Singapore’s leading industry school for hospitality and tourism education, SHATEC held its fifth annual Hospitality Conference last Friday. Pictured left to right: Mr Lim Boon Kwee, CEO of SHATEC; panel moderator Ms Karen Yue, Group Editor of TTG Asia Media; Ms Jeanne Ng, Director of SHATEC Board & Director of The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts; Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment; Ms Dawn Teo, Director of SHATEC Board & Senior Vice President of Amara Hotels and Resorts; Ms Margaret Heng, Director of SHATEC Board & Executive Director of Singapore Hotel Association; and Mr Choe Peng Sum, Chief Executive Officer of Pan Pacific Hotels Group.
Singapore, 27 March 2023 – In support of the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap jointly launched by Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) last March, SHATEC, the local training arm of SHA presented its annual Hospitality Conference (SHC) at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore on 24th March 2023 last Friday.
Themed “Sustainability: Fight or Flight”, SHATEC brought together some of the leading minds in sustainability development for the hospitality and tourism industries, delving deeply into the topics of sustainability and resource management, as well as circular economy approaches for over 100 hoteliers, industry stakeholders and professionals in attendance.
“Sustainability is no longer a buzzword in the hospitality scene, but today, it is becoming a core value driving the industry. Singapore has recently been certified as a sustainable destination based on the Global Sustainability Tourism Council (GSTC)’s Destination Criteria,” shared Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment. “With this certification, I urge hospitality organisations to press on with and step up their contributions towards sustainable tourism.”
“To augment the goals of the SG Green Plan 2030, we took a decisive step to integrate sustainability within the conference for the hospitality industry,” explained Mr Lim Boon Kwee, Chief Executive Officer of SHATEC. “The conference highlighted the macro and micro issues challenging hotels and businesses today in their competitive transition to a climate-resilient future, and the power of innovation, design and technology as well as education to revolutionise hospitality operations.”
In his keynote speech on Pan Pacific Hotel Group’s circular journey, its Chief Executive Officer Mr Choe Peng Sum said, “Hotels contribute not just food waste, but also heavy water and energy usage. It will be expensive to upgrade the infrastructure of 80 per-cent of hotels in Singapore, but we need to do it as responsible stewards of the environment for the hotel industry.” Mr Choe further expressed to business owners and hospitality leaders, “Many travellers are looking for sustainable hotels but it’s not easy for them to find green accommodations. If we plan it right, designing energy-efficient new hotels or retrofitting existing ones with green technology can be economically viable.”
The day-long conference on sustainability in hospitality featured cutting-edge insights on achieving greater corporate sustainability from a panel of industry experts. On stage from left to right: Panellists Mr Eric Ricaurte, Founder/CEO of Greenview; Mr Jesper Palmqvist, Senior Director Asia Pacific of STR; Ms Tan Yen Nee, Director, Hospitality Division, Policy & Planning Group of Singapore Tourism Board; Ms Jeannette Ho, Vice President of Raffles Global Brand Strategy & Strategic Partnerships and moderator Ms Karen Yue, Group Editor of TTG Asia Media.
After the second panel discussion on “Sustainability in Hospitality: Circular Journey from Waste to Wealth”. From left to right: Mr Choe Peng Sum, Chief Executive Officer of Pan Pacific Hotels Group; Mr John Timson, Vice President Sustainability and Safety – South East Asia, Japan and Korea of Accor; Ms Karen Yue, Group Editor of TTG Asia Media; Mr Lim Boon Kwee, Chief Executive Officer of SHATEC; Mr Chen Wenjie, Associate Director of Building System & Diagnostics (BSD); and Mr Jason Hoen, Global Sales & Marketing Director, Green Eco Technologies.
Read the full press release on Hospitality Net.
To enquire about SHATEC’s Green Series courses, please check out our CLASS @SHATEC page!
Conference Overview
Sustainability in Hospitality: Fight or Flight (Part 1) - The road towards Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 requires hospitality organisations to have a clear and comprehensive strategy for driving profitable growth while being mindful of their social, environmental, and financial impacts. Sustainability management can strengthen an organisation’s competitive edge, simultaneously improving its reputation and increasing its ability to attract and engage its stakeholders - staff, guests, and suppliers.
Sustainability in Hospitality: Circular Journey from Waste to Wealth (Part 2) - Our planet’s limited resources underscore a pressing need for the hospitality sector to embrace sustainable practices and effect a paradigm shift towards a circular economy. The implementation of such a model holds the potential to not only mitigate the negative environmental impact of waste but also spur economic growth and promote social well-being by fostering a waste reduction and resource conservation culture. This segment explores the transition by hospitality establishments towards the circular economy and the challenges and benefits of such a move.
About SHATEC Hospitality Conference
The annual SHATEC Hospitality Conference (SHC) is a strategic platform bringing together hospitality experts in ownership, management, operational, commercial, financial and technological roles. The conference features sessions focusing on the current issues and trends within the Singapore hospitality scene as well as great networking opportunities.
Organised by SHATEC with support from government agencies and trade partners, the inaugural SHC was held in December 2018 which attracted over a hundred hospitality professionals.