Soneva Fushi is a luxurious hotel that is part of Soneva Resort and Residences. This hotel is in Baa Atoll, Maldives. This hotel is still related to two other hotels that are also run by the same company, Soneva Jani (located in Noonu Atoll, Maldives) and Soneva Kiri in Koh Kood, Thailand. Not only known for its luxuries and the beauty, Soneva Fushi is also known as an eco-friendly hotel.
The hotel was built by Sonu Shivdasani and his wife Eva Malmström Shivdasani, a Swedish model. They met in 1990 in Monaco when Sonu was a student at Oxford University.
When first visiting the Maldives, they both felt very happy to have rented an uninhabited island, Kunfunadhoo, a small area in Baa Atoll. Five years later, they built a house there and then opened a hotel which was later named Soneva (the acronym of Sonu and Eva) Fushi (in Dhivehi meaning ‘island’).
Carrying the theme of seclusion, there are many buildings that are made to resemble tree houses. All are open overlooking the white sand and the most fun part is a private pool on the terrace.
In the management of this hotel, Soneva is committed to being environmentally and socially responsible. Various efforts were made to achieve that goal.Starting from the use of sustainable materials, recycled goods, to water conservation and ecosystem conservation. The hotel has even been awarded Butterfly Mark from Positive Luxury, a tribute to a brand committed to sustainability.
Soneva Fushi is an excellent example of a hotel that combines luxury with the sustainable news. Soneva has several times been awarded for its eco-friendly hotel concept.
Even in 2017, this hotel again won the MATATO Travel Awards category Eco hotel Pioneer category. In the same year, this hotel was also crowned by Green Hotelier Awards as the most environmentally friendly hotel with the most sustainable environment in the Asia Pacific.
Needless to say, knowing how to manage a hotel to be eco-conscious it is worth of the title. The main priority of this hotel is the use of electrical energy from renewable sources. Soneva Fushi has 70kW Solar Photovoltaic (PV) which is the largest renewable energy engine in the Maldives. This machine can help Soneva achieve its greatest goal for zero carbon emissions.
To save power and make it more efficient, Soneva designed almost all its restaurants with natural ventilation. By avoiding the use of air conditioning, power can be saved more and visitors can feel the fresh air. It can also get them closer to nature. Not only the air is healthy, the food served in the restaurant is also guaranteed because the ingredients are obtained from the garden that is specially treated.
Another brilliant initiative of this hotel’s hospitality is its way of treating waste. This luxurious hotel provides Eco Centro Waste-to-Wealth to cultivate solid waste. 74% of Soneva solid waste has been recycled.
The overall footprint of Soneva waste management is negative 69 tons per year. That is, recycling efforts are done to avoid more carbon than the resulting, then there is decarbonization.
To process food waste, Soneva composted the waste using aeration method. The method converts organic food and garden waste into nutritious soil that will be reused in herbaceous and vegetable garden gardens.
The most amazing waste treatment is of glass waste. There is a Glass Studio at Soneva where the glass waste of Maldives is transformed into precious works of art. In the studio, visitors can see the world-renowned glass artists making glass artwork.
Visitors can also participate in art exhibitions, learn the art of glass blowing in a special course, or even design their own produced artwork to take home.
Soneva’s strong commitment to creating a sustainable hotel makes it worthed of being the best example of an eco-friendly hotel. Being more aware of the environment can have a major impact not only on the local people but also for future generations. That is the hope of all people, as well as Soneva Fushi.
