WHO WE ARE

La Xarxa

La Xarxa d’Hotels Sostenibles de Balears is a nonprofit organization composed of businesses within the hotel sector committed to protecting the environment and social responsibility, seeking to promote the exchange of environmental experiences and contribute to the sustainable development of the Balearic Islands.

Vision

To be a sustainability benchmark within the hotel sector

Mission

To encourage the sustainable development of the tourism sector in the Balearic Islands, providing a positive setting for the exchange of initiatives, experiences, and the dissemination of environmental knowledge across the hotel sector.

The ‘Xarxa d’Hotels’ website provides a tool with which to facilitate this co-operation and an essential tool with which to pursue the objective of continuous improvement sought by the environmental-management and sustainability-management systems in force at hotels.

The website provides information and serves as a forum tool through which the various components of the Xarxa can exchange information and co-operate among themselves when faced with complex situations, in addition to making this information available to the general public, which can then gauge the efforts being made by the Balearic hotel sector in matters of sustainability and social responsibility.

The website also provides information on matters relating to integrated management, and now includes documents on discourses, activities, and an internal forum for participants, etc.

Brief history of the creation of the Xarxa

During 2003, a pilot project was carried out in conjunction with the Institut de Innovació Empresarial de las Illes Balears (IDI) for the implementation of environmental-management systems, including as part of the project the systems governing quality, workplace hazards, and the APPCC system for food hygiene.

Twenty hotels belonging to different hotel chains took part in this project, along with some independent hotels. The project had two complementary and highly-important aims or objectives:

• To implement an integrated-management system, unifying requirements
• To create a Network of hotels, sharing the results of sustainability indicators and exchanging experiences.

In the years 2008-2010, the Xarxa d’Hotels Sostenibles de Balears had the support of the Conselleria de Medi Ambient del Govern Balear, with which it was possible to consolidate the co-ordination and promotion activities, and commence the development of a platform to administer environmental indicators for the hotel sector.

Currently, and thanks to the Co-operation Agreement established in June 2014 with the FEHM (Majorca Hotel Federation) and the ACH (Hotel Chains Group) for the promotion of sustainability within the hotel sector, the Xarxa d’Hotels Sostenibles has become consolidated as the benchmark body in the sustainable hotel sector on our islands for hotel businesses, tour operators, our tourists, and other interested parties.

The Governing Board of the Association is currently composed of the following members:

• Chair: Margalida Ramis (Grupotel)
• Deputy Chair: temporarily vacant
• Treasurer: Cati Horrach (Ivory Playa)
• Secretary: Dirk Robenys (Viva Hotels)
• Member: Juan Carretero (Pollentia Club Resort)
• Member: Alejo Truyols (Hotel Bonsol)
• Member: Miguel Hernández (Hotel Mallorca Palace)

What belonging to the Xarxa entails

• Offering a quality service to customers, while improving the natural surroundings of the Balearic Islands
• Exchanging experiences between the different hotels of the Xarxa, resulting in improved business administration
• Using new technologies for the exchange of experiences and indicators
• Encouraging training in environmental matters among the members of the Xarxa, and participating in debates and working groups
• Optimizing costs by way of the proper management of resources
• Informing the rest of society of the desire of the hotel sector to improve the environment
• Establishing co-operation opportunities with associations, private bodies, public authorities and universities, among others, in order to obtain their support.

Activities

As part of the Xarxa d’Hotels Sostenibles project, a series of activities have been designed:

Main Activities

• Development of sustainability indicators and their subsequent analysis using the www.indicadoressostenibles.com online tool
• Participation in environmentally-themed workshops as a benchmark body within the more responsible and sustainable hotel sector.
• Organization of themed meetings in order to discuss common concerns and Organization of conferences on environmental communication
• Basic online consultancy services free of charge
• Promotion of sustainable activities and energy efficiency for members of the XHSB
• Meetings with stakeholders, tour operators, auditors, public authorities, etc.
• Training in environmental matters.
  • Training in controlling the management indicators and environmental conduct
  • Training in controlling direct and indirect environmental aspects
  • Training in good environmental practices for staff
  • Complementary training in the use of the computer programs
  • Seminars on environmental legislation: emissions, waste, spillages, new legislation governing the installations

• Search for co-operation opportunities and support with public and private bodies.

Complementary Activities

• Administrative Secretariat of the Xarxa
• Maintenance of the website
• Design and drafting of informative leaflets of the Xarxa d’Hotels Sostenibles
• Drafting and dissemination of statements or articles to be published in the trade press
• Drafting of news items

• relating to the Xarxa for publication on the portal
• relating to the Xarxa for publication on other specialist websites