Why This Stunning Hotel in Mexico Won the 50 Best Eco Hotel Award
18 September 2024
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Photo Credit: The Sustainable Restaurant Association (TSRA)
WE’RE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE WINNER OF THE WORLD’S 50 BEST HOTELS 2024 ECO HOTEL AWARD IS MAROMA, A BELMOND HOTEL, RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO!
This marks only the second year of The World’s 50 Best Hotels, and the awards ceremony was held once more at the City of London’s historic Guildhall, yesterday, 17th September. We’re proud to judge the Flor de Caña Eco Hotel Award, just as we also evaluate the other Sustainability Awards across the entire 50 Best calendar.
To facilitate the judging process, every hotel that applies for the Flor de Caña Eco Hotel Award completes a condensed version of our Food Made Good Standard. This evaluates everything from their approach to responsible sourcing and menu design to how they interact with their staff and communities.
Read on to learn more about Maroma and why this award was so well-deserved.
Why Maroma won the Flor de Caña Eco Hotel Award
An Outstanding Commitment To Biodiversity
Maroma’s commitment to sustainability takes a holistic approach, but one important focus is biodiversity protection, with initiatives that aim to educate and raise awareness of both for employees and guests. As a seaside resort, a key highlight is Maroma’s partnership with Parley for the Oceans, an NGO that works to protect the ocean from plastic pollution. This partnership involves three initiatives:
- Coral Mapping: employees are involved in monitoring the coral barrier, engaging with scientific experts and learning how to use an AI programme called Map2Adapt to create a 3D model of corals.
- Beach Clean-ups: employees and their families are invited to participate in regular clean-up days, supporting education and awareness.
- Parley Talks: tailored Parley talks raise awareness of the state of the oceans, inspire employees to act and generate support for initiatives that protect oceans.
As part of their efforts to safeguard native wildlife, and working in partnership with the government, they protect four species of sea turtles, relocating those at risk to their turtle camp. This initiative led to more than 10,000 young turtles being released in 2023.
Beyond the sea, Maroma has a sanctuary for the Melipona Bee, an endemic species threatened by deforestation, raising awareness and educating both staff and guests. They’re also gathering data to implement appropriate measures after a recent study has found that two species of endemic parrots feed and nest in their site.
Sourcing Sustainably at Maroma
At the beginning of 2024, Maroma established a sustainability purchasing policy; this guides their decision-making process and specifies the minimum standards, certifications and information required to validate their traceability and sustainability. Within their F&B operations, this is supported by Executive Chef Daniel Camacho, who has become an ambassador of ‘Pesca con Futuro’, a communication campaign that aims to enhance transparency and traceability in sourcing seafood, promote sustainable and responsible seafood consumption and guarantee the future of fishing, aquaculture and marine biodiversity in Mexico and Latin America.
Social Sustainability At Maroma
In addition to their extensive training programmes, Maroma also takes care of its staff through a wellness committee that implements monthly activities, as well as 24/7 medical services, mental health counselling, nutritional advice and legal consultation.
Beyond the team itself, Maroma also supports their community with education-focused projects. These include:
- Bee School, an educational programme for students from marginalised communities designed to raise awareness of the importance of protecting bees and maintaining traditional know-how,
- Life for My School, which implements biotechnologies (such as vermicomposting and hydroponics) in schools within marginalised communities, and
- Community Day, which offers the opportunity for staff to volunteer three times a year for various causes, from dog shelters to rehabilitation of parks.
Duck dish at Apricity.
Photo credit: Paul Richardson
The team at Apricity undertook their first Food Made Good evaluation in early 2024 and were awarded three well-deserved stars by our team of evaluators. More Plants, Better Meat was one of their highest-scoring focus areas, with an incredible 95%. “The certification provided by The SRA is a true indication of all the work that goes into taking concrete action and running a sustainable operation,” says Chantelle. “The process itself stood out, too: not only it is very thorough and well designed, but advice is also offered where needed to ensure that best practices are put in place. It is a comprehensive Framework helping us improve and push the business in the right direction.”
Photo credit: Belmond Hotels
Waliki Coffee, Bolivia.
Photo credit: Ozone Coffee
Photo credit: Belmond Hotels
Source: The Sustainable Restaurant Association
