FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo

The Hotel bottles the water in reusable glass bottles

Jul 27 , 2019

The purification system at Hayat Regency Hotel was installed in order to make the hotel plastic-free.

Hyatt Regency, an internationally franchised hotel in the capital, is the first hotel to bottle water for its own consumption.

To set up the water bottling plant, excluding the treatment facility, the hotel invested 40,000 dollars. Installed in the basement of the hotel, it currently treats and produces 1,000 glass bottles of water in half and one-litre sizes a day. Production started about two weeks ago.

Hyatt Regency, the second franchise hotel owned by a non-national, aside from Sheraton Addis Hotel, which is owned by business tycoon Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-Amoudi (Sheik), imported the bottling machinery from Spain in May 2019. The installation of the machinery took two and a half months.


Standing at the junction of Africa Avenue and Jomo Kenyatta Street near Mesqel Square, the hotel keeps 5,000 reusable half and one-litre glass bottles in stock.

The hotel aspires to be a plastic-free hotel and contribute to the protection of the environment, according to Heddo Siebs, general manager of Hyatt Regency Addis Abeba. The Hotel is owned by Albwardy Investment, a Dubai-based company founded in the mid-70s. Albwardy Investment owns a total of 30 companies globally, including in the food retailing, food distribution, engineering, construction and hospitality sectors.


“The primary aim of building the water bottling plant is not maximising profits,” said Heddo. “Instead, it focuses on creating a sustainable environment.”


High-income countries that account for 16pc of the world’s population are generating more than 34pc of global waste, according to a World Bank report from 2018. The East Asia and Pacific regions are disposing of close to 23pc of global waste.  By 2050, waste generated by Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to triple that of current levels.

The largest country by population, China, produces a massive quantity of plastic at nearly 60 million tonnes, followed by the United States at 38 million tonnes, Germany and Brazil at 14.5 million and 12 million tonnes, respectively.

The hotel opened its doors on December 31, 2018, with 188 guestrooms, 12 suites, two executive suites, a presidential suite and a royal presidential suite. The Hotel will sell the water at a similar price to other plastic bottled water in the market.


Hyatt Regency is one of 164 star-rated hotels in the capital that hosts a total of 8,000 to 10,000 rooms. It is located five kilometres from Bole International Airport. Hyatt Regency is also the eighth internationally franchised hotel in the capital along with Sheraton, Radisson Blu, Hilton, Ramada, Marriot, Best Western, Golden Tulip and Tulip Inn Olympia.

Feyera Senbeta (PhD), lecturer and researcher at Addis Abeba University’s Centre for Environmental & Developmental Studies for more than two decades, appreciates the initiative for using non-plastic bottles.

“Using plastic bottle nowadays is a major environmental concern across the world,” he said. “Besides, plastic takes a long time to degrade and releases harmful chemicals into the surrounding environment.”

Feyera recommends other hotels follow suit in using environment-friendly products.


PUBLISHED ON Jul 27,2019 [ VOL 20 , NO 1004]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.



Related Posts

[ssba-buttons]

Put your comments here

N.B: A submit button will appear once you fill out all the required fields.

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

How to Put Development Finance Back on Track

lobal growth this year is expected to slow to its lowest rate (outside of a crisis) s...

A New Vision for Development Cooperation

he global system of financing for development, including that of development cooperat...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

Civil Society Feels the Squeeze as Reform Era Unravels

Jul 5 , 2025

Six years ago, Ethiopia was the darling of international liberal commentators. A year...

Soaring Taxes Fail to Plug Holes as Audit Reveals Enduring Waste

Jun 28 , 2025

Meseret Damtie, the assertive auditor general, has never been shy about naming names...

Expanding Federal Budget Tests Limits of Fiscal Discipline

Jun 21 , 2025

A well-worn adage says, “Budget is not destiny, but it is direction.” Examining t...

Desire to March to the Sea Should Spill Reason on the Way

Jun 14 , 2025

Yet again, the Horn of Africa is bracing for trouble. A region already frayed by wars...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

Rise Without Ruin

At times, the pursuit of opportunity quietly takes on a ruthless tone. Success begins to feel like a zero-sum game, where someone must lose...

Real Respect Shows Up First

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself at a social gathering where strangers and old acquaintances mix in a haze of small talk and light laug...

Life Matters

The Nuances of Baby Carrying

Each morning, just beyond the compound gates, a familiar image greets the day: a mother walking briskly with her baby snug in a front carrie...

The Quiet Roar Beneath the Calm

There is often a sense of awe when encountering someone who appears to have everything under control. Impeccably dressed, composed, and seem...