The most prominent eco-certification in Copenhagen is the Green Key, which accounts for 48% of eco-certifications in Copenhagen. During the last quarter of 2011, the requirements for a Green Key were increased further as Mikal Holt Jensen, head of the Green Key Secretariat at HORESTA (the Danish trade association for the catering, hotel and hospitality industry), explains:
“Our demands have been optimised, for example in relation to reducing water use, the use of organic products, eco-friendly cleaning materials and focus on reducing the use of electricity and heat.”
Among the hotels which have recently received a Green Key are the FIRST Hotel Vesterbo, Bella Sky Comwell and Hotel Tiffany. First Hotel Vesterbro, with 400 rooms, has worked with sustainable hotel management for several years and is the first hotel within the FIRST hotel chain to receive a Green Key. The brand new Bella Sky Comwell, with 812 rooms, was built according to the latest environmentally friendly standards and technologies. Meanwhile, Hotel Tiffany, in the hip Vesterbro city quarter, also met the requirements for a Green Key certification.
During its presidency of the EU, which has just been ended, the Danish government ensured that all official hotels and venues used for the 110 meetings were eco-certified. As a result, the Danish EU Presidency was the first to receive the international ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management. A month from now the London Olympics will be aiming to achieve the same standards in order to receive the same ISO 20121 certification
MCI Vienna’s successful planning and realisation of conferences, incentives, customer and employee events, and product launches and galas was rewarded. MCI Vienna is certificated for the ÖkoBusinessPlan Wien for 2012
Claudia Lojer, MCI Vienna’s Managing Director, summarises the team’s ambitions: “We want to reach people on an emotional level and create events which leave a lasting impression.” MCI has annual themes, this year our motto is “we have a dream”. Customer projects profit from our live-communication experts’ local know-how, as well as their longstanding international experience.
“Our dedication, creativity, and attention to detail benefit not only benefit our immediate customers, but also their customers and business partners. Corporate Social Responsibility and Health & Safety are core values of MCI.”
The Viennese team is part of the global MCI community with 47 branches and, by pooling ideas and potentials, can make customers’ events a lasting experience. Our efforts result in perfectly implemented projects, inspiring people by means of countless ideas and a special touch that sticks. #
MCI Vienna sets standards regarding quality assurance measures: The agency’s management is the only one of its kind in Austria to hold the national certification for event-management “Certified Event Master” (ISO/IEC 17024).
MCI is celebrating its 25th anniversary – Vienna therefore will celebrate a “dream day” on June 29th, 2012.
Moritz brewery was built in Barcelona in 1864 at 41 Ronda de Sant Antoni. Still owned by the brewer, the original factory site has been refurbished into a new centre for leisure, entertainment and gastronomy. The venue has two spaces – The Vats Room for 160 delegates in the bare brick brew house area and Sala 39, a purpose built events space complete with special lighting features for up to 250 delegates on the basement floor of the factory.
The Ramada Hyde Park has been rebranded as the London Hyde Park Hotel. A Canadian group has bought ownership of the hotel, and following a full refurbishment the property is projected to become the DoubleTree by Hilton Hyde Park, to complement the nearby Hilton Hyde Park. The refurbishment is currently in planning stages, and is due in the next few years.
US hotel group Starwood Capital is to sell four key French properties, including the Martinez in Cannes, the Concorde Lafayette and Hotel du Louvre in Paris and the Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice, to a Qatari investor. A source close to the sale said the buyer was Katara Hospitality, formerly known as Qatar National Hotels Co., which is looking to extend its luxury hotel portfolio. Katara Hospitality notably owns Paris’s luxury Peninsula hotel that is to open next year.
Austria has just celebrtaed its100-year-old Law on Islam, seen as a symbol of toleranc for Muslims across Europe.
The law gives Muslims the same rights as other officially recognised religions in Austria, such as Catholicism, Lutheranism, Judaism and Buddhism. At the weekend senior members of the Austrian government and the country’s Islamic Community attended ceremonies to mark the centenary. Islam has been an officially recognised religion in Austria for 100 years.
The Law on Islam, described as unique in Europe by members of the Austrian Islamic Community, guarantees Muslims in the country wide-ranging rights including religious education in state schools, administration of internal affairs and public worship.
In a speech at Vienna’s neo-Gothic town hall, the head of Austria’s Islamic Community, Fuat Sanac, described the law as an example for the rest of Europe. Islam in Austria, he said, was seen by most people as an enrichment, not as a danger.
Austria’s President Heinz Fischer, speaking at the same ceremony, called for peaceful and respectful relations. He stressed that Austria’s official religions, because of their legal status, were obliged to “respect and accept the laws of the state”.
Emirates airline will start operating its new route on July 9, with daily links between the Portuguese capital and Dubai, representing an increase of 150,000 passengers a year at Lisbon airport. This new route consolidates the position of the Portuguese capital’s airport as a European hub, taking advantage of its location. The flight between Lisbon and Dubai takes eight hours and allows connections to multiple destinations, including many countries where Portuguese is spoken and feature on the Emirates network, such as India, Angola, South Africa and Brazil.
