Fuerte Hoteles committed to ecological agriculture

Marbella (Malaga), 21st of April 2009

Fuerte Hoteles has always been committed to agriculture that respects the environment and they have now proven this by planting kitchen gardens at several of the chain's hotels, such as the Fuerte Conil, Fuerte Costa Luz, Fuerte Rompido Suites and Fuerte Grazalema.

"These kitchen gardens are a creative and gratifying activity, aimed at people of all ages. Their purpose is to promote client participation in the recuperation and practice of a type of agriculture that respects the environment", stated Joaquín Puneda, the chain's Quality and Sustainable Development manager.  Furthermore, these activities are especially interesting for children, who are given the chance to plant and harvest products in the garden with the help of their parents. This means that their holidays become something that is both educational and fun.

The Andalusian hotel chain organises guided tours around all of their ecological kitchen gardens, during which a brief explanation of the work involved with planting and caring for the garden is given to young visitors, "although increasingly the parents are showing an interest in the tour", added Pineda.

The planting and maintenance of the garden

The Fuerte Hoteles kitchen gardens are set up one step at a time. The first step is to prepare the ground by ploughing the earth. This allows it to become oxygenated and means that it can later by fertilized. The earth is enriched with compost (natural fertilizer), which is produced from gardening waste by the hotels themselves.

To manufacture this organic fertilizer, Fuerte Hoteles has set up composting areas at all of their hotels, which are used to recycle vegetable waste. All of the remains of leaves, branches and anything else that is produced as gardening waste are stored in these composters. Decomposition occurs after 3 or 4 months. A lot of different elements participate in this process, such as the sun, water, heat and cold, as well as different live species like larvae, worms, snails, fungi and many different types of insects. These all transform the remains into a dark coloured substance with a spongy texture and the characteristic rich earthy smell.

At Fuerte Hoteles, we are aware that using this compost is an environmentally acceptable solution to the abusive use of chemical fertilizers and manures. This technology is an alternative to those that aren't always so respectful towards natural resources and the environment and that, furthermore, have a high cost", stated the Quality manager. Once the ground has been prepared, seasonal species are sown and small plants start to grow. These plants sprout and produce vegetables with the most authentic and natural flavours possible.

Respect for the environment, the hallmark of the El Fuerte Group

Respect for the environment is an integral part of all of the activities carried out by the company and is one of the Group's most important features. As a result of this, the hotels have obtained several certifications, such as those to show that they comply with the ISO 14001 standard, along with many other external awards such as the "TUI UMWELT", the "TUI HOLLY", the V Doñana Prize for Sustainable Businesses, the Andalusia Tourism 2006 Prize and the "Environmental Hotel Award 06/07".

According to Pineda, "showing respect for the environment is an extremely important value for our company, and it appears as the third point of our code of ethics. We believe that everyone has the right to an environment that is cared for, and our company takes this as a duty".

The Group's hotels are constructed using common forms of traditional Andalusian architecture, which means that the buildings are thermally regulated against variations in temperature. Landscaped areas are designed to keep tarmaced parts to a minimum, personnel are given training on ecological issues and the company works hard to save energy. Just some of the measures that are taken to achieve this involve the use of ecological paper and recyclable and returnable containers in all of its establishments.

Fuerte Hoteles is a family-run, Marbella based company that has been operating a responsible hotel business since its founding in 1957. Their main concerns are client and employee satisfaction and the upkeep and maintenance of their facilities, as well as the promotion of local innovation, culture and gastronomy. They also fight to stimulate local economies, to reduce the impact that they have on the environment and, of course, they also contribute to the development of underprivileged communities through the Fuerte Foundation.

For more information, please visit www.fuertehoteles.com.