“It is critical that we grow successfully and sustainably. Aligned to our purpose of True Hospitality for Good and building on years of important progress, our Journey to Tomorrow plan puts IHG on a longer-term path to positive change for our people, communities, and planet. We are making great progress and investing significantly in the global cause to cut carbon emissions and waste.”
For the upcoming years, our plan defines five clear ambitions
OUR TEAMS
Defend a diversified culture where each and every person can thrive.
COMMUNITIES
Improve the life of over 30 million persons in communities around the world.
CARBON PRINT AND ENERGY
Reduce our energy consumption and carbon print in the long term.
WASTE
Be a pioneer in the transformation of the hospitality industry aiming for minimum waste.
WATER
Save water and help guarantee access to water in areas of significant risk.
Sustainability & Green Engage Initiatives
Introducing green engage hotels by IHG®
At IHG®, part of creating Great Hotels Guests Love® is designing, building, and running more sustainable hotels. We know that more of our guests want a greener hotel to stay and that is why we have made it easier for you to choose a hotel that matches your sustainable values. You can book a Green Engage Hotel today and enjoy a visit that benefits the environment, the community, and the society where you are staying. The great news is, you will become an even more environmentally responsible traveller by staying at a Green Engage Hotel. The great news is, you will become an even more environmentally responsible traveller by staying at a Green Engage Hotel.
What is Green Engage
Green Engage is an innovative program which allows IHG® to design, build and run even more sustainable hotels. The advanced online system allows individual hotels to measure the impact from their daily operation on the environment. For example, Green Engage hotels have access to their energy, water and waste usage and are provided with recommended actions to make their property even more sustainable. These actions are tailored to ensure that you, our guests, continue to have a memorable stay with us while at the same time reducing your impact on the environment. Green Engage can help our hotels to reduce energy by up to 25% per year.
Bulk Amenities
IHG has implemented bulk amenities in order to move away from single-use plastic toiletries – over 200 million miniatures per year worldwide. Say goodbye to mini bottles and hello to large shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer.
Upgrades in Technology
In the past two years, our hotel has invested in updating onsite technology to be more efficient, reduce electricity consumption and be more sustainable. The upgrade of our chillers on the hotel roof in 2018 has reduced electricity consumption by 18%. The 2020 upgrade of the hotel lifts has seen a 40% reduction in electricity consumption.
Energy
Developing a daily operation in a sustainable and responsible way is a critical factor when it comes to meeting changes in guests’ expectations and environmental challenges. In the upcoming years, the hotel will continue to develop strategies that will allow the daily operation to run in a more sustainable way, as well as adopt measures that contribute towards energy reduction, while at the same time enhancing our water consumption systems and reducing waste. The hotel aims towards the development of renewable energy systems as well as low-carbon new-built solutions, that alongside a NextGen Green Engage system will allow for a better support on energy efficiency and actionable insights.
At InterContinental Lisbon all our light bulbs are LED all our service areas have movement sensors; all our pumps are equipped with speed variations; we are currently replacing all our air handling units to EC fans; all our rooms are equipped with intelligent systems to optimize consumption whenever our guests are out of the rooms and all our shower heads have ecological systems that reduce water consumption.
Our Building Management System drives all equipments to optimize consumptions – for example, our chillers are equipped with heat recovering systems, which use any wasted heat on our hot sanitary waters. The heat exchangers were also chosen according to the latest available technology generation, allowing us to reduce considerably our carbon consumption.
Supporting our Community
In the past years, our social and environmental commitment has developed thoroughly in agreement with IHG’s values and goals for the future. As sustainability increasingly became more important to guests, it also turned into one of the key factors of our day-to-day operations at the hotel. Additionally, our social commitment became one of our top priorities, allowing for partnerships with local institutions to develop on a daily basis.
ReFood
ReFood is an organization that helps deliver food to families in need. They started operating in a few neighbourhoods and now they have operation centres in over 60 parishes, helping more than 6800 persons daily, with an incredible 7500 volunteers and 150K meals per month. ReFood collects quality excess food from commercial outlets and delivers it directly to families. The InterContinental Lisbon works with the São Sebastião operation centre, which helps more than 110 families across the area of Lisbon. Our hotel has been helping Re-Food since 2018, by donating its food to this worthwhile charity.
Cerci
The human resources policy at the InterContinental Lisbon regards diversity as a source of enrichment, innovation, and creativity. We aim to secure equal opportunities for every step of the career, going all the way from the selection process, right through the recruitment strategies and working mobility. No barrier can prevent individuals from succeeding. Since 2017 the hotel has been bringing to life several successful programs that allowed us to integrate special colleagues from CERCI – an initiative-taking organization that provides support to around 900 people with intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities, in different areas of social intervention and throughout their entire life.
Aldeias SOS
Aldeias SOS – SOS Children’s Villages in Portugal, belong to a world federation (SOS Kinderdorf International) that works to protect and care for children who have lost parental care or are at risk of losing them. At Aldeias SOS, children and young people are welcome to a family model that works as differentiated alternative care. Here, children live in a house, with a caregiver of reference and remain with their biological siblings in the protective environment of the Village whilst being an active and integral part of the community. The InterContinental Lisbon has worked directly with this association on several occasions, by making donations that reverted towards children’s studies as well as several sessions for psychological support.
Carta Portuguesa para a Diversidade
(Portuguese Charter for Diversity) Since 2018 the InterContinental Lisbon became a signatory company for the Portuguese Charter for Diversity. The charter is based upon principles such as recognition; respect and valuation of the differences between each person – including the differences regarding gender identity; sexual preferences; religion; ethnicity; belief; country of origin; culture; language; nationality; age; political or social orientation; civil state; family situation; economic situation; health situation; physical incapacities; personal style and studies.
Awards & Certificates
The We Care and We Share seals are awarded by the AHP – Portugal’s Hotelier Association (Associação de Hotelaria de Portugal) for the range of activities and commitments promoted under the HOSPES program (Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability Program for Hospitality from Portugal). Following the actions of support towards local communities and the dynamics implemented in favour of environmental sustainability, the InterContinental Lisbon was recognized in the two categories: WE SHARE – Social Responsibility | WE CARE – Environmental Sustainability.
The Healthy Workplaces Award aims to recognize and distinguish Portuguese organizations with management practices that promote safety, well-being, and health in the workplace. The Companies that demonstrate the strongest commitment and participatory approach in the management of psychosocial risks and occupational Health, as well as the promotion of conditions that support the health and well-being of their workers, are distinguished. The prize falls within the scope of a partnership with the ACT (Authority for Working Conditions) and with the EU-OSHA (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work), as well as the High Sponsorship of the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, the Ministry of Health, and the National Health Service.
The Great Place to Work® Award is an international reference, present in more than 100 countries that focuses on analysing each organization’s working environment and distinguishes the companies with the best results in this area. They also focus on research and consultancy, which later allow for each company to design a constant improvement strategy, while focusing on innovation, resilience, and efficiency. This certificate is awarded based on the evaluation made by all the company’s employees, in relation to the organizational culture, health and well-being, happiness and good practices of diversity, inclusion and equity.
Journey to Tomorrow Award
For all the initiatives and actions in our support to communities and for all changes that are being implemented on a daily basis and, for the reduction of carbon emissions, the InterContinental Lisbon earned the Journey to Tomorrow Impact Award, an award given by InterContinental Hotels Group.