The International Hotel Awards 2013/14 have been judged and The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, Langkawi has been announced amongst the winning hotels, having been named the Best Sustainable Hotel Malaysia and Best Spa Hotel Malaysia.
The event is part of the International Property Awards which have been established for 19 years and its award winners’ logo is recognised as a symbol of excellence throughout the global industry. The organisers decided to launch a specific program for the hospitality industry this year due to an increasing number of entries within its commercial categories. Demand for inclusion has been so great that each category was soon filled of the required number of entrants. The judges also reported that the quality of submissions has been extremely high, giving them a difficult task in selecting the winners.
Attaining one of these coveted awards for three consecutive years is indisputable evidence that The Andaman is capable of beating some exceedingly strong contenders within the keenly competitive Asia Pacific hospitality arena.
Adrian Stoppe, Executive Assistant Manager of The Andaman said of the award, “To receive recognition from so many experts in the field is such an honour, and a further testament that we at The Andaman, A Luxury Collection Resort Langkawi, are doing things right.”
Located in an idyllic tropical setting on Malaysia’s Langkawi Island, The Andaman is cosily tucked away between a 10 million year old rainforest in the tranquil Datai Bay and an 8,000 year old fringing coral reef. Abundant with rare wildlife and exotic flora, The Andaman’s magnificent locale enables guests to partake in a wide range of activities that integrate the surrounding nature while still enjoying the luxurious trimmings of a five star resort.
In 2010, The Andaman embarked on a Coral Conservation project after discovering an 8,000 year old coral reef in its shores that was badly damaged by the 2004 Tsunami. Since then, the resort conducts monthly Coral Clearing activities removing dead corals from the reef and takes guests on educational Coral Walks to learn about this fragile ecosystem.
The resort recently elevated its efforts to the next stage of coral rescue and rehabilitation by building a Coral Nursery to facilitate these objectives. Believed to be the first of its kind in SEA, it is here that guests can participate in the unique and inspiring activity of growing new corals which, after 4 to 12 months of nurturing, will be returned to the sea where they will bloom and blossom as part of a healthy new coral colony.
Mini-ARMS (Artificial Reef Module System) is the most recent addition to the many Coral-related
activities at the resort and involves guests assisting the Coral team to make unique concrete structures
that will act both as a Coral substrate and as a living space for juvenile fish. This activity is designed to
support the larger ‘ARMS’ project, which recently celebrated its 1st Anniversary. Launched on World
Oceans Day, 8th June 2013 in partnership with Lafarge Cement and the National University of Malaysia
(UKM), this ’10 year plan’ project aims to develop a sustainable fishing resource for the people of
Langkawi.
The judging panel of the International Hotel Awards is chaired by Sir David Michels and consists of 60 professionals whose collective knowledge of the hospitality industry is second to none. This year’s judges include Patrick Grove, Co-founder of IPGA Limited; Peter Crome, managing director of Skibo Castle in Scotland; David Dalby of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Rebecca Johnson of Bloomberg TV (Hotel Section).
Later this year, the highest scoring winners from the Asia Pacific Hotel Awards will compete against other winning companies from Europe, Africa, the Americas and Arabia to find the ultimate World’s Best in each category.
For reservations or more information, visit www.theandaman.com or call +60 4 959 1088