Caravelle Hotel Ho Chi Minh to reduce Carbon Footprint

Ten years ago, with Southeast Asia still plagued by the after-effects of the 1997 Financial Crisis, a stately symbol of Vietnam’s renewal and resurgence opened its doors - again - on Lam Son Square. After a $65 million investment, including the addition of a 24-storey tower to the original 10-story landmark, the Caravelle Hotel was back, bigger, bolder and better than before.

In 2007, Vietnam won admission to the World Trade Organization and a place on the Security Council of the United Nations. Throughout Vietnam, business is booming like never before. The Caravelle knows this as well as anyone. One only has to look at the legions of ‘suits’ marching through its doors to understand that the exclamation point now affixed to the name of this country has little to do with the legacy of war and everything to do with the promise of prosperity.

Prosperity engenders new challenges, of course. Today, with another decade of history to its credit,  one challenge that the Caravelle is taking to heart has a color, and that color is Green.

“It’s not enough for any of us in the hotel industry to simply consume resources with abandon anymore, even if we can afford them,” said Caravelle General Manager John Gardner. “In a nation as taxed for space and resources as Vietnam, and in a world where we can all of a sudden see the sun setting on resources we’ve always assumed would be around forever, it’s our feeling - no, our responsibility - to get out in front on this issue and do what we can to preserve what we have.”

When it comes to environmental initiatives and hotels, most people think of signs that direct people to hang towels on the shower rod if they’d prefer that housekeeping leave the towel for repeat use. A nice gesture, but ultimately one of confusion. The Caravelle’s planned Green Initiatives for its second decade since refurbishment go beyond bathroom towels to a systematic plan to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint.

In the works is the appointment of an environmental engineer who’ll both monitor and audit the hotels’ consumption. New policies for the reduction of paper consumption are on the way. And the hotel is examining the ways and means of its energy consumption.

“So much of what we consume is measurable,” said Gardner. “That’s where we’re starting. Once we’ve established our baseline, we’re going to start whittling, pruning, shaving, cutting and, quite frankly, stopping. All of us will have to undergo training on this because saving on the level that I’m talking about is not reflexive for most us. But it can be, and that’s where we need to be.”

The hotel’s Green Initiatives will not be especially visible to guests and visitors. Most of this work will take place at the infrastructural heart of the property. But the Caravelle will communicate its plans to guests and the community at large.

What guests will see as the Caravelle begins its second decade since refurbishment is an exhaustive refurbishment of rooms and suites. These renovations are already underway. The hotel has two mock-up rooms with the new design scheme. Over the next two years, plans call for room-by-room refreshment, from floor to ceiling, from bathroom to bedroom, from linens to furnishings.

“We’re taking it right back to the concrete shell and starting over,” said Martyn Davies, Director General of Chains Caravelle Joint Venture Company. “What’s in place now has served us remarkably well over the past decade. But styles change. People’s sense of what’s cool and fresh evolves, and we’ve got to evolve with those expectations.”

The Caravelle’s Signature Floor guests are already getting a taste of what’s to come for all 335 of the hotel’s rooms. All of the bedding, from the mattresses to the linens, the electronics and other amenities have all made that critical evolutionary jump.

“We’re talking about a leap for the Caravelle that’s commensurate with the same leap we made when we made Restaurant Nineteen,” said Davies. “We pulled out all the stops for Nineteen, and we’re planning to do the same now in rooms throughout the hotel.”

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