A merry sustainable Christmas at Novotel Manila
MANILA, Philippines – Novotel Manila Araneta City rekindled the spirit of the season as it launched a meaningful and sustainable Christmas celebration during its tree lighting ceremony last November 20.
Using recycled scraps, reused decorations and repurposed materials, hotel employees dubbed as "Heartists," personally decked the halls with creatively crafted Christmas ornaments.
At the centerpiece was a Christmas tree composed of 20 layers of empty wine bottles—all 707 of them—illuminated with more than 2,600 light bulbs.
“Our team wanted to go beyond the hotel walls and bring attention to a much bigger issue, which is sustainability,” said Novotel Manila General Manager Mike Brown.
“It is indeed the glowing symbol of Novotel Manila Araneta City’s strong commitment to our AccorHotels global Planet 21 sustainability program, which is implementing ways to address environmental and social issues,” said Therese Galindo, director of Guest Experience and Sustainability at Novotel Manila.
Other unique decors include an innovative Christmas tree made of damaged trash bins, a reindeer made out of used soap and buttons for eyes.
At the Gourmet Bar and Food Exchange Manila, Christmas trees made of used wooden spoons, mussels and scallop shells adorned the dining area.
Giving back to the community
A heartfelt gift from Novotel Manila Araneta City—through its "RiiSE As One Committee" headed by Hotel Manager Maria Garcia—was also presented to two deserving youth advocates of EPCAT, a worldwide network of organizations working to end the sexual exploitation of children.
The gift is a six-month apprenticeship program starting January 2020, received by Danna Joi Campos and Ronnie Baloca, together with Louie Esguerra, project development officer at ECPAT Philippines.
“The issue of sexual exploitation is also cross-cut with poverty. With Novotel providing this apprenticeship program to two youth advocates of ECPAT means providing them with more than decent work in the future,” Esguerra said.
Novotel Manila Araneta City and ECPAT Philippines have since been in partnership in ensuring children’s rights, advocacy and child-safe tourism.
For more information about Novotel Manila Araneta City, visit www.novotel.com, www.accorhotels.com, or www.novotelmanilaaranetacity.com.
