Cairo, June 22, 2011 - Novotel Cairo El Borg received the EarthCheck Silver Certification - the international benchmarking certificate for environmental management - for its effort in sustainable environmental development.  Now all Novotel Egypt hotels are EarthCheck certified.

Since 2008, Novotel teams have been actively involved in the EarthCheck certification program - the first global certification program developed specifically for the tourism industry - in order for the entire Novotel network to become certified by 2012, which all Novotel hotels in Egypt achieved by May 2011.

The EarthCheck certification program measures the hotel's performance and commitment to an effective management system based on the notion of sustainable development and a strong commitment to ten key performance areas including the adoption of sustainable environmental and social policies, conserving energy and water consumption, solid waste management in terms of eco-label paper consumption and the use of biodegradable cleaning chemicals and pesticide products.

Contribution to local communities is considered one of the main criteria on which the EarthCheck certification is based.  The program requires at least 10 months to asses the hotel's performance to become certified by an independent auditor, with a long-term performance re-evaluation conducted every two years.

-Ends-

As the mid-scale hotel brand within the Accor group portfolio, Novotel offers close to 400 hotels and resorts in 60 countries, situated in the centre of major international cities from business districts to tourist destinations. Novotel's consistently high standard of service contributes to the wellbeing of both business and leisure travellers: think spacious, modular-design guestrooms, balanced cuisine available 24/7, excellent meeting facilities, attentive staff, dedicated children's areas and rejuvenating wellness facilities. The Novotel group is a pioneer in sustainable development and all Novotel hotels participate in the EarthCheck worldwide environmental certification programme.

© Press Release 2011