SUSTAINABILITY

SERENATA Hotels & Resorts Group applies a notion of sustainable tourism in corporate mission, which includes the well being of our employees, the local communities and the environment. We offer jobs to locals and empower them to be able to work in a certain professional standard of hospitality services as well as nurture the natural surroundings. Taking into account Social Responsibility, we are environmentally friendly who cares about the locals and the environment.

“Don’t wait for anyone to save our world. It’s everyone’s responsibility. Do it more or less, it is better than ignoring and start nothing. We need to take a step forward. What we what to hear from everyone is that “I am doing the best I can”. The billions of people will definitely create a great impact to cure the world we live on.” –

Chatchawan Soorangura – Executive Director at SERENATA Hotels & Resorts Group.

Day-to-day human activities are responsible for a number of significant impacts on the environment. We are using up this world. The shocking increase of pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, depletion of natural resources and many more. All threaten life in this world. Unless humans are doing something to sustain it.

Sustainability & Social Responsibility

We care about tomorrow and are therefore embracing corporate social responsibility in our daily operations; we provide professional employment for local, ethnic minority groups and we are meanwhile actively involved in the sustainable development of the region. In pursuit of being Green Hospitality and values in sustainability, we protect, build, strengthen the environment and communities through our effective policies and efficient operations.

SERENATA Hotels & Resorts Group has been committing to environmental sustainability since 1976 when we launched our first eco lodge in Kanchanaburi. From our strict environmental practices, we completely stop wildlife hunting and deforesting in our area. When people have full-time jobs with us, they are also implanted with our environmental mindsets that derives from not only from the management but also our worldwide travelers visiting us do share their experiences and practices.

Being one of co-founders of Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association (TEATA) and a number of tourism related associations in Thailand that drives significant growth in Thailand tourism in the past decades. The latest association we lead is about boutique hotel association known as TBAA. We learn how to operate with sustainability in mind. We believe we are part of the environment and our business helps the locals to have better quality of living and elevated their education.

In 2020, SERENATA is going to initiate a series of sustainable campaigns. The first to launch is “Stay Green. Stay SERENATA”. We encourage our staff and our guests to be part of the world savers.

We start with the principle of 3Rs; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Which are simple and easy to understand. This aims to increase the awareness and see the issue.

Reduce – we encourage effective approaches to reduce waste and garbage especially single used plastics. Plastic is the one of the worst wastes. It is toxic. It takes decades to degrade and its residue still sits in the dirt or, even worse, in the waters. Probably the worst is there are plenty of it. Humans use it freely in day-to-day life. The more we use the more they produce. Therefore, if we use less plastics, they are produced less. The pollution from the manufacturer is reduced. Hence less plastic waste in soils and waters.

Reuse – At some points, we could not avoid the comfort of the hasty society in 21st century. We sometimes find ourself in need of using things that we know it could become a troublesome garbage. For us, it is understandable in that occasion as long as you have the awareness that it is not right. We live in a realistic world. What we can do with it is try to re-use it. However this should not compromise the hygiene.

Recycle – once the reused garbages reach its expiration. Recycle it!  Put it in the right garbage bin that will go to the particular recycling plant. Batteries for example need to be specially taken care of. We arrange trash separation for trash sorting. Trash cages are labelled in 4 different colors as follows;

Blue label for recyclable trash e.g. glass bottles, PET bottles, papers, metals and aluminium.

Red label for dangerous trash that needs to be specially taken care of e.g.batteries, spray can, light bulbs, gallons of engine oils. These will be separated into smaller cages under the big red labelled cage.

Yellow label for general waste e.g. non-recyclable, plastic bags or basically anything that does not fit to any of the other coloured bins.

Green label for biological waste – organic waste that can be composted such as dried leaves, garden waste, grass clippings.

The community or municipal recycling parties will come and collect the trashes for recycle.

Sample Sustainable Practices

In addition to our waste management procedures and system, for instance, we co-invented septic tank under our floating hotels. We worked with Karat, Thailand’s top manufacturer of septic tanks. They helped us engineering the tank that can fit under the rafts. We are the only hotel with such septic tank installed.

Our properties on Koh Yao Noi island is actively committing in applying a notion of sustainable tourism in our corporate mission statement, which includes the wellbeing of our employees, support for local communities, and protecting and preserving the environment. We offer jobs to locals and empower them to be able to work at professional standards of hospitality service, as well as teaching them to nurture their natural surroundings. We are doing as follows;

Firstly we strive to maintain the resort’s ecosystem and preserve local plants & the wildlife habitat such as hornbills and marine animals.

Secondly, we also help to reduce global warming by purchasing products and services that are environmentally friendly and compatible with the local environment. We produce a lot of our own organic vegetables, and herbs in our organic garden. We invite guests to take a tour of the garden and learn more about Thai herbs.

Thirdly, we manage and control wastewater disposal in order to avoid pollution of the environment and do our best to conserve water and energy.

Fourthly, we minimise waste and be responsible in disposing of waste, so as not to disturb the local community.

Fifthly, we recruit local residents from the island in order to generate additional income for the local community.

And many other that you can also see from our hotel website for further details of the sustainable campaigns.

At SERENATA, we geared towards directors, managers, engineers, housekeepers, chefs and other back office staffs to enhance their eco-responsibility. What we strive to achieve is to increase the level of awareness and we can then feed more environmental campaigns to the pipeline. We start thinking of renewable energies to use in our hotels and our areas. We replant multi-thousands of trees and plants every year. We will constantly share our best practices to our guests so that they aware and see the importance of it. They could start do something back home. This is our ongoing responsibilities that we promise it will be elevated overtime.

SERENATA visions to see the better world that start from the better people.