RePurpose by DoubleTree Hilton JB

DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Baru joined thousands of other Hilton properties worldwide in reducing, reusing and recycling waste with the Hilton Worldwide global RePurpose Programme.

DoubleTree by Hilton JB General Manager, Simon McGrath,
with some of the students at the learning centre in Kulaijaya

Under the RePurpose sustainability programme, aimed at reducing waste generated by the hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton JB committed to collect and pack unfinished and unused room amenities left behind by guests and send them to the Rohingya refugee community in JB.  The first consignment of amenities like soap, bath gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion, was recently delivered to the Rohingya Learning Centre in Kulaijaya by a team led by hotel General Manager, Simon McGrath.

“Being a responsible steward of natural resources and a good neighbor are among our top priorities,” said McGrath.  “We believe that we have an opportunity to make a local impact by reducing waste sent to landfills and by engaging our team members in improving the sustainability of our community and hotel,” he added.

The DoubleTree by Hilton JB team with teachers and
representatives of Soroptomist International JB

The team from DoubleTree by Hilton were met by some 55 students, teachers and Soroptomist International Johor Baru (SIJB) President, Nooraini Mohd Yasin and Immediate Past President, Soraya Alkaff-Gilmour.  The learning centre in Kulaijaya and two other centres in Kota Tinggi and Tampoi were established by SIJB in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help Rohingya refugee children obtain a basic education.

Ten boxes of hotel amenities were presented to the Kulaijaya Learning Centre for distribution among the students to take home for their families’ use.  The hotel estimated that in the long term, a total of 10 boxes of amenities will be provided to the Rohingya community on a monthly basis.

The DoubleTree by Hilton JB team with the boxes of
amenities and trays of the hotel's signature giant cookies!

The students expressed their appreciation by performing a song to the visitors who were later taken on a tour of the facilities in the centre.  The spirit of goodwill continued as the visitors presented each of the students and teachers with the hotel’s signature giant cookie.

As part of RePurpose, the hotel will measure progress using Hilton Worldwide’s proprietary sustainability measurement tool, LightStay, by tracking results that will enable the hotel to manage reductions and improve performance over time.  It will also enable the hotel to share best practices, understand and report on global impact which ultimately contributes to the company-wide waste reduction goals.

A version of this was published in The Malaysian Insider on 8 Aug 2015