Success Stories
Rotorua Sustainable Tourism Charter members are always implementing new and innovative sustainable business practices. Check back here regularly to learn about the contributions Charter member businesses are making towards sustainability.
Green cards and organic wine
Jun 2, 2010
Millennium Hotel Rotorua is continuing its sustainability journey with more new initiatives. The first is a “Going Green” Card system. Guests simply place the Green Card hanger on the door handle outside their room to let housekeeping know they prefer the room is not serviced. Housekeeping will still restock the minibar and room amenities such as tea/coffee, and shampoo if needed, however towels, flannels and bed linen are not replaced and the room is not serviced. The key benefit of the Green Card system according to Pipiana Whiston, General Manager, is that guests can follow their own green philosophy away from home. Less water, cleaning chemicals, laundry chemicals and energy are used which in turn saves money. Each month the money saved through the green card policy is donated to the hotel’s chosen charity, ‘Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust’, through sponsorship and support of the facility.
The hotel has also introduced organic and sustainable wines to the restaurant wine list, such as Lake Chalice Sauvignon Blanc and wines from the Yealands Vineyards. Lake Chalice Wines support the captive breeding program at Rotorua’s Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust to re-establish wild falcon populations in areas they once inhabited. The New Zealand Falcon, Karearea, was once the top predator in New Zealand skies but is now a threatened species in danger of extinction. The regal native bird’s customarily prey on starlings, skylarks, finches and other small birds, reducing the damage to ripening grapes around harvest time. Yealands vineyard is blazing new trails with its organic wine. The wine is grown using sustainable methods and bottled at Yealands’ CarboNZero certified vineyard.
Last year the Millennium Hotel Rotorua achieved a Qualmark Enviro-Gold certification. “These initiatives go a long way to ensuring we maintain this certification” says Pipiana.
