Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa: Guardians of the Montego Bay Community & Environment

Nestled between the scenic mountains and turquoise Caribbean waters, Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa is a 495-room all-inclusive resort, situated on the legendary 18th Century Rose Hall Estate in Montego Bay.

Montego Bay is home to a wide array of aquatic flora and fauna living within the delicate environment of our coral reefs. Our beaches accommodate a variety of birds, reptiles, and sea life. Our operation has potential impacts on these ecosystems and thus we are committed to monitoring them with stringent measures to protect the environment and community, while ensuring the health and safety of our associates, guests, suppliers, and stakeholders.

Hilton Rose Hall’s Green Guardians & Community Involvement

Sustainability Champion and Green Guardian at the resort, Kaye Ricketts, says, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Each month Hilton Rose Hall’s Green Guardians give back to the community in several altruistic outreach programs. Throughout 2021 was a total of ninety-four (94) donations and volunteer events with an estimated value of J$260,050 and 2563 staff hours volunteered. The hotel has given back to the surrounding community in the form of scholarships, back-to-school treats, the adoption of schools (Rose Hall Basic, Falmouth All Age and the St. James High Schools) in which they have given school supplies, furniture and performed general maintenance and beautification projects.

One initiative that the Green Guardians are extremely proud of is the adoption of a local infirmary called ‘Refuge of Hope’ located in Albion, Montego Bay, St. James. Over the years they have championed successful outreach on this project. The Green Guardians’ volunteering efforts included several infrastructural developments such as, painting, tiling, plumbing and electrical installation. Additional donations such as linen, non-perishable items, female & male clothing, shoes, and kitchen equipment formed part of the event. The volunteers also contributed a washing machine to Refuge of Hope clients and caretakers, which was welcomed with joyous tears. Community outreach is Hilton Rose Hall’s mandate, helping others is the mission. Even during this global pandemic, the resort maintained its focus and commitment to support the Refuge of Hope with donations and volunteering.

Green Guardians Herb Garden Restoration

Hilton Rose Hall's Green Guardians undertook a major project to restore and diversify the Herb Garden. The famous garden is a major talking point in the daily Nature Walk, that introduces many of the endemic plant varieties on property to guests. There are a variety of herbs, spices, vegetables, and fruits that are used by the resort’s chefs in the preparation of flavoursome dishes served to both guests and associates. Each item grown in the garden is labeled, and its specific nutritional value is added for general knowledge. Compost from the organic recycling is used as a natural fertiliser and even the fencing is constructed from reused board and pallets.

Recycling Initiatives

Over the past year, Hilton Rose Hall has actively partnered with several local community members and NGOs to assist in reducing, reusing, and recycling their waste. The resort has a consistent partnership with a local cooking oil recycling company. This has been a successful program since it was introduced and each month over 35% of the used cooking oil from the kitchens was recovered. This waste is in turn converted to "yellow grease" which can be used for biodiesel, soap and animal feed.

Additionally, the resort manages its organic wastes by partnering with pig farmers within the community, who visit the resort daily to collect the organic scraps for their animals. Portions of the organic scraps are also used to create compost at an offsite location. The resulting organic fertiliser is donated to the neighbourhood farming community to assist in offsetting costs. The resort’s ongoing glass recycling program works in partnership to donate material for use in the production of artificial reefs, which are then transplanted in the sea to aid with reef restoration. The Quality team spearheaded by Ms. Kaye Ricketts has recently taken it a step further to recycle inorganic waste (cardboard, cans and HDPE and PET plastics), that are compacted into bales and recycled.

Contacts:

Kaye Ricketts
Quality Manager

Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa
Phone: 876.953.2650 Ext: 4511
Mobile: 876.442.9221
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Kaye.Ricketts@playaresorts.com
www.resortsbyhilton.com/rose-hall

Bradley Cox
Director Communications

Green Globe Certification
1223 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 925
Santa Monica, CA 90403 / U.S.A.
Phone: +1-310-337-3000 ext. 105
Skype Direct +1 760 536 6581
Mobile +61 400 848 746
bcox@greenglobe.com
www.greenglobe.com

About Green Globe Certification
Green Globe 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 is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). For information, please visit www.greenglobe.com