SUSTAINABILITY
The Tais Hotels is firmly committed to implement strategies promoting sustainable tourism practices and to uphold performance values aimed at protecting the wellbeing of our employees and the environment, while collaborating with community development projects. Sustainability is a key part of our philosophy; for this reason, we feel a great responsibility to help construct a better world.
The Corporate Responsibility committees of the Grupo CIO—the company to which The Tais Hotels belongs—are responsible for setting targets and performing a follow-up of the activities carried out around our three key pillars of action: employees, environment and community.
We encourage you to read about all of our activities in the Group’s annual Corporate Responsibility Report.
AREAS OF ACTIVITY
People
The wellbeing of The Tais Hotels’ family is a key factor in the development of our staff. We strive to foster a high-quality working environment, conscious of the huge importance of the work of every single employee for the success of our business. We are committed to internal promotion, ensuring the equality of opportunities amongst our employees; and to training, ensuring that the employees undergo more than 5000 hours of annual training.
We are the very soul of The Tais Hotel and hence the Communication between us is hugely important. Our Sustainability Committee, which holds quarterly sessions in which all professional profiles and departments are invited to participate, is crucial for the progress of our company. We also endeavour to motivate our team through the implementation of strategies that allow them to refine their talents and boost their sense of company belonging.
- We offer the academic grant Beca Duqui for children of our employees.
- We run an employee recognition programme, including incentives for the highest-valued employees by the client and the company.
- We hold a Christmas Party for all employees and arrange a Father Christmas Party for their children.
- We pay special recognition to employees who have spent 10 years working in the company.
- We acknowledge our employees’ birthdays and give them gifts, while also celebrating the birth of their children.
- Annual workplace environment surveys and performance appraisals.
Environment
The Tais Hotels is deeply committed to protecting the environment. Some of our key goals are to minimise our carbon footprint, reduce our consumption, emissions and the waste we produce, which we shall ensure through the rational use of natural resources.
We have an Environmental Technician whose role is to establish our conduct guidelines and devise our roadmap in the fight against climate change. Some of our objectives include the implementation of ISO 14001/EMAS, the continued training of our workforce in terms of environmental awareness and the promotion of activities aimed at strengthening the circular economy.
- We encourage beach and seabed cleaning outings in collaboration with environmental associations.
- We promote the consumption of locally-sourced products (km 0).
- We take part in the environmental “Earth Hour” initiative every year, promoted by the WWF.
- We have our own vegetable garden which meets organic agriculture criteria, using the produce in some of our restaurants.
- We have a waste management strategy which helps us to minimise our by-products, based upon the concept of a circular economy.
- We support organic agriculture through our participation in Cáritas Diocesana’s “Buscándome las Habichuelas” project.
- We have electric vehicle charging points which use renewable energy sources.
- We reduce our water footprint on the island through the desalination of sea water.
- We acknowledge our workforce’s commitment and creativity with the “Environment Champion” competition, aimed at compiling ideas for sustainable management.
Environmental Certificates
Our Hotel Bahía del Duque, belonging to The Tais Hotels, holds several environmental certificates outlining our commitment to sustainability and our support for a social and responsible economy. Some of these certificates include:
Travelife Gold Certification, issued by the Travelife Sustainability System: this certificate outlines our firm commitment and sense of responsibility for environmental protection, respect and fair treatment of staff, community support, the protection of local culture and wildlife and our support for the development of the regional economy.
Biosphere Responsible Tourism seal: issued by the Spanish Institute for Responsible Tourism (ITR), this voluntary certification is based on the principles of sustainable development, based on environmental, cultural and socio-economic criteria.
Community/Social
Social action plays a key role in our corporate culture. The Tais Hotels promotes social development through our ties with the local community. We establish partnerships with local associations and work with them on an active basis; we encourage our teams to engage in corporate volunteering programmes; we support the hiring of people with disabilities; and we promote local cultures and traditions as a symbol of the identity of the destination.
We have also contributed to the improvement of living conditions for children, families and communities in underprivileged regions around the world, through our 21-year collaboration with the Spanish NGO Ayuda en Acción, sponsoring 40 children through our “What can you do with 1 Euro?” project.
- We sell items produced by different associations in various drugstores, with 100% of the profit going back to these entities.
- Our Hotel’s employees help to organise charity market events in which the venue’s furniture is sold, where all the money raised is donated to various charities.
- Every year, our hotel chefs and floor staff hold a cooking masterclass aimed at young people at risk of exclusion from the labour market in Tenerife.
- We donate unperishable foods to social charities. Our staff also run a food drive once a year, where everything is given to associations for vulnerable people.
Collaborations
The promotion of social development initiatives encapsulates the identity of The Tais Hotels. The collaboration with non-profit social and environmental charities and associations is a key aspect of our Corporate Responsibility strategy.
The Tais Hotels cooperates with NGOs from different areas and countries, including: Ayuda en Acción, WWF, Caritas, Spanish Red Cross, Spanish Association Against Cancer, SOS Children’s Villages, EcoOcéanos, the guardian charity Fundación Tutelar Canaria Sonsoles Soriano Bugnion, Trisómicos21, Funcasor, Fundación Canaria el Buen Samaritano, etc.