The beach view, the coral diving experience, the fresh seafood menu, the sunset terrace — across the MENA coastal belt, the ocean is what drives room rates and repeat bookings. And yet ocean health rarely makes it onto a hotel's sustainability agenda.

For this World Oceans Day episode — and the 50th episode of Season 1 — Radhika is joined by Tatiana Antonelli Abella, founder of Goumbook and the force behind the MENA Ocean Summit and MENA Ocean Network.

In this conversation the focus is on:

- why the Gulf is a living lab for global coral research,

- what desalination is really doing to our seas,

- the difference between sustainable and regenerative hospitality, and

- what every hotel GM on the MENA coastline should be doing differently from June 8th onwards.

Ram Prabhu doesn't run a sustainability department. He runs the building. As Multi-Property Director of Engineering at Marriott Hotel Downtown Abu Dhabi. he's the one deciding which capex projects live or die — and his team just won GITB 2025, ranking #1 globally across 8,000+ Marriott properties. We talk chiller bases vs heat pumps, why he only gets 7 out of 10 approvals, and what ESCOs look like when occupancy drops to 14%.

Access Sustainability Kiosk website for more information on the podcasts and to reach us.

"Whatever was sustainable yesterday may not be sustainable tomorrow."

Definitions evolve, standards rise, and what counted as responsible travel five years ago may not hold up today. Regenerative tourism — the idea that hospitality and travel should give back more than it takes — is where that conversation is heading next.

Host Radhika Arapally is joined by Martin Baeuerle, founder of Sustainability Hive, working at the intersection of sustainable tourism, education, and consultancy across the GCC.

Martin opens by drawing a clear distinction between sustainability, net zero, and regeneration. Sustainability, he explains, aims to maintain the status quo — balancing resource use with replenishment. Net Zero focuses narrowly on carbon. Regeneration, however, asks a deeper question: how do we fix what we have already damaged?

When asked where the Gulf hospitality sector stands on this ladder, Martin highlights that progress is happening but the journey is still in its early stages, and that regenerative models must also be adapted to local contexts: what works in Europe will not simply transfer to the GCC.
Additionally, regulatory pressure building in Europe that will soon land on Middle Eastern operators targeting international travellers, the examples quietly leading the way in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and beyond, and why both top-down vision and bottom-up initiative are needed to shift the needle.

One of the episode's most insightful threads is the distinction between process thinking (the hallmark of conventional sustainability) and systems thinking (the foundation of regeneration) - illustrated with the example of hotels switching from plastic to glass bottles — a sustainability win on paper, but one that ignores the absence of glass recycling infrastructure in many GCC countries.

Looking ahead, Martin sees genuine opportunity in the region. Supply chain localisation is growing, environmental restoration projects are underway in the Red Sea, and countries like Oman and Saudi Arabia are well-placed to drive social and economic regeneration through meaningful local employment in tourism.

Key takeaways from the episode:

🌍 True regeneration means looking at the whole system, not just a single metric.

🌍 European consumer empowerment directives mean that any property targeting European customers — even via Booking.com — must back up sustainability claims with verified data and the Middle East is underestimating this impact.

🌍 Staying up to date requires attending industry events, meeting thought leaders, and building a strong network as sustainability is fast-moving and academic publications quickly become outdated.

🌍 Sustainability or net zero doesn't work in isolation because we have been degrading our world over the last decades. We need to enhance, give back more to the environment, the community, and people.

Show notes referenced in the episode:

👉 Pathways to Nature Conservation and Resilience in Hot and Arid Lands, the case of Qatar

Other resources:

👉 Responsible Hoteliers Summit 2026

👉 GSTC Global Summit 2026

👉HospitalityInside Think Tank 2026

👉 Heenat Salma Farm, Qatar

👉 Erthna, Qatar

👉 Red Sea Global

“At the bottom of the mountain, you’re looking up at a huge number of hotels — you’ve got to start. And in order to do that, you’ve got to understand all the levers you’ve got to pull.”

Decarbonising a hotel is one thing. Decarbonising nearly a thousand of them, across different sizes, ages, and building types, while keeping guests happy, investors informed, and a small internal team motivated, is another challenge entirely.

Yet that’s precisely the reality for large-scale hospitality operators, and it’s a challenge the industry is only beginning to get to grips with: sustainability in hospitality is multi-layered and deeply necessary work.

In this episode of the Sustainability Stories podcast, host Radhika Arapally is joined by Will Silverwood, former Head of Sustainability at Whitbread, the UK’s largest hotel operator and the company behind Premier Inn.

What makes this conversation particularly valuable is Will’s commercial lens. He doesn’t approach sustainability as a specialist function sitting apart from the business. He approaches it as a business change programme — one that requires the same relationship-building, stakeholder management and evidence-based decision-making as any major commercial initiative. Will describes his role not as the person with all the answers, but as the one who gets the right people into the room in the first place.

“To some extent, I’m the kind of fire starter.” he says, the one waving the flag, creating the urgency, and making sure the conversation happens at all.

This episode is essential listening for anyone ready to do the same in their own organisation: stop waiting for the perfect moment, and start making things happen.

Key takeaways from the episode:

🟢 The customer has to feature right at the centre of the changes you’re making. Sustainability isn’t coming along to impact on that guest experience.

 🟢Make sure you’ve got senior level endorsement of what you want to do. Think about who’s on board, but also who might not be.

🟢 The only shared thing across all procurement verticals is the principle of what needs to be done together.

🟢 Accept the unknowns. You know where your big carbon opportunities are, so just start working on them.

🟢 It’s really important that people understand [sustainability], in a way that is not jargon-fuelled but really clear, what the numbers are and how they’re impacting it.

 🟢 Be cautious about not over-claiming, but confident when you do.

🟢 Hospitality has got a long way to go, but that shouldn’t stop us. We’ve just got to start.

Will spent the early part of his career making complex change happen inside large FTSE 100 organisations before making the leap into sustainability. Most recently, he led Whitbread’s Force for Good programme — covering climate, carbon, waste, water and supply chain — across 900+ hotels. He currently works within sustainability advisory.

Show notes & resources referenced in the episode:

⁠ Zero Carbon Forum

💧 Water is everywhere in a hotel. From guest showers and laundry operations to kitchens, swimming pools, and landscaped gardens, water touches every part of daily operations. But with rising water scarcity and growing concerns around water quality, hotels are now looking beyond how much water they use to how and where it flows across their properties.

Abu Dhabi, UAE is recognised as a high-risk water scarcity destination in the global hospitality Destination Water Risk Index — published by World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance highlighting the importance of strong water stewardship practices in the region.That’s why our Sustainability Stories podcast episode featuring Alicia Dauth⁠ is both timely and essential listening.

Podcast Spotlight: Water Stewardship with Alicia Dauth

In Season 1, Episode 46, Sustainability Kiosk Founder Radhika Arapally  speaks with Alicia Dauth, Water Assurance Technical Lead at ⁠Water Security Collective⁠. Drawing from her experience working with hotels across multiple regions, Alicia shares practical strategies for effective water stewardship in hospitality — from risk management to guest engagement.

Key Takeaways from the episode:

💧 Guest Engagement in Hotel Sustainability:

How hotels talk about water matters. When guests understand their impact and feel part of the sustainability journey, they are far more likely to participate in conservation efforts.

💧 Understanding Water Use:

Alicia encourages hoteliers to ask critical questions:

• Where is the being used the most?
• Are consumption and quality being monitored effectively?
• Which departments drive the highest usage?

💧 Water Mapping:

Understanding the full water journey — from source to discharge — is crucial. Even outsourced services like laundry should be assessed for water use, chemical impact, and transportation emissions.

💧 Guidance and Innovation:

Industry standards and smart technologies help hotels structure their water strategies. Alicia discusses:

• Water stewardship frameworks

• Certification programmes

• Water recovery and efficiency systems

Expert Advice from Alicia Dauth:

"You have to start somewhere – water stewardship is a journey. It is something that we can carry throughout different parts of our lives, and there may be hurdles but you can still do a good job and benefit your guests and hotel."

About Water Collective:

Water Security Collective, a UAE-based firm, helps organisations understand and act on water‑related risks. They provide expert advisory services, professional training, and risk assessment services. Their work supports governments, businesses, and leaders in building resilience and turning water challenges into strategic opportunities.

Show notes & Resources referenced in the episode:

⁠💧 Destination Water Risk Index  (DWRI by the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance)

💧 AWS Standard

💧 SCS Standard⁠

⁠💧 SCS Water Positive⁠

⁠💧 SCS Water Certification⁠

⁠💧 Unpacking collective action in water stewardship

Host, Radhika Arapally⁠ had the pleasure of reconnecting with Raquel Noboa, Founder & CEO of Fifty Shades Greener - a sustainability-focused company offering green skills training, certification, and consulting. Raquel's insights remind us that sustainability is about people, action, and values.

Lessons to carry forward:

❇️Meet people where they are: Understand their motivators and meet them at their starting point to guide meaningful change.

❇️ Imperfection is okay: Even small, consistent actions can create a significant cumulative impact over time.

❇️ Apply learning: Trainings and knowledge are most powerful when applied in our every day.

❇️Human rights matter: Sustainability includes accessibility, inclusivity, and ensuring everyone has the right to travel.

❇️Climate action over climate knowledge: Practical climate solutions and hands-on steps are more effective than just discussing the issues.

Finally, Raquel emphasised something we’re missing: community—at work and at home. Reconnecting with the community spirit is essential for a thriving, sustainable future.

Fifty Shades Greener is an Ireland-based, sustainability-focused company dedicated to helping individuals and organisations take meaningful climate action. They offer practical green skills training, recognised certifications, and expert consulting to empower people to integrate sustainable practices into everyday business and life.

At Sustainability Kiosk, we help hotels involve their teams in sustainability from the start, so it becomes a shared effort everyone can contribute to. Reach out to us to find out ⁠how we can support your hotel⁠.

💡Explore more episodes on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sustainability Stories podcasts.

In this episode from the 2025 Responsible Hoteliers Summit, Tiffany McGrath hosts Frauke Aoun, General Manager at Affini Tribute Portfolio Residence by Marriott, to explore what authenticity in hotel teams truly means:

✔️ Building trust and transparency amongst hotel teams

✔️ Creating a shared purpose when it comes to turning hotel operations more sustainable

✔️Giving teams a voice in sustainability by engaging them early on in the sustainability process, and ensuring strategies are executed across the entire hotel — not just kept at the leadership level.

Frauke also highlights the importance of bringing teams into decision-making and valuing their feedback to drive real, hotel-wide change.

At Sustainability Kiosk, we help hotels involve their teams in sustainability from the start, so it becomes a shared effort everyone can contribute to. Reach out to us to find out how we can support your hotel.

💡Explore more episodes on the ⁠⁠⁠Sustainability Stories podcasts.

In our latest conversation at Responsible Hoteliers Summit 2025, Tiffany McGrath sat down with Monica Tofilis, Senior Manager - Business Solutions at Intertek Cristal, to explore how assurance and standards can drive genuine, organisation-wide change in hospitality.

Monica reminded us that:

✔️ Sustainability starts at the top, with leaders driving team empowerment, green investments, and training while setting company-wide sustainability goals.

✔️ Having sustainability standards should never be a check-box exercise, but a meaningful framework that embeds responsibility and positive change across every level of the business.

✔️ You can't manage what you don't measure - so measurement of sustainability data is extremely important for goal development and growth.

As a global leader in risk management, safety, and sustainability assurance, Intertek Cristal supports hotels and tourism businesses in building trust through verified best practices and continuous improvement.

Because real progress happens when standards drive action - not just compliance.

💡Explore more episodes on the ⁠⁠Sustainability Stories podcasts.

🌿"We are not looking for perfect. Being sustainable is a long process and it can't happen overnight."

Sustainability Kiosk's Tiffany McGrath sat down at the Responsible Hoteliers Summit 2025 with Francesca Bennardo from Sustainability Hive, a Green Key national operator for Qatar, to talk all things Green Key certification for hotels.

Francesca walked us through the certification process and explained how important it is for hotels to gather their sustainability data in order to understand where they currently stand and how they can steer the hotel toward becoming more sustainable.

Green Key auditors like Francesca look for evidence that sustainable practices are implemented consistently, not just planned on paper, and that the hotel is actively fostering a culture of responsibility at every level.

As Francesca emphasised, sustainability doesn’t happen overnight — it requires commitment, persistence, and a willingness to embed change across the entire organisation.

At Sustainability Kiosk, we offer simple, practical support with certification and day-to-day sustainable practices. If you're ready to take your hotel operations in a greener direction, we’re here to help. Get in touch and we’ll guide you through the certification process, making it simple and stress-free

💡Explore more episodes on the ⁠Sustainability Stories podcasts.

Welcome to Sustainability Stories podcast!

In this episode, host ⁠Radhika Arapally⁠ and Naureen Ahmed discuss the role of women in hospitality!

Naureen is the founder of Inspiring Women in Hospitality, a global platform dedicated to women in the hospitality industry.

Naureen started Inspiring Women in Hospitality to encourage women, at all levels and roles in the industry to engage in meaningful conversations and build relationships, aiming to inspire the next generation of female leaders. She has conducted 13 Round Table sessions in 8 cities, providing visibility and a platform for over 200 women to share their insights.

Naureen shed light on:

💭 The purpose behind Inspiring Women in Hospitality

💭 Advice for Career Growth: Two top tips summarised from interviewing 200 guests on her podcast

💭 Challenges in Speaking up

💭 Common Challenges for Women in Hospitality

💭 Gender Pay Gap and Workforce Representations

✅ From speaking to over 200 inspiring women, Naureen shared a valuable piece of advice with us - "Take ownership of your career and ask for it."

✅ Join Inspire Community to connect with other women in hospitality and learn how to take ownership.

💡Explore more episodes on the Sustainability Stories podcasts.