Ascott India, part of Singapore-based lodging giant, is utilising renewable energy sources to power its portfolio of properties, allowing it to reduce its carbon footprint and be aligned with the corporate headquarter’s sustainability framework, Ascott CARES.
Prasanna Raghavan, head of finance and sustainability, Ascott India, said: “The Ascott India portfolio presently comprises six operating properties, and a substantial portion of our energy requirements are met by renewable sources. At Somerset Greenways Chennai and Citadines OMR Chennai for example, almost 90 per cent of our energy requirements are met by wind power. Over at Oakwood Residence Kapil Hyderabad and Citadines OMR Chennai, solar panels have been installed to power water heating requirements.”
Both properties in Chennai have the facility to purchase wind power from a third party should the need arises.
Raghavan shared that Ascott India’s journey towards green power began more than a decade ago in 2012, and remains committed to using renewable energy for pipeline projects in other cities like Goa and Gurugram.
In addition to renewable energy usage, Ascott India has eliminated single-use plastic shampoo bottles from its operations and switched to wooden key cards as well as FSC-certified materials.
Following Ascott’s acquisition of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) GSTC-Recognized status for its system adoption of the GSTC Industry Criteria in late-2022, Somerset Greenways Chennai also achieved a GSTC certification. All Ascott India properties aim to be GSTC-certified by 2028.
Looking ahead, Raghavan shared plans to establish an in-house glass bottling plant in his properties, adding that “there are many plans in the pipeline” to achieve sustainability goals.
