Millennium Hotels & Resorts New Zealand are delighted to announce that Millennium Hotel Queenstown is the first Queenstown hotel to be endorsed with the Qualmark status Enviro Gold. This establishes the hotel`s position as a premier environmentally aware accommodation provider in the region. This status is awarded exclusively to tourism operators displaying an outstanding commitment to environmental and social practises, and is Qualmarks` highest award for responsible tourism.

Millennium Hotel Queenstown and Millennium Hotel Rotorua are both proudly Qualmark Enviro Gold endorsed properties. The award recognises the significant steps taken by each property to achieve sound environmental performance without compromising product and service quality to guests.

For tourism businesses, this means meeting requirements and actively participating in the areas of energy efficiency, waste management, community activities and water conservation. For visitors, it means that the Qualmark represents an environmental and social commitment from the hotel, as well as general quality indicators.

General Manager, John Clarke acknowledges the award saying `This award illustrates an enormous team effort concentrating on all aspects of the environmental requirements set by Qualmark, with a particular emphasis on our community projects such as Pigeon island and a proposed beach clean up, along with the introduction of the worm farm which is being used as the pilot project for Queenstown accommodation providers.` 

Innovative thinking and community action have contributed to the Enviro Gold endorsement from Qualmark. All staff at Millennium Hotel Queenstown have been actively involved with volunteering time to restore Pigeon Island: Involving clearing vegetation, planting native Southern Rata Trees, helping with track maintenance, removing non-native plants and replacing and updating the existing signage.

Further innovations have included the diversification into the Farming Industry by implementing a worm farm on the grounds of the Copthorne Hotel & Resort Queenstown, Lakefront. With hotel food waste from kitchens and restaurants being processed in the worm farm. The worm farm produces Vermacast – or worm juice which is very high in nutrients and is being used as a liquid garden fertiliser in the gardens of Millennium Hotel Queenstown.

This recognition illustrates how the hotel`s environmental vision aligns with the global consciousness as more and more travellers are making their accommodation decisions based on a hotel`s eco-friendly operations.