Hilton Colon Quito Named Sustainable Tourism Certification by Smart Voyager

World-renowned Certification Agency Smart Voyager Recognizes Sustainable Practices Of Hilton Colon Quito

QUITO, Ecuador 2012-08-01 — /travelprnews.com/ — Hilton Colon Quito has been honored with the Sustainable Tourism Certification awarded by Smart Voyager.

“This prize is a result of the efforts of our entire work team and their dedication to our policy of social responsibility,” commented Patricio Jimenez, general manager. “The challenge now is to maintain our certification and unify forces to continue excellence.”

This award recognizes the hotel´s responsible practices such as an ambitious recycling program, energy saving operations, and an aquifer water tank that integrates rain water. Colon also encourages guests to participate in responsible practices by not changing towels.

With the objective of promoting responsible vacation destinations the certification agency Smart Voyager helped create the Sustainable Tourism Certification in 2000. According to its website, the program “endeavors to convert the concept of sustainability into something real, practical and necessary in the context of a competitive market, with an aim to improve the relationship of tourism with its surroundings.” Consequently, the importance of this recognition in the travel sector has grown such that UNESCO commended it on a world scale in 2002 as a means to guarantee tourist operations as models of sustainability.

In order to achieve Smart Voyager certification the hotel fulfilled a series of requirements that included a rigorous interviews, field visits, and documentation that promise a safe environment. This certification guarantees that the hotel has accomplished an engaged relationship with society and the environment in addition to meeting the arduous quality standards established by Hilton Hotels & Resorts. While the certification has generally been awarded to Amazon eco-lodges and Galapagos cruise ships, this marks the first time that a five-star hotel has received the honor. Such an accomplishment speaks to the dedication of Hilton Colon Quito for maintaining a sustainability model in more than 250 rooms, six restaurants and 23 meeting halls.

Media can access additional information about Hilton Colón Quito at http://news.hilton.com/colonquito.

Contact

Lourdes Robalino
Hilton Colon Quito
+593 2 2560666
lourdes.robalino@hiltoncolon.com

About Hilton Hotels & Resorts

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Hilton Hotels & Resorts stands as the stylish, forward thinking global leader in hospitality. From inaugural balls and Hollywood award galas to business events and days to remember, Hilton is where the world makes history, closes the deal, toasts special occasions and gets away from it all. The flagship brand of Hilton Worldwide continues to build upon its legacy of innovation by developing products and services to meet the needs of tomorrow’s savvy global travelers while more than 144,000 Team Members shape experiences in which every guest feels cared for, valued and respected. Today, the Hilton Hotels & Resorts portfolio includes more than 550 hotels in 80 countries and the brand remains synonymous with “hotel.” Access the latest Hilton news at news.hilton.com or begin your journey at hilton.com. Social media users can engage with Hilton at twitter.com/hiltonhotelsfacebook.com/hilton and www.youtube.com/hilton. Hilton Hotels & Resorts is one of Hilton Worldwide’s ten market-leading brands.

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