17 Great Things You Don’t Know About Andaz Singapore

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As mentioned in ‘Green is the New Black (tie)’, more and more people are becoming aware of the effects of climate change. This has begged the question: what we can do to start reducing general carbon emissions and our own carbon footprints. We spoke last time about what steps Grand Hyatt Singapore have taken, and this time we’re going into more depth and looking specifically at Andaz Singapore, which is a concept hotel by Grand Hyatt Singapore.

Starting from the outside:

The Andaz Singapore, which is accredited by the Building and Construction Authority Green Mark Gold Plus, features a honeycomb facade and low-emissivity glass coated in solar control film. This is interesting because the honeycomb facade creates natural shade, while the coated windows filter out infrared and ultraviolet light without compromising the amount of natural light let into the building. The windows are also equipped with solar control dots which reduces solar heat gain, glare and UV absorption. This drastically reduces the amount of energy needed (and used) by the hotel’s air conditioning units… but maintains the beautiful views.

If you venture up to Mr Stork – the hotel’s rooftop bar – you’ll find transparent glass panels that harvest daylight to bring natural sunlight into the rooms and corridors, minimising the need for electric light and lowering the amount of power used by the hotel. Andaz Singapore also uses NEWater (reclaimed water) in the cooling tower which helps to preserve Singapore’s limited water supplies. Brilliant.

And working our way in:

The building has the highest standards of green plot ratio as determined by BCA. This basically means that every space that can be a garden, is a garden. Not only is this aesthetically pleasing element to the hotel, but it also allows for plenty of natural shade and reduces the heat island effect. Interior plants such as moss, ferns and tropical succulents are placed throughout the hotel and help to remove toxins such as volatile organic compounds (VOC) from the atmosphere. Thus improving the air quality throughout the hotel overall.

In addition to the plants, you’ll also find that the walls and ceilings are painted with low VOC paint which have been endorsed by Singapore Green Building Council Green Certification and Singapore Green Labelling Scheme. This reduces the number of chemicals in the air and is eco-friendly – win-win.

Throughout the hotel, you’ll also find energy-efficient LED lighting. In common areas the light intensity runs on a schedule and automatically adjusts depending on the time of day. This again, reduce the hotel’s energy usage.

The really important part: the food

All restaurants inside the hotel use vegetables sourced from low carbon footprint producer, Weeds & More. Located in the Cameron Highlands, they are a vegetable supplier that specialises in growing European varieties within Asia. Since most of them are grown outside Singapore, this also reduces the need for overseas imports and the high carbon emissions associated with it.

Hyatt actively collaborates with WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to ensure that sustainably sourced seafood is used across all their properties, which includes Andaz Singapore. Similarly, the hotel’s eggs are all cage-free and sourced from The Freedom Range Co, where hens are given plenty of space to live open, happy and healthy lives.

Naturally, all plastic straws have been replaced with paper ones.

In the bedroom

To reduce the amount of water and power used by washing machines in the hotel, Andaz Singapore works on an opt-out linen reuse program. This means that guests have to specifically specify when they want their bed linens changed.

All leftover soups are collected, sterilised, repacked and distributed to communities and families in need.

All towels and staff uniforms that suffer damage or stubborn stains are donated to animal shelters and homes like Thye Hua Kwan Hospital.

Andaz Singapore also participates in the Tiger Beer glass bottle recycling program. All Tiger Beer bottles are returned to be sterilised and reused. Similarly, Nespresso capsules which are famous for creating excess waste, are returned to the suppliers for recycling.

The hotel also has future plans to implement bamboo toothbrushes in the rooms and bamboo, wooden and paper guest room keycards.

Business?

Last but certainly not least, as of June 2018, Andaz Singapore has taken drastic steps towards plastic-free meetings and events. No longer offering plastic bottled water or wrapped snacks, you’ll find food wrapped in paper and water from glass bottles and dispensers.

There is only one world and we need to start being more conscious of how we treat it. Obviously, there are still a lot of aspects of society that are out of our control. For most of us, getting up and going to work is one of those things. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything. So next time you’re looking for a hotel to stay in, remember to think green and pick the hotel that’s working towards making the world a better and more sustainable place.

Restaurants:

Even if you’re not a guest of the hotel you can still show support by dining in one of their many great restaurants. They have the added bonus of delivering you not only great tasting food, but food that’s made from healthy, high quality and sustainable ingredients. It’s win, win, win!

The best bit? You can book them via Quandoo.

Teppan Chef’s Table Book Now

Alley On 25 Book Now

Auntie’s Wok and Steam Book Now