Three Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts properties are awarded with Green Globe certification

Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts currently operate five resorts in the Maldives and have been committed to sustainability since their foundation.

Now three of the resorts have received the Green Globe certification – OBLU Helengeli (Nov 2019);  OZEN by Atmosphere at Maadhoo (Nov 2019) and OBLU Select at Sangeli (Jan 2020). This certification is considered one of the first globally-operating programs for the conservation of people and nature, with a local focus. The certification was designed specifically for the travel and tourism industry and has been in existence since the early 1990s.

For Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts, sustainability means managing the resorts in accordance with the company’s guiding principles, which are to be aware of and take responsibility for global environmental issues. The resorts have been managed in a sustainable manner from the very beginning, and considerable steps have been taken to minimise the impact that operating the resorts has on the environment.

For example, all Atmosphere resorts use glass bottles for drinking water, which is processed in the resort’s own facilities. Plastic straws are banned and floating solar panels – currently only at OZEN by Atmosphere, produce their own electricity to power the resort. Solar panel power generation will be introduced in all resorts in the near future. Guests are actively encouraged to preserve nature and the surrounding underwater world, to help further protect the environment. In addition, the Maldivian culture and heritage is shared at the resorts, to ensure it is known and protected.

The Green Globe certification process is complex and rigorous. The resorts dedicate special teams of staff at each resort to ensure that the resort adheres to the certification criteria. The responsible teams have to work through more than 300 certification criteria comprehensively, taking into account various factors such as sustainability, protection of cultural heritage, social and economic considerations and environmental protection.

As the Maldives is one of the most endangered tourist destinations in the world, environmental conservation and sustainability have always been a key element to the Atmosphere Resorts operations and integral in all that the resorts do. Since the establishment of Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts in 2013, the resorts have worked to become more and more sustainable.

“We are thrilled to be part of the Green Globe community, with three resorts currently certified, and the others well on their way. I am very proud of all the resort teams who have worked immensely hard to achieve this certification,” commented Giri Venkat, Chief Operating Officer and President of Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts.