Moving towards sustainability on the day of responsible tourism

Gunnar Á Gunnarsson, managing director, who signed the contract on behalf of Vottunarstofan Tún, for the Green Key certification stated „ Responsible tourism is not only a slogan for marketing purposes, moreover it is the premise of the field having a future. With signing this contract, confirming participation in the Green Key program, Íslandshótel have devoted themselves to fulfill very strict requirements and to get recognized for their contributions to responsible tourism. The contract is furthermore, a very important step in the history of the Green Key in Iceland which started back in 2015, but the contract enables tourists for the first time to stay at sustainability certified hotels by the Green Key all around the country.“  

„It´s a great pleasure for Klappir to have Íslandshótel as a part of their fast-expanding group of customers. It shows that Íslandshótel take social responsibility seriously and are doing everything within their power to support the ambitious environmental policy the company has set itself.” Stated Anton Birkir Sigfússon, managing director of business development, signing the contract on behalf of Klappir. 

Íslandshótel own and operate 18 hotels around the country as well as meeting and conferences facilities. The hotels include: Grand Hótel Reykjavík, Hótel Reykjavík Centrum, Hótel Reykjavík Saga and 15 Fosshotels around the country. 

When finished signing the contracts Erna Dís Ingólfsdóttir, chief HR and quality officer of Íslandshótel declared that “it is with great pleasure that we sign the contracts with Tún and Klappir on the day of responsible tourism, as responsible tourism is the foundation of the Íslandshótel vision statement. We want to set an example when it comes to creating a sustainable tourism in Iceland and by doing so, support the increasing welfare of our community, employees, customers, and environment through our daily operations. It is our responsibility as a leading business in the tourism field of Iceland. Stefán Karl Snorrason, HR development and quality manager agreed with those words and added “it´s a clear policy of Íslandshótel to be an exemplary company in Iceland, promoting social responsibility and climate protection. We want to protect our country’s environment for the generations to come. Furthermore, it is our company´s 30th birthday this year and very delightful to be able to celebrate this milestone by signing these contracts.” 

Currently, there are also 10 years since Grand Hótel Reykjavík received the certification of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, recognising their good performance regarding environmental issues. „The Green Key is therefore a very welcomed continuance of the work which started with the Nordic Swan in 2012. It is my belief, with the certification of the Green Key, that the hotel chain will become more promising and sought-after choice for our guests. We can be very proud of the hard work which we have put into environmental and social issues in the recent years and the managerial team of the company deserve much credit for their courage and foresight in these matters” concluded Guðlaugur Sæmundsson, purchasing manager.