EarthCheck

EarthCheck & Dusit International Announce Asian Sustainability Training Hub

10 January 2012, Bangkok - Dusit International has strengthened its ties with leading environmental management company EarthCheck. The result is a strategic Asian alliance that will deliver far reaching benefits across the region and - it is hoped - help the hotel sector take better care of host destinations. In 2012, the Dusit Executive Development Centre will begin offering EarthCheck sustainability training courses to companies outside of the Dusit group.

Specialist courses cater to the needs of Housekeeping, Engineering, F&B and Concierge staff, while management courses will help executive level staff better understand ways to reduce improve operational efficiencies, better manage their risk profile and meet the growing demands for transparency in GHG emissions reporting.

Each year, approximately 5,000 stakeholders pass through the doors of the company's training centre and hospitality school. That number is now likely to grow as a result of their becoming a regional training hub for EarthCheck, as the alliance allows Dusit trainers to instruct the staff of other industry players.

"Although most hotels are attempting to reduce the environmental impact of their operations, keeping abreast of regulatory change and technological innovation can be an expensive exercise," explained Stewart Moore, CEO of EarthCheck. "When EarthCheck was scouting for a regional training partner in Asia, it made sense to leverage Dusit's infrastructure for the greater good."

EarthCheck's scientifically rigorous tools, internationally compliant standards and processes are used by more than 1300 leading travel and tourism organisations in over 70 countries. Theirs is the world's most scientifically rigorous benchmarking program and it measures key indicators such as scopes 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions, energy and water consumption, waste sent to landfill, as well as community commitment.

The Dusit Thani in Dubai was the first hotel in the Middle East to become EarthCheck Certified, and Dusit's new resort in the Maldives is the latest to access world leading science. The group has committed all its owned and managed properties to EarthCheck for their integrated environmental management and reporting needs. The deepening of the relationship will also facilitate the translation of the program into Thai.

About Dusit International

Dusit International has more than 60 years experience in the hotel and hospitality field. Founded in 1948 by Honorary Chairperson, Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, whose first hotel was the Princess on Bangkok's New Road; Dusit has since acquired a unique portfolio of hotels, building upon Thai culture and tradition to create a personalised welcome for all guests, made distinctive under the Dusit brand promise: the delivery of an 'experience that enlivens the individual spirit no matter what the journey.'

Dusit International comprises five hotel brands: Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts, Dusit's second generation dusitD2 hotels & resorts, Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts, Dusit Devarana Hotels & Resorts, and Dusit Residence Serviced Apartments. It also operates its own signature Devarana Spa.

For more information go to: www.dusit.com

About EarthCheck

EarthCheck is one of the world's largest certifiers of sustainable travel and tourism operators; with more than 1300 clients in over 70 countries. Its integrated environmental management system complies with the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 14064 range of standards for greenhouse gas accounting. It is also aligned with the GRI, NABERS, Agenda21, ISO 14001 and GSTC criteria and is T-QUAL Accredited.

For more information go to: www.earthcheck.org