Sealed Air’s Diversey Care division presented Palmiro Noschese, Area Manager of Italy for Meliá Hotels International with the ‘European Hotel Managers Association (EHMA) Sustainability Award by Diversey Care’ at the 42nd EHMA General Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.  This award recognizes an EHMA Manager who has implemented a program at their property that has had a significant and positive impact on the environment.

Meliá Hotel Roma’s ‘Hotel 6 Stelle’ project was carried out in partnership with the Italian Association of People with Down’s Syndrome (AIPD), which aims to integrate disabled people into the workplace to make a positive impact on society. The project saw six individuals with Down Syndrome (Livia, Martina, Benedetta, Emanuele, Nicolas and Edoardo) placed at the hotel for tutored work experience over the course of three months. The result was an excellent integration experience involving all departments, which proved to be highly rewarding for all involved.

Their experience was filmed and made into a six episode documentary, ‘Hotel 6 Stelle,’ which was broadcast on national Italian television. These efforts have helped to change public perception, and amounted to many Italian companies declaring a commitment to offering both permanent and internship opportunities to people with Down Syndrome.

For the first time, this year’s ‘EHMA Sustainability Award by Diversey Care’ also recognized 2nd and 3rd placed entries.

The 2nd place entry was Ramón Vidal Castro, General Manager at Meliá Castilla, Spain. This was in recognition for the hotel’s ‘Three Steps of Sustainability’ initiative, which includes social (including a commitment to the disadvantaged, children and the local community), environmental (energy efficiency) and economic (employment in times of crisis) aspects, and aims to inspire and educate employees, guests and the nearby community.

Finally, the 3rd place entry was Elisabeth Perwanger, General Manager at Steigenberger Hotel Herrenhof, Austria, in acknowledgement of the hotel’s holistic and structured approach towards sustainability, focusing on ‘green meetings.’ This initiative coordinated successful and efficient environmental management in the areas of electricity, water, waste disposal, and heating and cooling, and resulted in significant saving, including 50 tons of CO2 in 2014. Through demonstrating that ecological, social and economic efficiency can go hand-in-hand, Steigenberger Hotel Herrenhof has set new standards in sustainability, as well as raised awareness of environmental protection amongst both employees and guests.

Commenting on the award, Dr. Ilham Kadri, President at Diversey Care, said: “Sustainability is a key initiative for many hoteliers, and will continue to be an important part of running a successful organization. We are thankful for our partnership with EHMA, which, through our ‘EHMA Sustainability Award by Diversey Care’ award, has allowed us to promote and support those within the hospitality industry who are creating inspiring programs that support the environment, and are driving forward a brighter future for us all.”