LOS ANGELES, California – Green Globe Certification and Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts today announced major reductions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and significant water savings by all Mövenpick properties across the Middle East. After the first year of Green Globe certification of hotels in UAE, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, analysis of energy and water consumption reveals the reduction of 11,765 tons of CO2e and savings of 129,346 m3 of potable water in the last 12 months.

Green Globe Certification CEO Mr. Guido Bauer said: “This is absolute proof that certification by Green Globe leads to great outcomes for the environment, as well as utility savings for hotels and resorts.

“These reductions are equivalent to saving one Olympic pool of water per week, each week for a year. The GHG saved by Mövenpick hotels is the same as the emissions of 5 non-stop, round-trip flights from Dubai to London.”

Green Globe Certification has been contracted by Mövenpick to certify all their hotels and resorts worldwide. The certification process covers all sustainability criteria including the key environmental indicators of energy and water.

Green Globe Certification’s preferred partner in the Middle East, Farnek Avireal, provides third-party verification of the sustainability achievements of Green Globe members, including Mövenpick properties. Avireal’s online environmental monitoring system, Hotel Optimizer, has tracked the improved performance of the hotels throughout this first year of certification.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Vice President of Operations in the Middle East and India, Mr. Gerard Hotelier, said: “The energy savings we have achieved in the last 12 months are equal to powering a 200-room hotel for one-and-half years.

“The total savings on utilities in this period are AED 2.5 million, which is almost US$700,000, and this represents a 4 percent savings in water and electricity costs, while at the same time we have seen a 8.3 percent increase in occupancy across the properties.”

Green Globe Certification and its preferred partner, Farnek Avireal, will continue to monitor the reduction of environmental impacts across the Mövenpick properties in the Middle East along with all Green Globe members in this region.

On this video, Gerard Hotelier further explains the strategy for Green Globe certification of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts in the Middle East: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJGs76OfaBU .

ABOUT MOVENPICK HOTELS & RESORTS

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, an international upscale hotel management company with over 16,000 staff members, is represented in 24 countries with 71 hotels and resorts currently in operation. More than 30 properties are planned or already under construction, including this year’s openings in Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Soma Bay (Egypt), Ankara (Turkey), Chiang Mai and Koh Samui (Thailand), Palawan (Philippines), Dubai (UAE), and Paris (France).

Focusing on expansion in its core markets of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts specializes in business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts, all reflecting a sense of place and respect for their local communities. Of Swiss heritage and headquartered in Zurich, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is passionate about delivering premium service, culinary enjoyment, and sustainable environments – all with a personal touch.

The hotel company is owned by the Mövenpick Holding (66.7 percent) and the Kingdom Group (33.3 percent). For more information, please visit www.moevenpick-hotels.com .

Media Contact: Laura Perez, Director of Communications – Middle East. Phone +971 4 367 1927 Fax +971 4 367 2688. E-mail : [email protected]

ABOUT FARNEK AVIREAL

Farnek Avireal is one of the region’s foremost property and facilities management outsource companies. With a skilled workforce of more than 1,500 people, Farnek Avireal has offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and maintains over 1,000 properties alone on behalf of many international and regional companies. For more information, visit www.farnek.com .

ABOUT GREEN GLOBE CERTIFICATION

Green Globe Certification is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally-accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe Certification is based in California, USA, and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe Certification is a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, supported by the United Nations Foundation. For more information, visit www.greenglobe.com .