The Orchid: A full on five-star eco hotel

Reduce, reuse and recycle may be recent inductions into India’s urban dictionary, but they were incorporated into The Orchid's vocabulary from its inception.

Conceived as Asia’s first Ecotel, The Orchid has since racked up a number of firsts in its 12-year history. Notably, it is the world’s only Ecotel to acquire a prestigious ISO-14001 certification for compliance with environmental legislation and a demonstrable commitment to the improvement of sustainable services.

This 245-room mammoth 5-star treads with a comparatively light carbon footstep.

When I walk through the lobby of my hotel, I find so many familiar faces, repeat visitors.

— Vithal Kamat

The colourful owner, Vithal Kamat, championed eco-tourism at a time when Asian hotel culture appeared to believe waste and excess spelt luxury. Measures that are now commonplace, such as recycled paper products, low-flow taps and flushes, were initiatives at The Orchid when they seemed frugal for a five-star hotel in Mumbai.

In fact, the Orchid continues to implement processes that run contra-culture to luxury hotels -- offering newspapers, fresh fruit and filled water flasks only when guests request them, and eschewing cut flowers altogether. The Orchid’s eco-friendly features range from the holistic -- outreach programs for the community, to the bizarre herbal non-toxic anti-cockroach treatments. The clientele is encouraged to embrace the ethos, so guests can voluntarily push an eco-button to reduce their air-conditioning use, save energy, and win a subscription to Sanctuary magazine.

“When I walk through the lobby of my hotel, I find so many familiar faces, repeat visitors. They come back because they believe in what we do. And when I talk to them, they tell me how they pushed the eco-button, about how their children are reading and renewing their subscription to Sanctuary. This is how I know we are making a difference. Every drop of water we save ripples through the eco-system,” says Mr. Kamat.

Which doesn’t explain an imposing 70-foot waterfall in the atrium, but the centrepiece of the hotel employs a fibre-flow technology that re-uses a preset reservoir of water and serves as a filter for natural light and buffer for ambient noise. Other architectural elements also double up on their functionality, so the rooftop pool has a passive solar design which reduces heat loads on the building while functioning as a fire safety feature.

Despite 61 awards for his ecologically conscientious brand, Mr. Kamat has not stopped to rest on past laurels or rely on passé features.

“I believe that mother earth is held in trust for our children and that has been my constant inspiration,” he says.

The Orchid now aims to achieve a zero-waste status and currently recycles 300 kilos of kitchen waste into its vermiculture pits for fertiliser. This rare dedication in the Indian hospitality industry to long-held environmental principles and practices, make The Orchid a fitting tribute to its floral namesake.

Read their 'environment ethos' page for more details.