special, centerpiece 5-foot-high candle, made by mentally challenged students, in the lobby. The rest of the public areas were lit by thousands of small oil lamps provided by a nearby temple. Guests were invited to enjoy a local traditional welcome drink while their portraits were taken holding a placard with an Earth Hour pledge. Kids took part in a special Earth Hour quiz and sketch competition.
The six Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Riga, Latvia, organized a torchlight procession through Riga dedicated to Earth Hour. More than 75 employees joined the Earth Hour walk, taking a stand against climate change.
Radisson Blu Hotel, Kyiv, Ukraine celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Earth Hour with a Yoga master class for hotel partners and VIP guests and a professional orientation and Culinary Master class, “How to cook without electricity,” for teenagers in the hotel restaurant Cote Est.
Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Brussels, Belgium turned off the lights and had a gospel choir performing, adding to the candlelit atmosphere.
Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago lit candles around the property in place of the use of light fixtures and saved 16,513 watts of energy over a course of 3.5 hours. They also featured the “Thirsty in the Dark” cocktail during the hour.
Earth Hour was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. Now in its 10th anniversary year, it has grown to engage more than 178 countries and territories worldwide. Earth Hour 2017 was marked on March 25, 2017 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
