The luxurious Salinda Resort, on Phu Quoc, Vietnam, has long prioritised sustainability as a strong focus as part of the hotel’s key core values. Whilst hotels worldwide are looking at ways to counteract their carbon footprint, Salinda Resort has been implementing best practice eco-friendly efforts prior to the hotel being built. In order to make great strides in sustainability, Salinda Resort introduced elements throughout the design of the hotel, which would require less energy, be more durable and in turn be instrumental to creating a sustainable resort.

Sandra Nguyen, Director of Business Development & Interim CEO at Salinda Resort commented:

"As hoteliers, we strive to offer our guests a memorable luxurious beach retreat immersed in the natural surroundings of the glorious Phu Quoc Island. Myself and the team at Salinda Resort are proud to be a five-star environmentally conscious hotel that goes above and beyond to offset our carbon footprint."
 
Immersed in Nature
The beauty of Phu Quoc lies within its natural surroundings of luscious greenery and exotic plants.  Salinda not only encourages the growth of this sweeping landscape by dedicating 70% of the resort’s land to its flora and fauna but also maintains a healthy ecosystem for native birds and butterflies. Boasting over 100 types of trees and flowers on the grounds of the resort, these exotic gardens are entirely supported by the hotel and top environmentally-friendly practices. Salinda resort continually strives to cut down on food waste, water usage, and single-use plastic whilst integrating eco-friendly initiatives into the hotel’s core values and architecture resulting in making a difference and a more sustainable resort.
 
 
Eco-friendly Practices
May 2019 saw Salinda Resort become the official partner for WWF-Vietnam for Plastic Reducing Management on Phu Quoc, dedicated to reducing single-use plastic. Alongside this partnership, every month Salinda organises a ‘beach clean’ where staff and guests come together to remove rubbish from the beaches and neighbourhood to protect the pristine landscape. Occasionally the waste collected from the beach cleans is re-used for another purpose, just as last year Salinda Resort’s showcase Christmas tree was made entirely out of recycled driftwood. Further to replacing plastic room keys with wood, shampoo containers with ceramic and introducing bamboo toothbrushes, Salinda distributes a CM Seed Pen which is not only plastic-free but it also has a seed in the lid which you can plant and grow into your own hummingbird tree.

Sustainable Design & Materials
In a mission to use as many biodegradable and renewable materials Salinda researched the most sustainable materials to use when building the hotel and discovered the phenomenal Accoya wood, which has been used for the outdoor architecture. Accoya wood is not only the world’s most sustainable and durable wood but it also absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Another durable material used is the Hoa Vang rocks, originally from Northern Vietnam, as they are 100% natural and durable. Salinda has used these special rocks to carve decorative outdoor walls as they absorb heat and organically create a cooler climate for guests.
 
When the tropical Vietnamese heat becomes too much, the cooler temperatures in the rooms are an important factor for guests. Salinda incorporated Daikin air conditioning in the rooms which use eco-friendly technology, reducing carbon emissions by 32%. This is not the only clever eco-friendly technology used at the resort; the pool is fitted with a special salt-filtration system which purifies the water by using ionized chlorine extracted from natural salts in order to naturally provide clean and healthy swimming water.
 
Schueco windows have been used throughout the hotel, which have been designed to be durable, recyclable and contribute towards the creation of sustainable buildings. Schueco’s sustainability approach is in line with Salinda’s core values; to provide comfort for guests, be energy efficient, conserve resources and protect the environment. Although natural light is favoured, where additional light is needed Salinda has used eco-friendly LED lights (our resort uses over 85% LED), which reduces 80% less energy than regular lights. The LED lights are made out of recyclable materials and do not provide any harmful chemicals or heat, ensuring guests a pleasant stay in comfortable yet natural surroundings.
 
Salinda Resort is proud to offer guests a durable, stylish and sustainable accommodation for those looking to travel to a beautiful location knowing that the resort supports all things eco-friendly.