Rotana boosts sustainability with Ecolab, Stella Hospitality

Zawya

20-06-2025

Rotana, one of the region's leading hotel management companies, has announced a new multi-faceted sustainability partnership with Ecolab, a global leader in water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions, and Stella Hospitality, a provider of sustainable guest amenity packaging.
The partnership builds on a renewed agreement with Ecolab, marking 20 years of collaboration, and introduces Stella Hospitality into Rotana's supplier ecosystem for the first time. The partnership was formalised through individual agreements with Ecolab and Stella Hospitality, following leadership-level engagements with representatives from all parties.
Together, the three organisations will support Rotana in advancing its sustainability objectives across operations and guest touchpoints — from reducing water and energy consumption to phasing out single-use plastics and enhancing in-room product design.
'This renewed partnership with Ecolab, and the addition of Stella Hospitality, reflects our determination to make a meaningful and lasting impact,' said Philip Barnes, Chief Executive Officer at Rotana. 'It's about moving beyond intention to action — reducing resource use where it matters and making conscious choices that shape a better guest experience.'
Scaling Measurable Sustainable Impact Across Operations and Guest Experience
As part of the renewed partnership, Ecolab will continue to implement technologies that help Rotana reduce water, energy, and chemical use while maintaining high standards of hygiene and operational efficiency.
These outcomes are tracked using Ecolab's eROISM (Exponential Return on Investment) proprietary tool, which measures both environmental and financial impact — enabling smarter, data-driven decision-making across hotel operations.
This approach directly supports findings from Ecolab's global Watermark Study, which shows that consumers remain very concerned about climate change and are increasingly willing to support businesses that prioritise sustainability. By applying smart systems that optimise water and energy use, the partnership ensures Rotana remains ahead of these challenges.
'This partnership shows how data-driven collaboration can deliver measurable environmental progress at scale,' said Stefan Umiastowski, Senior Vice President & Market Head IMEA, Ecolab. 'By combining advanced technologies with our proprietary tool eROI , we're helping Rotana make smarter operational decisions — reducing resource use while upholding the highest standards of hygiene and guest experience.'
In parallel, Stella Hospitality will supply recyclable amenity bottles, replacing single-use plastics across select properties. Purpose-built for hospitality, these solutions are designed to reduce environmental impact, enhance the in-room experience, and align with Rotana's operational needs and brand identity.
A Foundation Built on Long-Term Collaboration
Rotana's renewed agreement with Ecolab builds on a 20-year partnership that has delivered measurable and lasting environmental outcomes. Through Ecolab's proprietary value measurement approaches — including Total Value Delivered (TVD) and Exponential Return on Investment (eROI) — the collaboration has helped optimise hotel operations and reduce environmental impact across multiple Rotana properties.
In the UAE alone, the partnership has supported:
51 million litres of water savings annually
636,000 kWh of energy conserved each year, equivalent to powering 1,800 homes
130 metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided annually
24,000 kilograms of plastic eliminated annually
'Sustainability works best when it's built into how we operate every day — not treated as a separate initiative,' said Eddy Tannous, Chief Operating Officer at Rotana. 'Ecolab's data-driven approach has helped us turn sustainability into a process of continuous improvement. Together, we've achieved meaningful reductions in water and energy use, plastic waste, and emissions — all while maintaining high standards of cleanliness and delivering safer, more thoughtful guest experiences.'
The impact of the partnership was highlighted at the Rotana 2025 Leadership Conference in Al Ain, where Ecolab delivered a keynote titled 'Sustainability Can Be Measured.' The presentation outlined how analytics, tools, and proven methodologies are enabling hospitality leaders to track and improve sustainability performance across their operations.
This collaboration has also contributed to Rotana achieving Green Key certification across several of its properties — a globally recognised standard for excellence in sustainable hotel management.
'Together, we've enabled Rotana to reach internationally recognised sustainability credentials by embedding responsible practices into every operational detail — a foundation we're proud to continue building on,' added Arzu Alibaz, Vice President, Institutional Division, Ecolab.