Catalonia Hotels & Resorts, Le Méridien, and Hotel Sierra de Cazorla, winners of the 3rd Hotel CSR Award

The award was presented this Friday, November 18, during the Spanish Hoteliers Congress held by the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT).

Catalonia Hotels & Resorts, Le Méridien Barcelona, and Hotel Sierra de Cazorla were the three winners of the 3rd edition of the Hotel CSR Award, organized by Fundación InterMundial Seguros in collaboration with Tourism&Law and the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT). The winners received their awards this Friday, November 18, during the Spanish Hoteliers Congress held by the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT).

Le Méridien Barcelona was the winner in the Social Category, with the jury highlighting its commitment to local and international associations and its work toward social inclusion. The hotel contributes to various NGOs and social initiatives, such as UNICEF, through the WASH project for water channeling in developing countries, the Food Bank, the donation of meals to soup kitchens, and the training and hiring of young people at risk of social exclusion.

Since 2009, Catalonia Hotels & Resorts has carried out the "Catalonia builds a house for your family" project, which aims to support its employees by building decent housing for their families—an initiative that has already benefited 14 families in the Dominican Republic and 21 in Mexico. For this project, the hotel was honored with the Hotel CSR Award in the Economic Category, with the jury highlighting its deep commitment to its employees and collaborators.

Hotel Sierra de Cazorla was the winner in the Environmental Category for its sustainable growth and seamless integration with its surroundings. The hotel holds several certifications, including the Tourist Quality in Destination seal, the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, and the Natural Park of Andalusia brand. Furthermore, it has significantly reduced its consumption of electricity, water, gas, chemicals, and waste through various initiatives and utilizes biomass boilers, using olive pits to generate hot water and energy.

The awards were presented by Manuel López, CEO of Grupo InterMundial and trustee of Fundación InterMundial Seguros; Javier del Nogal, General Manager of Tourism & Law and trustee of Fundación InterMundial Seguros; and David Hoyos, Director of Tourism & Law, during the closing ceremony of the Spanish Hoteliers Congress.

The jury members for this 3rd edition of the award were: Manuel López, CEO of Grupo InterMundial and trustee of Fundación InterMundial Seguros; Javier del Nogal, General Manager of Tourism&Law and trustee of Fundación InterMundial Seguros; Joan Molas, President of CEHAT; Ramón Estalella, Secretary General of CEHAT; Valentín Ugalde, Manager of CEHAT; José Ángel Preciados, Director of Ilunion Hoteles; Raúl Jiménez, CEO of Minube; Ricardo Fernández Flores, Chief Strategy Officer of Destinia; Vivi Hinojosa, hotel specialist editor at Hosteltur; and Esther Eiros, director of the Onda Cero program "Gente viajera."

"This award highlights the great work that many Spanish hotels are already doing in Corporate Social Responsibility," explains Manuel López, trustee of Fundación InterMundial Seguros. "The three winners were chosen for the perfect integration of CSR into their business policies and for understanding that for tourism to be sustainable, it must be socially responsible."

The next edition of the award will be held in 2018.