ASCOTT RECEIVES GSTC-RECOGNISED STANDARD STATUS AND MARKS MILESTONE RECOGNITION WITH LAUNCH OF SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK

New Ascott CARES programme aligns with the gold standard for sustainable tourism; pledges commitment to key pillars of Community, Alliance, Respect, Environment and Supply Chain 

The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a lodging business unit wholly owned by CapitaLand Investment, today announced the conferment of Recognised Standard by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). As a member of GSTC, Ascott is one of the first hospitality groups to be conferred this GSTC-Recognised Standard status for its adoption of the GSTC Industry Criteria. It is an affirmation of Ascott’s commitment to the gold standard for sustainable tourism. Marking this milestone, Ascott has unveiled Ascott CARES, a sustainability framework that aligns its growth strategy with environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations alongside GSTC Criteria. The expanded framework is centred around five pillars representing the acronym CARES - Community, Alliance, Respect, Environment and Supply Chain. 

Having evolved from a hygiene and safety programme that was first introduced in May 2020, Ascott CARES has since been strengthened to extend the culture of care and hospitality to the community and environments within which it operates through its business and across its supply chain as part of its sustainability framework.

Ascott CARES is aligned with CapitaLand’s ‘Sustainability Master Plan’ pillars and will be rolled out across all of Ascott’s managed and branded properties. In the MEAT region, the renowned serviced apartment brand currently operates 17 properties, including Ascott Park Place Dubai, Citadines Culture Village Dubai, and its franchised property Citadines Metro Central Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; Somerset Al Fateh in Bahrain; Citadines Al Ghubrah Muscat in Oman; Somerset Al Mansoura Doha {franchised} and Somerset West Bay Doha in Qatar; Somerset Westview Nairobi in Kenya; Somerset City Centre Atyrau in Kazakhstan; and Somerset Maslak Istanbul in Türkiye. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ascott properties include Ascott Rafal Olaya Riyadh, Ascott Corniche Al Khobar, Ascott Tahlia Jeddah, Ascott Sari Jeddah, Citadines Al Salamah Jeddah, Somerset Downtown Al Khobar, Spectrums Residence Jeddah and the recently opened Citadines Abha.

Alongside the new framework, Ascott has also announced its supporting targets which will be progressively achieved from 2023, with target completion by 2030. 

Driving effective implementation of the sustainability programme, Ascott has taken further steps to establish a robust sustainability governance structure that fosters cross-collaboration between regional leaders and Ascott’s Sustainability Leadership Council (SLC). 

Co-led by Ascott’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Kevin Goh, and Chief Financial & Sustainability Officer, Ms Beh Siew Kim, Ascott’s SLC exercises oversight of sustainability and climate risks, and determines the strategy and goals for the company. These strategies are driven by the Corporate Sustainability team, in collaboration with regional and property leaders who facilitate the execution of programmes within the local market.