While in the midst of implementing its new brand, Rosewood Tucker’s Point also celebrated being certified by Los Angeles-based Green Globe.And while it meant that Facilities Manager Kevin Lanthier had a lot on his plate, the Rosewood brand and the Green Globe certification ended up being an excellent match. Rosewood recently took over the operations at the Tucker’s Town hotel.Green Globe is a certification programme for sustainable tourism and along with certifying hotels also certifies spas, tour operators, conference centres and attractions.The certification can help hotels save energy and water resources, reduce operational costs, and positively contribute to local communities and the surrounding environment.One of the Rosewood Hotel brand’s number one priorities is to enhance the guests’ experience with the location’s culture, history and geography. The brand is also committed to its core values of the environment and surroundings, according to Mr Lanthier.Mr Lanthier has been the facilities manager at Tucker’s Point for the past six years.He says: “Throughout my tenure I’ve tried to facilitate sustainability of the hotel and buildings to keep Tucker’s Point as green as green can be.”He was lucky to come to a property that was built with the environment in mind.“Some very smart people that built the hotel ensured that the buildings were environmentally friendly by installing hot water solar heaters, state of the art waste management programme and lighting systems.”When he was introduced to the Green Globe certification programme last year during a presentation made by Denaye Hinds of architectural design firm OBM International, who audited the property for Green Globe, he says he knew that the certification programme would fit “hand in hand” with the Rosewood brand.“Not an ounce of waste water goes into the ground or into the water surrounding the property,” Mr Lanthier explains. “That’s a claim to fame we can be proud of.”Some of the criteria for certification include management of waste, water, hiring practices and social responsibility towards the surrounding community.“The certification looks at the entire sustainability plan within the operation,” explains Ms Hinds, who is the director of sustainability at OBMI based in Miami. “The social and economic side is all very important and deals with commitment to the community as well as hiring practices, such as hiring locals and building on hiring practices.“The location and incorporating the heritage and culture of the area is also important. Guests should be aware of all the different things to do in Bermuda shops and restaurant suggestions where they can get local food like fish chowder or codfish and potatoes. Guests should feel like no matter where they are staying the local culture is implemented in the brand.”The diversity of the staff is also an important feature and celebrating the diversity within the hotel is all part of the package.Mr Lanthier adds, “Twenty percent of the certification is about ‘tree hugging’. It’s also the other criteria heritage and employee training that make up a very important part of the certification.”With the Rosewood brand now in place, he says training practices have changed dramatically for the better.“The external/internal guest harmony is what will make us successful. The Rosewood culture in vision and standards and the training which has been provided for our staff and management has allowed us to step up our game,” he says.The Rosewood brand also embraces the environment and surroundings and part of employee responsibility includes going green, he adds.Going forward the Green Globe certification programme continually tracks the progress of the hotel in terms of sustainability.“We will focus on training, training, training,” says Mr Lanthier. “We’d also like to figure out a way to implement in room recycling but need to make sure that it is a standard that looks good and see how guests will perceive it.”