The ayurvedic wellness resort, Heritance Ayurveda MahaGedara was accoladed the internationally recommended Travelife for Hotels & Accommodations Gold Certification last week for the Hotel’s commitment to sustainability and ethical business practices.
Travelife, the sustainable tourism certification system awarded the prestigious title after carefully assessing the performance of the Hotel against 163 sustainability criteria which included environmental issues, such as minimizing the amount of energy, waste and water, positive social actions for employee welfare, working with the local community and businesses, child protection and human rights; and protecting local traditions, among others.
The results of the independent audit carried out by Travelife showed that Heritance Ayurveda MahaGedara, which prides itself for having created a holistic framework aimed at creating a balanced lifestyle experience, and have managed to fashion a similar balance in responsibly managing its socio-economic and environmental impacts.
The 64-roomed Hotel has long since made a name for itself promoting the importance of wellness in one’s life and curating a tourism product to cater to the growing trend in the world market. The Travelife certification adds immense value to the resort and the very essence of the business model it follows. The certification scheme works in partnership with tour operators, both, in the UK and others, who use the system to increase sustainability in the industry and communicate achievements to customers.
Among the Hotel’s many sustainability exercises, the net metered solar PV in electricity generation takes precedence.
Recognized as the first hotel in Sri Lanka to adapt to this system, Heritance Ayurveda MahaGedara has benefited immensely from this system which produces energy to cover the majority of its consumption needs. The biogas plant at the Hotel also successfully contributes to the Hotel kitchen as a supplementary to LNG.
While continuous monthly beach clean ups are conducted in support of the environment, the Arts and Crafts Centre located within the premises aims at creating an awareness on local culture and inherent crafts that have been passed on from one generation to another. Uplifting the indigenous arts culture of the country, the Hotel encourages local artisans to demonstrate their art at the Centre. The Hotel also practises the 7R principles followed by all Aitken Spence Hotels with the aim of reaching zero waste to land fill status and possess the certification of ISO 50001:2011.
This is the second consecutive recertification of Heritance Ayurveda MahaGedara as a Travelife Gold member.
Other Aitken Spence Hotels in Sri Lanka – Heritance Kandalama, Heritance Tea Factory, Heritance Ahungalla – were also Travelife Gold certified and are awaiting the recertification for the second time.