Environmental Leadership in Chilean Patagonia
Hotel Rey Don Felipe's Commitment to Sustainability in Punta Arenas, Chile
Leader (lee-der) - noun. A guiding or directing head of an army, a political group, or a movement.
It takes courage to be a leader. Leadership requires thinking about the big picture, making difficult decisions, and taking risks, sometimes without seeing an immediate benefit. Great leaders are found in every industry; in every corner of the world. Hotel Rey Don Felipe, an eight year old hotel located in the small town of Punta Arenas, Chile, is one such leader.
It takes courage to be a leader. Leadership requires thinking about the big picture, making difficult decisions, and taking risks, sometimes without seeing an immediate benefit. Great leaders are found in every industry; in every corner of the world. Hotel Rey Don Felipe, an eight year old hotel located in the small town of Punta Arenas, Chile, is one such leader.
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Home to just under 125,000 residents, Punta Arenas sits on the Magellan Strait in Chilean Patagonia. It’s a quaint town overflowing with friendly people, two-day tourists and a whole lot of charm. Surrounded by some of the world’s most impressive ecosystems and natural landscapes, it’s where nature lovers from across the globe come to marvel at the nearby mountains, glaciers, and wild penguins. Ironically, most hotels in the area do little to preserve this stunning place at the end of the world. And while local hoteliers have fallen far behind the surging sustainable tourism movement, Hotel Rey Don Felipe is pushing forward in every way it can.
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In 2007, when the 45-room hotel opened it’s doors in downtown Punta Arenas, the leadership team knew it wanted to run a hotel that focused on environmental responsibility. At this time, there was no award for embracing sustainability, no certifications to drive more bookings, and no other hotels in town focusing on the environment.
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In fact, this small city surrounded by the one of the most incredible natural landscapes in the world, still lacks the infrastructure to support a recycling system. This means that tons of plastic bottles are dumped into a nearby landfill each year.
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But the team had a long term vision. It started with a program to educate guests on the importance of sustainability and was quickly followed by a hotel-wide recycling program. Staff were trained to sort all recyclables from rooms and the hotel restaurant into different containers, while leadership worked to contract a third-party enterprise to pick up the recyclables and transport them to the nearest recycling facility, in Santiago. It’s a substantial effort and expense which, to this day, shows no financial return.
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Hotel Rey Don Felipe’s sustainability initiatives quickly grew. They replaced the hotel’s lightbulbs with CFL’s, reduced the amount of hotel laundry and therefore water usage, and added key-card electricity (ensuring no electricity is used when the guest is out of the room). More recently, they installed bulk soap and shampoo dispensers in each guest washroom to discourage the use of small plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles. In 2015, the hotel's efforts were rewarded with TripAdvisor GreenLeaders Bronze status. But the team isn't stopping there. They are committed to attaining “Distinction S” (Distincion Turismo Sustenable), a rigorous certification offered by the Chilean National System for Distinction of Sustainable Tourism. To achieve this distinction, they will be implementing low flow shower heads, as well as a solar heating system.
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Many of these environmental initiatives don’t yield any short term savings. In fact, some cost the hotel additional money. General Manager, Enrique Garin, notes that the hotel’s commitment to sustainability is neither financial nor consumer driven. All hotel expenses are covered by the operation. The Chilean certification is new and not very not well known amongst international travelers, and therefore isn’t yet a driver for new bookings. No other hotels in the area focus on sustainability and local visitors from Chile and neighboring Argentina often don’t see the value in a sustainable hotel choice. However, Hotel Rey Don Felipe continues to invest in these environmental initiatives for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do.
Seeing the bigger picture, making difficult decisions and investing in what is right. Hotel Rey Don Felipe, a beautiful hotel in the small town of Punta Arenas pushing the envelope in sustainability, encompasses all of these qualities. A true example of leadership at it’s best.
About Hotel Rey Don Felipe
> Hotel Rey Don Felipe has 45 rooms, including doubles, triples, superior rooms and suites
> The room rate includes access to the fitness facility, whirlpool and sauna, as well as a delicious breakfast buffet in the hotel’s restaurant
> Rates start at $170 during off-season; $232 in high-season
> The hotel is located in Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost city. Direct flights to the city’s international airport, Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, are available from Santiago daily. Some international connections, such as Ushuaia, Rio Grande, Rio Gallegos, El Calafate and Puerto Argentino are also available.
> Punta Arenas offers numerous tourist activities - the most famous being Isla Magdalena Island, home to a colony of 120,000 wild penguins. Torres Del Paine National Park is also a five hour drive.
> For more information, visit www.hotelreydonfelipe.com
> The room rate includes access to the fitness facility, whirlpool and sauna, as well as a delicious breakfast buffet in the hotel’s restaurant
> Rates start at $170 during off-season; $232 in high-season
> The hotel is located in Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost city. Direct flights to the city’s international airport, Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, are available from Santiago daily. Some international connections, such as Ushuaia, Rio Grande, Rio Gallegos, El Calafate and Puerto Argentino are also available.
> Punta Arenas offers numerous tourist activities - the most famous being Isla Magdalena Island, home to a colony of 120,000 wild penguins. Torres Del Paine National Park is also a five hour drive.
> For more information, visit www.hotelreydonfelipe.com
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