| Name of the facility | Serena Beach Hotel and Spa |
|---|---|
| Certification Achieved | Gold |
| Year opened | 1975 |
| Tourism region | Coast |
| County | Mombasa (County) |
| Address | 90352- 80100 Mombasa Map It |
| Telephone/Mobile | 041 5485721/4 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | serenahotels.com |
| Facility Notes | Serena Beach Hotel & Spa is located on Shanzu Beach, 30 kilometers from Mombasa town. The hotel is specifically located on Global Positioning System (GPS) Coordinates, Latitude: 4°10’South and Longitude 39°45’East. It has 164 guest rooms with a bed capacity of 328 visitors and a total work force of 308 employees. The facility’s uniqueness can be attributed to Shanzu Beach and proximity to important biodiversity conservation areas such as Mombasa Marine National Park and Haller Park. Mombasa Marine National Park measures approximately 10 km² (2,500 acres) while the larger Marine reserve measures 200 km² (49,400 acres). The reserve was established as a Marine Park in 1986, and encloses part of the lagoon, back reef and reef crest habitats of the Bamburi and Nyali fringing reef. The park comprises of the sea waters, mangroves, sea grasses, and sea weed and is home to variety of marine life. Other spectacular attractions include the beach and coral gardens. The park is a popular snorkeling and diving location. |
| Energy management | Serena Beach Resort is connected to the National Power grid. The records are kept aptly. The facility also uses solar power and a centralized water heating system that runs on diesel. 2 generators with an output of 650 KvA and 800KvA are used as back up for the facility. There are up to date records of the generator fuel consumption as well as running hours. The facility uses LPG gas for cooking the guest meals. The resort is also currently using charcoal briquettes to run the pizza oven. |
| Environmental management | Serena Beach Resort is guided by the Serena Group environmental policy that emphasizes on dedication to the practice of sound environmental stewardship, promotion of health and safety of guests and employees as well as integration of all sustainability concerns in their business operations. The facility undertakes its annual self-Environmental Audit (EA) as required by EMCA 1999 (Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act.) |
| Chemical use | The facility uses biodegradable bathroom amenities from Eco Boutique in the guest rooms. Swimming pool chemicals consumption records are properly kept to monitor chemical use. Diesel at the facility is stored in 5 Tonnes tank. The facility uses biodegradable laundry detergents from Odex Chemicals. Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the chemicals used within the facility are available. |
| Conservation Criteria | |
| Community Criteria | |
| Solid waste management | Waste separation is conducted at source using clearly labelled bins, especially in the kitchen. Waste is then stored a waste holding area before collection and disposal. Waste such as needles from the clinic is incinerated through a small incinerator at the clinic. Syringes and other medical waste is handled through Shimo Annex Clinic |
| Water management | Serena Beach resort is connected to the county water supply managed by MAWASCO. The facility also has a borehole for water supply.The facility has a water treatment plant. At the plant water is chlorinates, filtered through a charcoal filtered and further passed through a reverse osmosis system.Water meters have been installed to monitor water consumption by the facility |
| Visitor communication & education | Visitors are briefed upon arrival on the facility’s operations and environmental values. The guests are provided with room information sheets upon arrival that clearly state the operations of the hotel. The resort has a resource centre for the guests, that is furnished with a variety of literature that is especially targeted for recreational reading. The Serena Beach Resort has a unique approach for guest interaction through a variety of glass cased artifacts and handicrafts are placed at strategic points within the facility-The facility hosts a daily lecture on turtle conservation that is given by a local marine scientist. Guests at the facility also get to learn about the butterfly project and the importance of butterfly conservation at the facility. This initiative has been very successful at visitor education and the butterfly pavilion has received a total of 21,414 guests to date. The facility has a life sized chess board, whose playing pieces are made out of recycled flip flops. This is an initiative developed in partnership with Ocean Sole for an interactive way to raise awareness on marine pollution. |
| Pollution | The facility uses low light emitting bulbs to minimize light pollution at night. |
| Environmental conservation | The resort is directly involved in turtle conservation. Serena has an active turtle nesting point and hatchery. The facility works closely with Kikambala fishing village in the monitoring and location of turtle nests and eggs. The nests could either be protected if they are in an appropriate place or necessitate the relocation of eggs to the safe hatchery at Serena Beach. The nesting site hosts three different species including; Green turtles, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley. From 1993 to date, initiative has hatched 52,098 turtles with a average success rate of 84%.The facility is also actively involved in creation of awareness of marine pollution. Through a partnership with Ocean Sole, the facility has established a life sized chess board made of recycled flip flops. Serena beach resort has a butterfly conservation project within its premises. This is an on-going project that has been there for 14 years. The aim of the project is to provide a secure breeding site for the butterflies and enhance their population. To date the project has hatched a total of 348,984 butterflies. The butterfly pavilion currently has 67 different species of butterflies. The facility has an on-going tree planting program at the resort. The tree seedlings are nursed at the butterfly pavilion. Fallen leaves from the already existing trees are composted and used for soil fertilization in the propagation of new trees. Through a new partnership with WWF, the facility will engage proactive approaches for building support and involving guests in conservation of biodiversity. In this project the facility will stock selected items in gift shop where proceeds are dedicated specifically to fund WWF projects aimed at marine protection. Serena Beach Resort participates annually in Earth Hour celebrations. This is global event that encourages people, businesses and organizations to switch off all electricity for one hour. The collective effort is aimed at reducing carbon emissions significantly at that particular hour. The facility also participates in beach clean-up initiatives in partnership with other stakeholders in the area. |
| Waste water management | The facility swimming pool is cleaned via sieving, backwash and vacuum cleaning. Records are kept on a daily basis. The facility conducts effluent tests on a quarterly basis and has applied for an effluent discharge license. The facility has a grease trap for the proper management of fats and oils from grey water from the kitchen. Grey water from the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms is managed through soak pits. Black water throughout the facility is managed through a system of septic tanks and soak pits. |
| Purchasing and supplies | Vegetables and fruits are packed in reusable crates while meat and dairy products are stored in freezers. Where possible dry goods are bought in bulk to reduce on the packaging. |
| Employment and remuneration/staff welfare | Basic Staff benefits at the hotel include food and uniform. The staff at Serena Beach Resort and Spa are under a staff union that handles staff welfare. |
| Staff education, communication and awareness training | The staff members are regularly trained for skills enhancement across all departments. Notice boards are used to facilitate communication to the staff. The staff are also trained on occupational safety and health as environmental management. |
| Cultural preservation and promotion/protection of local sites | The Serena Beach Resort promotes the local culture actively in various ways. The architecture of the facility depicts the local Swahili traditional huts with thatched roofs. The facility is dotted with glass cased artifacts, handicrafts, jewellery that depict the local culture and history of the people. The lounge area is also fashioned after the old town in Lamu. Various pieces of décor have blended contemporary designs with the local culture e.g. cushions, Swahili beds, table cloths etc The restaurant also serves some local dishes as part of the culinary experience at Serena. The hotel has cultural nights where the facility celebrates the local cultures of the coast. |
| Benefits to local community/community empowerment | The facility employs staff primarily from the local area. Approximately 70% of the employees are locals. Serene Beach Resort supports the local community in various aspects related to conservation and enterprise and. They include; Supporting the local Kikambala Fishing Village. The facility has bough refrigerators for the fishermen to assist in preservation of their catch. Organizing and coordination annual medical camps in collaboration with the Sub-County personnel. Through the Serena’s annual Light a Life initiative, the facility supports Grandsons of Abraham and Mji wa Salama Children’s Home. The facility has donated shoes, textbooks, food and other school supplies to these homes. This year 22 children’s card wishes out of 80 were paid for by guests, amounting to Ksh 64,246. Serena offers free of charge refresher courses on food and beverage production and service to the teachers of the local Tewa College. The facility also gives donations of food items to various homes for the disadvantaged in society such as Nyumba ya Wazee and Little Sisters of the Poor. Serena properties now have three publications targeted for educational reading for children. The publications are stocked and sold in the gift shops. The proceeds from these books are directed to the support of community libraries that Serena has started in Kenya. The hotel also supports various initiatives, fundraisers and functions through voucher donations for meals/ accommodation at the hotel. Through this, the facility has supported a plethora of organizations and activities in Mombasa that involve; culture promotion, conservation, water provision projects etc. |
| Cultural Criteria | |
| Health and safety | The facility outsources First Aid and fire fighting training annually for all the staff. The resident nurse also does frequent practical skills training on first aid. Food handlers have undergone medical tests in compliance with Food, Drugs, and Chemical substances Act. Cap 25.The facility has an emergency procedure and emergency contacts in place.There is a doctor on call to handle medical emergencies at the resort. In case there is need for evacuation, the facility is also linked with Air Ambulance. Fire exits and assembly points are properly marked and displayed within the facility. The facility has carried out Health and safety Audit and a fire audit. |
| Child labor, abuse and human rights | The facility has a written policy to show its commitment towards protection of children against forced labor, physical or sexual abuse as well as upholding of human rights. |
| Business Practises Criteria | |
| Entry Date | 6th March 2018 |
