Green Asara
Environmental Mission Statement
To fully utilize the natural elements of our surroundings and use innovate Green Initiatives to deliver a 5-Star experience to all our guests.
Environmental conservation is an increasingly important responsibility of any organization, and the hospitality industry is certainly no exception. To ensure that our planet is not unnecessarily affected by our presence, Asara Villa & Suite has committed numerous resources to enact green initiatives that can be seen throughout the resort. From advanced water conserving sprinkler systems to the use of indigenous landscaping and floral decorations, a wide range of green initiatives have been implemented to support our core environmental values.
The key function of all environmentally friendly practices is reusablity. Cutting down on unnecessary waste decreases our carbon footprint and puts less strain on the ecosystem. In addition to conventional recycling programs for our disposable waste, we have also enacted the following practices:
Reusable Ceramic Amenity Containers - One of the most common waste products of the hotel industry is the amenity containers found in the guest bathrooms. The little bottles of shampoo, body wash and conditioner found in every quality hotel are changed out after the guest leaves, and as the cost of these containers is not generally significant, most hotels simply throw them away and replace them with new plastic containers which will eventually make their way to a landfill. Asara Villa & Suite breaks this cycle of waste by using reusable ceramic containers for bathroom products, properly cleaned and refilled for each new guest, thus creating an attractive and environmentally sustainable solution to this problem.
Effective Microorganisms (EM) - A method of improving soil quality and plant growth using a special formula derived from all-natural ingredients, EM systems can provide significant benefits to the local flora and our organic gardens. The process positively affects the quality and health of the diverse plant-life found throughout the resort, as well as being eco-friendly alternative to traditional chemical fertilizers. Asara Villa & Suite creates all our EM materials in-house using a combination of pineapple compost, left-over fruit and vegetables, and molasses. Effective Microorganisms are highly effective for the following applications:
Fertilizing the diverse array of plant life found in our gardens and along walkways, for healthier, more attractive greenery
As an all-natural pesticide, anti-bacterial solution, and very effective insect repellent for our guests
Improving air quality by generating oxygen to remove odors and helping plants flourish
Energy Saving Initiatives - Modern advances in eco-technologies have allowed for continuous improvements in both quality and efficiency for electrical appliances, lighting systems and water usage. As a newly constructed resort, tremendous effort was made to ensure that solutions to our electrical and irrigation needs were environmentally conscious ones. To address these concerns, the following initiatives were implemented:
Water Recycling & Smart Sprinklers - One of Asara Villa & Suite’s signature elements is our lush tropical gardens surrounding the resort. Maintaining such a diverse garden comes with significant irrigation requirements, which made it necessary for us to examine alternatives to traditional gardening with municipal water. Because the design of the resort incorporated two large ponds that are home to many fish and aquatic plants (effectively reducing the number of mosquitoes), the water used for the ponds had to be treated before being suitable for sustaining life. As such, we developed water recycling systems to feed clean pond water to our highly efficient and advanced irrigation systems for our gardens. This combination of water recycling and smart sprinkler systems has a considerable impact on our water usage, thus providing both an eco-friendly and economically viable solution to our water needs.
Energy Saving Lighting - One of the hallmarks of Asara Villa & Suite is our open, spacious and airy design. In addition to inviting a feeling of openness and relaxation, the architecture also allows for staff to minimize the use of artificial lighting, as there is sufficient natural light for all our administrative functions during the day. For nighttime use, energy saving lighting systems have been installed throughout the resort, including all guest rooms and restaurants.
Conservation Credo - As stated in our Environmental Mission Statement above, we believe that each of us has a responsibility to implement green initiatives wherever possible. All of our staff have taken to heart this important message, and continually work to find creative measures to reduce unnecessary consumption of water and electricity, as well as reducing material waste to an absolutely minimum. Working together, we believe that our individual efforts, no matter how small, will have a cumulative positive effect on the environment and help us create a sustainable world for tomorrow. We kindly urge our guests to assist us in this effort.
Nature's Art - Asara Villa & Suite occupies 11 rai of land, of which 6.5 rai is set aside for our tropical gardens. More than just beautiful scenery for our guests, we use these indigenous plants for all of the leaf ornamentation found in the resort. By using these natural, local plants we are able to provide our guests with an authentic tropical experience while also reducing our need for outside materials.
Indigenous Plant Life - When Asara Villa & Suite was first being constructed, great care was taken to ensure the existing plant life was not disturbed. All of the trees found on the resort were carefully removed during the development period and placed back in their original surrounding once the resort was completed. We take great pride in the diverse array of plant life found on the property – all of our signature trees and flowers are clearly labeled and our staff is always happy to provide guests with detailed information on the fascinating and exotic plant life found throughout the resort.
Organic Fruit and Vegetable Garden - Initially developed as a staff project to utilize the Effective Microorganisms (EF) used for our in-house fertilizers and insect repellent, a fully-contained organic vegetable garden was created to supplement the requirements of our restaurants. The success of this garden has brought a wonderful variety of organic herbs, fruit and vegetable for guests to enjoy, free of chemical pesticides and bursting with flavor.
Recycle Park - To create an added incentive for our staff to ensure that no recyclable waste is improperly disposed of, we have created a program in which the revenue earned from selling paper, aluminum and glass to recycling agencies is kept in a special cash account to used for staff welfare.
Gold Class Winner for Green Hotel 2009
In an effort to promote sustainable tourism in the Hua-Hin area and surrounding province, the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion has established a series of guidelines which are used to qualify local hotels as certified Green Hotels. The stringent criteria were created to address issues related to proper waste disposal, adherence to recycling programs, and environmentally conscious architecture and landscaping. Selection guidelines included management of natural resources, participation in local development projects, and environmentally conscious design.
Asara Villa & Suite is proud to have received the highest honor of being listed among the Gold Class Green Hotels of 2009.
The International Gold Nugget Awards for Architecture Design and Land Use Planning
The Gold Nugget Awards competition is sponsored by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) Western Building Show and Builder Magazine, official publication of America's National Association of Home Builders. This prestigious awards program, begun in 1963 and considered the oldest and largest program of its kind, annually recognizes design and planning excellence in the United States of America, Canada, Mexico and international projects worldwide.
The awards program has a widely-acclaimed reputation for being the competition that defines the leading edge in design – prominent for their trend-setting qualities and geographic reach. Entry categories range from custom homes to production housing, community planning, commercial, and industrial projects. Each entry is judged on its own merits by a panel of distinguished individuals with professional expertise in design, planning, and building.
Each year, from a typical field of over 500 entries, judges grant either the distinctive Merit Awards or, the building industry's most prestigious and most coveted recognition, the Grand Award. Representing diverse markets, Gold Nugget Award winners embody excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues.
Asara Villa & Suite is a proud winner of the highest honor, the Grand Award, in the category of Architecture and Land Use Planning.