akyra Manor Chiang Mai - Sustainability Efforts
1. We are a single-use plastics-free hotel:
- We provide guests with bathroom amenities in refillable dispensers, avoiding more than a million plastic bottles along the way.
- Glass water bottles in the rooms and suites ensure less waste (more than a million plastic bottles avoided) and better water quality to keep our guests hydrated.
- Smoothies, juices & cocktails are sipped through straws made from plants.
2. To minimize the impact of water usage on our neighboring communities:
- Treated water is analyzed monthly by a professional laboratory to ensure quality and safety.
- Water released back into the environment meets or exceeds government standards.
- The government reviews wastewater treatment as part of our annual license renewal.
3. To reduce our use of carbon-based electricity we:
- Designed the buildings to maximize natural daylight usage, enhancing the guest experience and reducing reliance on artificial lighting, aligning with sustainable practices.
- Utilize a water heating system that ensures guests can enjoy hot water while minimizing heat loss and electricity usage by:
- Using copper pipes rather than steel or PVC.
- Insulating all the water heaters.
4. Our chefs only source locally and ethically to ensure fresh and authentic flavors, we also:
- Have a close partnership with the Royal Project ensuring fresh and local products. Fruits and vegetables come from trusted local suppliers, emphasizing sustainability and organic production.
- Exclusively procure local gems like Thai Charolais beef, wagyu beef, and locally farmed buffalo meats. Cheeses are sourced from reliable Thai producers with origins in renowned regions like France and Italy.
- Our Italics restaurant is a certified Green Kitchen awarded by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Department of Environmental Engineering, Chiang Mai University, in recognition of using renewable materials, energy-efficient appliances, and conscious cooking methods to create a greener, healthier future for all guests.
- We only use locally produced drinking water, mineral water, and coffee to reduce our carbon footprint of these high-volume items.
5. We have embedded ourselves into the local community by:
- Hiring locals and giving them the opportunity to make their community proud.
- Several of our managers began in entry-level positions and are now in executive roles.
- Pollution Mitigation: Addressing the significant pollution issue in Chiang Mai
- Partnership with "For Doi Suthep Club" and Pure Blue Foundation for environmental activities:
- March 2024: Conducting a firebreak with San Patong district village, providing necessary equipment to combat and prevent forest fires, crucial as March is the last month for firebreak activities to protect the forest and village.
- April & May 2024: Supporting nearby village/organization volunteers with drinking water and dry food for fire protection surveys.
- June 2024: Sponsoring and participating in the Run Charity organized by For Doi Suthep Club to raise funds to fight the yearly pollution occurrence.
- June to September 2024: Participating in forest restoration activities with local villages.
6. Awards & Recognition:
- Green Hotel: Silver class in 2022.
- NET Zero Hotel: Received certification in 2022 under the Low Emission Support Scheme (LESS) by TAT & Chiang Mai University, alongside Melia Chiang Mai & Raintree Chiang Mai.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) STAR Rating: Achieved 5 Stars from TAT Star Rating effective from 1 Mar 2024 to 28 Feb 2026.
- Green Kitchen: Italics Restaurant received certification in 2024 from TAT and the Department of Environmental Engineering.