Hilton Worldwide Introduces Carbon Offset Program for Events and Meetings in Southeast Asia

Industry-leading initiative reduces environmental impact of events at no cost to customers

SINGAPORE - Friday, October 5th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hilton Worldwide today launched a carbon offset program for events and meetings held at select properties across Southeast Asia. At no additional cost to customers, Hilton Worldwide will measure carbon generated by all events at 11 of its properties in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and purchase carbon credits to offset their environmental impact. The carbon credits will be used to fund renewable energy projects in Borneo and Cambodia.

“Sustainability is a priority to Hilton Worldwide and a central part of how we do business. For us, it is not just about saying we are committed to sustainability, it is about taking action,” said William Costley, vice president, operations - Southeast Asia, Hilton Worldwide. “This program gives organizations and individuals a sustainable choice for their conferences, meetings or social events. By offsetting carbon emissions at no additional cost to our customers, together we are able to give back to the environment and benefit important renewable energy projects in the region.”

Hilton Worldwide is the first and only major multi-brand hospitality company to make sustainability measurement and corrective action a brand standard at each of its more than 3,900 hotels globally.

The program applies to events held from October 1, 2012. It covers all events such as meetings, conferences, weddings and other social occasions held in the participating hotels’ function rooms. Hilton Worldwide will use its LightStay™ Meeting Impact Calculator to track and measure carbon emissions from each event held. The calculator takes into account factors such as the event room water and electricity usage, food consumed, and guest rooms booked. LightStay™ is Hilton Worldwide’s proprietary system for analyzing, reporting and improving sustainability performance at each of its properties around the world. It offers tools and resources for hotels to improve performance and share best practices.

Reporting through LightStay™, Hilton Worldwide has achieved its five-year goal to reduce total waste output by 20 percent; and is on track to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions by 20 percent, and water consumption by 10 percent, by 2013.

Working with Climate Friendly, a carbon offset solutions provider, Hilton Worldwide has identified two initial beneficiaries of the carbon offset program in Southeast Asia. They are the Borneo Rainforest Rehabilitation Project and Cambodia Cookstove Project.

“Increasingly, organizations are becoming more concerned about the impact of their business and activities on the environment,” said Costley. “Hilton Worldwide’s Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia enables companies to measure the environmental impact of their events and offset this impact in a meaningful way.”

Hotels taking part in the launch phase of the program are:

    Conrad Centennial Singapore
    Hilton Singapore
    Hilton Kuala Lumpur
    DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur
    Hilton Petaling Jaya
    Hilton Kuching
    Millennium Hilton Bangkok
    Conrad Bangkok
    Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa
    Hilton Pattaya
    Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa

Supporting resources:

Learn more about Hilton MICE in Southeast Asia

Learn more about the Hilton Worldwide Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia

About the Borneo Rainforest Rehabilitation Project

The Borneo Rainforest Rehabilitation Project aims to restore the rainforests of Sabah, Malaysia and grow the habitable area for wildlife such as orang-utans, sun bears, gibbons, pygmy elephants and the critically endangered Sumatran Rhino. Apart from growing the habitable area for wildlife, the rainforest restoration will also contribute to lowering greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.

About the Cambodian Cookstove Project

The Cambodian Cookstove Project focuses on the production and mass distribution of a New Lao Stove, an energy-efficient cookstove. Nearly 90 per cent of Cambodians depend daily on fuel-wood and charcoal for cooking, which contributes to the depletion of forest resources. The New Lao Stove saves 22 per cent of wood and charcoal compared to traditional stoves. Widespread use of the New Lao Stove is seen to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve Cambodia's forests.

About LightStay™

LightStay™ is a proprietary system developed to calculate and analyze sustainability performance. LightStay™ measures multiple utility and operational metrics such as (but not limited to) energy, water, carbon, housekeeping, paper product usage, waste, chemical storage, air quality and transportation. In addition, LightStay™ provides social networking tools that allow properties to communicate and share information, and features a "meeting impact calculator" element that calculates the sustainability impact of any meeting or conference held at a property. Hilton Worldwide is the first multi-brand hospitality company to make sustainability measurement a brand standard and recently earned ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications for quality and environmental management - one of the largest volume certifications awarded for commercial buildings. In 2010 alone, the company saved more than $74 million in utility costs through a 6.6 percent reduction of energy use; 7.8 percent reduction of carbon output; 19 percent reduction of waste output; and 3.8 percent reduction of water use. www.HiltonWorldwide.com/corporate-responsibility/

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,900 hotels and timeshare properties, with 640,000 rooms in 91 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.

About Climate Friendly

Climate Friendly is Australia’s leading provider of carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates. It was founded in 2003 and has a global client base. Its high quality, full service offering means it is the supplier of choice for organisations around the globe. www.climatefriendly.com

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Contacts

Audrey Wong

Hilton Worldwide Asia Pacific

+65 6833 9763

audrey.wong@hilton.com