HILTON HOTEL
HOTEL OF THE BARBADIAN PEOPLE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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REPORT: HILTON BARBADOS
HOTEL OF THE
BARBADIAN PEOPLE
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Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Tracy Jones, Director of Sales and Marketing at Hilton Barbados Resort, about ties to Barbadian history, new investments to reduce waste and carbon emissions, and impacting the local community in Bridgetown. Exactly a century ago, in 1919, a young entrepreneur named Conrad Hilton, who had recently returned to the United States after serving in the Quartermaster Corps during World War I, moved to Texas at the height of the first great oil boom. Mr. Hilton was looking to buy a bank, but after an initial deal fell through, he bought a small hotel instead: The Mobley, in the town of Cisco. Catering to oilfield workers, the
hotel averaged an occupancy rate of 300% as workers rented rooms in eight-hour windows. Soon, Mr. Hilton had purchased more hotels in Texas, and in 1925 he built a new hotel building from scratch, the iconic Dallas Hilton. Today, Hilton Worldwide’s range of seventeen brands span almost 6,000 properties across 117 countries. Hilton’s first hotel in the Caribbean opened in 1949. The Caribe Hilton in San
Juan, Puerto Rico was also the first Hilton hotel outside the continental United States, and may have been the birthplace of the iconic piña colada cocktail in the 1950s. It wasn’t long before Hilton spread through the Caribbean, as waves of newly-affluent North American and European tourists came in search of winter sunshine. Hilton’s carefully-cultivated set of design principles – stylish modern architecture, comfortable rooms, and large public areas where guests could relax and fraternize – were in stark contrast to the monastic hotels of the previous generation, where guests were expected to desire privacy above all else. Vacationers and business travelers alike
“OVER THE YEARS, HILTON BARBADOS BECAME KNOWN AS THE HOTEL OF THE PEOPLE, AND IT BECAME PART OF THE ISLAND’S RICH HERITAGE.”
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REPORT: HILTON BARBADOS
“WE HAVE BUILT AROUND THOSE HISTORIC LOCATIONS, AND THEY REMAIN EXACTLY THE SAME.”
flocked to the Caribbean Hiltons. Frequently, the Hilton was by far the tallest building in a city, a central hub around which economic activity could flow, hosting businesspeople in the restaurants and conference rooms, tourists by the pools and sandy beaches, and large-scale events like wedding receptions in the banquet halls. RICH HERITAGE The original Hilton Hotel in Barbados, owned by the Barbadian government and managed by Hilton, opened on November 30, 1966 – the same day the Barbados Independence Act came into effect, granting Barbados independence from the United Kingdom. The first Barbados Hilton, as it 4 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE
was known, was a single five-storey building, with slightly over 100 rooms. “Over the years, the hotel became known as the Hotel of the People, and it became part of the island’s rich heritage,” explains Tracy Jones, Director of Sales and Marketing at Hilton Barbados Resort. “In 1999, the building was imploded for a new hotel to be built and was reopened in 2005 to much fanfare.” The new Hilton Barbados Resort, located on Needham’s Point peninsula in Bridgetown, consists of two towers eight stories high, with a total of 355 guest rooms, all of which have private balconies and ocean views – another Hilton trademark – surrounded by two white sandy beaches. The hotel is still owned by the government and
managed by Hilton, and the site also has significant historic value. “We are fortunate to be located next to one of the island’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites,” explains Ms. Jones. “We are situated within Bridgetown and its historic Garrison, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of which the Charles Fort located on property is a part of.” Charles Fort was built by the British in 1650 as part of the Barbados Garrison. “As a historic site, we have maintained the fort in its natural state, not carrying out any major infrastructural changes over the years,” says Ms. Jones. “We also have one of the island’s lighthouse towers on the property; it was a lookout point, which accompanied the fort when it was in military use. Two
things which remain unchanged about the Hilton location are that of the Charles Fort and the Lighthouse tower. We have built around those historic locations, and they remain the same. To us, this illustrates how much the history of Barbados and Hilton are one.” ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTMENTS In 2018, Hilton Worldwide made a major commitment to reduce their environmental footprint by half and double their social impact investment by the year 2030. Hilton
is the first major hotel group to make this kind of major commitment to reduce carbon emissions, as consumer research shows increasing numbers of guests research the social and environmental impacts of their visit before selecting a hotel, particularly younger travelers. Hilton also plan to double their spending on local and minority-owned suppliers, and double investments in programs to help women and young people. At the same time, the government of Barbados has set new, ambitious targets to transform the country’s energy landscape by 2030,
exploring new ways to transition to 100% renewable energy. “We paid close attention to Hilton’s announcement that we need to cut our environmental footprint in half and double our social impact by 2030,” says Ms. Jones. “One of the first places we’ve looked to achieve this is in the kitchens. In 2018, Hilton began a pilot project to cut waste. This project, in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), identifies where in the chain waste occurs, then attempts to prevent this waste from happening, either by reducing
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REPORT: HILTON BARBADOS
“HILTON BARBADOS WANTS TO TAKE THINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND THAT’S WHAT WE’LL DO.”
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the materials used or by diverting unused food and beverage to places that can make use of it. Our aim is that kitchen waste will have been reduced by half by 2030.” Hilton Barbados Resort are also looking into ways to improve energy and water efficiency. “We have a high electricity bill due to the nature of our operation – water usage and air conditioning,” says Ms. Jones. “We can have a big impact and drastically improve on efficiency in this area, so we are currently changing our systems over to more efficient ones, which will make sure that all our processes use less energy that before.” SOCIAL IMPACT Staff are specifically trained to communicate around sustainability issues. “We have a particular training program that teaches our sales team how to speak about the most important points of our environmental and sustainability commitments to guests,” says Ms. Jones. Hilton Barbados also continue to seek opportunities to positively impact local people. “There are a number of groups in our surrounding area who we work closely with,” says Ms. Jones. “Every day, in the lobby of the hotel, local craftspeople come
in and showcase their skills and products, giving guests an opportunity to purchase real Barbadian crafts. We also have two schools in the area which we have adopted, giving them opportunities to participate in training here at the hotel. Earlier this year, we had a workshop for the Hilton Barbados Resort sales department, ending with a cook-off. During this event, we brought in the students from the schools and taught them how to prep and plan healthy meals. We also have projects where our staff visit those schools and the geriatric hospital and help paint the buildings.” Looking to the future, the team at Hilton Barbados Resort intend to become even more deeply involved in nationaland corporate-level efforts to protect the environment and contribute to local communities. “For the next few years, we will be building towards the government’s 2030 agenda, which is huge for us,” says Ms. Jones. “Once we get those balls rolling, it will change the way everything is done, and improve what we’re able to offer our guests. Hilton Barbados Resort wants to take things to the next level in terms of sustainability, and that’s what we’ll do.” c SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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Hilton Barbados Hilton Barbados Resort Needham’s Point St Michael, Bridgetown, 11000, Barbados Tel: +1-246-426-0200 Fax: +1-246-434-5770 www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ barbados/hilton-barbados-resort
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