The Role of The Cove Rotana Resort in Sustainability

The Cove Rotana Resort is passionate about contributing to preserving the community they live in by actively taking part in promoting environmental sustainability. The Cove Rotana Resort has had a long journey with sustainability, in fact, its charming location along the glistening Ras Al Khaimah beach has always made it connected to nature. This is why we at The Cove Rotana Resort are constantly implementing initiatives to harbor and maintain sustainability across our premises as well as with the community of RAK.

How The Cove Rotana Resort Promotes & Implements Sustainability

1. Energy Conservation

The Cove Rotana Resort in RAK ensures it follows the best energy-saving practices all around the premises all the way to every room and villa. Awareness is the most important aspect of sustainability, which is why we have signs all around encouraging guests to participate in our energy-saving activities.
The hotel uses energy-efficient technology such as power savers, timers, daylight efficiency building assessments, and motion sensors. We also use daily monitors to check daily energy consumption and compare data to look for areas of improvement.
We also use LED energy-saving lighting as well as AC door sensors to avoid leaving it running when the guest is not present. Moreover, the AC is set in all areas to 23 degrees Celsius to reduce energy consumption.
The Cove Rotana Resort is also home to 7 electric charging stations/units for electric vehicles. This is part of the resort’s commitment to providing clean energy.

2. Waste Management
Efficient waste management is one of the key elements for more sustainable living. This is why The Cove Rotana Resort provides the necessary resources to encourage staff and guests to segregate general and recyclable waste. We also monitor daily the different types of waste to aid in our plan of increasing recyclable waste.
One of the most important aspects of waste management is managing food waste. That’s why we employ the best composting practices in our designated composting areas where we turn food waste into food for our plants. We make sure to share this achievement with our guests as we display an information board with monthly figures for the waste & Carbon footprint reduction on the environment.

3. Water Conservation
Ras Al Khaimah is one of the driest destinations in the area as it’s surrounded by desert, which is why we take saving water seriously. We implement several practices and use innovative technology to reduce water consumption. This includes the use of tap water aerators and savers, tap water sensors, sustainable shower heads and aerators, sensors for urinals, and flushing tanks dual flush to keep all areas within the accepted sustainability standards.
The Cove Rotana Resort also prioritizes monitoring of water consumption to look for areas of improvement by installing water meters controlling all our areas and identifying any visible or nonvisible leakages. We also implement Wastewater reuse in which we reduce freshwater consumption within the resort, especially by implementing efficient irrigation systems for our huge landscape and planting areas. This includes practices such as choosing suitable timing for irrigation to reduce water evaporation and selecting native plants and trees that require minimal water irrigation.

4. Food & Beverage Sustainable Practices
Food waste makes up one of the main causes of environmental damage, and at The Cove Rotana Resort, we ensure that we reduce our part as much as possible. For starters, the food we serve comes from local products and farms, if possible, as well as our in-house greenhouse, to reduce the carbon footprint that comes from resorting to the supply chain.

Our food and beverage operations are also free from single-use and disposable plastics as all our single-use cutlery and containers are from eco-friendly materials, biodegradable and PLA materials. Finally, we play our part in raising awareness for our guests regarding the best practices for reducing food waste.

5. Housekeeping Sustainable Practices
The Cove Rotana Resort extends its sustainability efforts to its housekeeping operations by using dry amenities that are all from biodegradable sources, including packaging without single-use plastics in guests’ rooms. We ensure all guest areas are non-smoking to improve indoor air quality. There are also fabric reusable bags and laundry reusable and washable bags for our guests to avoid single-use and disposable plastics.

6. Engaging with the Local Community Regarding Sustainability
Not only does The Cove Rotana Resort exert its sustainable efforts within its walls, but we also love taking these efforts outside! It’s important for us to take part in our local community and raise awareness regarding keeping sustainable living best practices.
One of our latest participations was during the Clean UAE Campaign 2023 where our team actively contributed to the environmental protection and conservation of Ras Al Khaimah which is in line with our Environmental protection and Sustainability goals!

The Cove Rotana Resort's Contribution to the Ecosystem

The Cove Rotana Resort prides itself on its initiative to implement certain practices that protect and enhance the ecosystem on its premises. For example, there are feeding programs in place for the birds, cats, animals and marine life in the resort lagoon. We ensure the preservation of these animals by warning visitors against feeding or touching them. The resort also has its own cat adoption program for their beloved, friendly on-site cats, which are displayed in an album with their pictures, names, and locations. You can guarantee their health with our collaboration with the Animals Welfare Center for monitoring their health status.

Moreover, we support marine life by housing a wide variety of species including various kinds of fishes, crabs, sea stars and natural coral reefs in our lagoon. We make sure these species are well fed and are living in fresh clean water by the regular oxygenation of lagoon water and keeping our lagoon and beach area free of any harmful pollutants. We are also home to over 40 types of birds that our trees and have their own feeding stations around the premises as well as information for our guests about each species.
As for the green spaces on our premises, we house more than 1000 trees around the resort along with a variety of flowers to provide a serene setting for our visitors as well as to support our sustainability plan to achieve zero carbon emissions and improve air quality. We also ensure that we grow native plants that require minimal water for irrigation in our endeavor to implement water conservation practices.
The Cove Rotana Resort is a Green House sanctuary. The resort has adopted sustainable and local production practices by establishing a greenhouse to cultivate fresh and organic vegetables and fruits that we use in our buffet salads.
Another contribution to the Ecosystem is the availability of Honeybee hives for local sustainable produce of honey. The resort’s dedicated team members exert special care to maintain the honeybee hives and provide locally produced honey to the guests.

Awards and Certifications

The Cove Rotana Resort RAK was proud to receive several awards and certifications in recognition and appreciation of our sustainability efforts and initiatives. We have been certified with ISO 21401 for Tourism & Related Services; Sustainability Management System by the Bureau Veritas, which makes The Cove Rotana Resort the first hotel in Ras Al Khaimah to be awarded this certification. It's given in recognition of the ability to reduce any negative environmental impact in the resort, promoting sustainable tourism, and implementing eco-friendly practices and initiatives.
In addition, EarthCheck Responsible RAK Bronze Achievement for 2022 was awarded to The Cove Rotana Resort with the support of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. EarthCheck is a recognized international environmental certification for businesses to manage and reduce their negative environmental impact. The certification also aims to monitor and encourage sustainable practices and initiatives within Ras Al-Khaimah in alignment with the Emirate’s goal of marking the city as a sustainable tourism destination.
It’s not just in recent years that The Cove Rotana Resort Ras Al Khaimah was recognized for its sustainability, in 2013, we received first place in Saving Water, Electricity and Paper and first place for Best Environmental Practices in Ras Al Khaimah.

When you book one of The Cove Rotana Resort’s rooms or villas, you will be surrounded by trees and flowers and the animals that inhabit them, which adds to the many reasons why we participate in protecting the environment. Hotels and resorts, in general, usually occupy large pieces of land in any city and therefore, have the responsibility to treat this land with kindness to give back to the community that keeps their business thriving. Especially now that it has become easier than ever to implement the best sustainable practices with the latest environmental technology.