Interview with Xavier Moraga, Manager of the beautiful and eco-friendly hôtel eco-friendly Gavarni.

Hoosta – What’s involved in being an environmentally-friendly hotelier?
Xavier Moraga: Well, there are lots of obstacles! You always have to excel yourself to find good suppliers and producers, particularly for foodstuffs. It’s difficult to find fresh products, for instance (purees, ham, cheese, and so on) in large enough quantities. However, I haven’t given up hope!
Hoosta – Do your suppliers include many French producers?
Xavier Moraga: Unfortunately the answer is no: fair trade and organic production are often the preserve of developing countries and poorer nations. France has some catching up to do!
Hoosta – Do you have any special environmental training for your staff?
Xavier Moraga: When they arrive, we provide a small amount of training, explaining how they need to pay special attention to certain issues. For instance, we make sure they don’t order something without first asking themselves whether it’s really necessary. My real goal, though, is to get them thinking for themselves, encourage them to change their outlook and basically become eco-friendly, both at work and at home.

Hoosta – What kind of “green” resources do they have available?
Xavier Moraga: At the Gavarni, we have 4 or 5 organic cleaning products which do several tasks each, instead of having 50, one for each specific task! Staff use a special dispenser which dilutes and distributes these products. You get your container and place it beneath the machine, which fills it up. The staff have no fiddly filling operations to perform, everything is measured out and nothing is wasted. In addition, we recycle batteries, use energy-saving light bulbs, sort waste and so on…
Hoosta – What about services such as reception?
Xavier Moraga: In this area, we do things like recycling printer cartridges and paper. At the end of our e-mails, we have a footer requesting that people do not print out the e-mail unless this is absolutely necessary. In the past, we sent out photos of the hotel on CD-ROM to journalists and sales advisors. Today, the photos are available to download on the site – much better than a CD-ROM, which takes a long time to biodegrade.

The hotel Gavarni in his quest for organic and healthy quality services to the public, is in improving his card with only organic food and fair-trade … A true revolution that promises to be ready in September …

It is the brand Oxfam has been chosen to power the mini-bars in rooms or suites, but also breakfast with organic fruit juices, pulp spreads from the Dominican Republic, cereal bars, honey, as well as chips, peanuts and beer.

However, finding producers to provide a hotel is quite difficult. First, because they are not interested in a hotel, which really does not fit in their policy of low production. Second, because the packaging is another problem, since there is not fair trade or organic, small-format, such as mini pots of jam … It is therefore necessary to adapt.

By September 2008, the hotel will offer 100% of its organic food products.

Another way to eat well & nicely …

Photos: ILoveButter and jonny.hunter

More and more people want to do everything to protect the planet and it goes through a green travel. Being green is one of the most important aspect of the Hotel Gavarni.

Gavarni Hotel located a few steps from the Trocadero and the famous Eiffel Tower is the most regular customers. So if you are already occurred to Gavarni Hotel, it is likely that you return!

Some customers choose non-ecological Gavarni Hotel. “We must make people understand why we do what we do and you chose the hotel Gavarni so you should make an effort to be green.” – Xavier Moraga, General Manager.

Starting from September, a small note will be placed in each room to tell visitors the concept of the hotel and advice such as: “Turn out the lights before leaving the room”, etc.

A box for the collection of batteries is available in all rooms, but also at the reception. In September each room is equipped with a tray for sorting waste. Small, it will be divided into two compartments (one for the packaging and the other for garbage).

Small-to-few, Hotel Gavarni implements green policy for the happiness of the planet.

Photo: Activerain.com