TRAVELIFE

The staff and management of Grand Blue Beach Hotel, acting with environmental consciousness, have set out to reach our goals of helping save our planet. Recognizing that Earth is our only home, a home that we will pass down to future generations, we are committed to reducing the impact of our daily activities on the environment.
That includes keeping our beach clean, using our resources thoughtfully, taking measures against water, ground, and air contamination, reducing our waste, sorting our garbage meticulously and essentially limiting our environmental footprint.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Complete elimination of single-use plastic utensils. Biodegradable paper cups and recyclable sturdy plastic utensils and plates are now used.
• New vegetable and herb patches in our garden
• Three shoreline cleanups, carried out by both employees and guests alike.
• A full implementation of a “Kitchen Waste” program with across the border measurements and record keeping.
• Solid waste reduction, Water consumption reduction, Energy consumption reduction

GOALS:

• Use of heat pumps for all cooling/heating needs
• An additional 10% reduction in solid waste
• Flow restrictors on all taps and showers
• More seasonal vegetables, herb patches and flowers in our gardens that attract bees.
• Carbon neutral, biodegradable, kitchen exhaust filters made of natural fibers.

 
There are seemingly endless options for actions and initiatives to choose from, so we can reduce our resource consumption, reduce our emissions, assimilate better, blend in with our surroundings, and help preserve the local fauna and flora.
Our environmental management system is communicated through digital and print media to clients and partners and is also posted in various sites with employee access.
We will always be alert for any new development, will appreciate the participation of our staff and guests in any action, and welcome all suggestions so we can reach our goals.
 
Hotel Manager
Maria Kosma
 

At Grand Blue Beach Hotel, we respect and defend all human rights as set out in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly of the United Nations, as well as the right of every person to fair labor conditions. Our daily operations are based on the principle that everyone has the right to the same fundamental freedoms without facing any form of discrimination, regardless of their skin color, age, appearance, gender, religious beliefs, nationality or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, cultural background, or disability.
 
 
More specifically:
 

• We respect the privacy, beliefs, and identity of each employee, ensuring a working environment against any type of discrimination or harassment.
• We provide equal opportunities when hiring and wages and benefits are based solely on the employee’s skills and accreditations.
• We organize “career days” in various venues including our hotel, where interested individuals from the community can get information about working with us and the educational programs we offer.
• All staff members are informed about the terms and conditions of their employment and their labor rights, such as joining any trade union or professional association they wish. Moreover, for reasons of transparency and disclosure, all staff members receive a signed copy of their employment contract along with a written description of their duties.
• An employee’s handbook clearly defines rules of conduct and professional behavior. Procedures are also in place for filing grievances, rule evaluation/assessment/corrective measures, as well as repercussions and employee termination.
•  In cooperation with a Labor Law Attorney, we have drafted the Employment Bylaws that describe in detail the relationship between the Hotel and its employees as well as the rights and obligations of each side.
• A “Rights & Obligations” summary is posted in various areas accessible to employees, along with detailed information of the person/persons they can contact for assistance on the subject.
• Employees are notified of the measurable productivity criteria for every department followed by our hotel, and a reward/advancement program is applied accordingly.
• We provide educational and training programs on regular intervals, inviting employees from all levels of our organization to participate in and thus giving the chance of professional advancement within our company.

All procedures, measures and policies are being reviewed at regular intervals by the hotel manager and divisions’ management considering all suggestions made by the staff of the hotel.
 
Hotel Manager
Maria Kosma

The fact that Grand Blue Hotel is a family hotel as well, and young children are also accommodated in our facilities motivates us to be vigilant regarding children’s exploitation and abuse of any form. This applies not only to our hotel but also to the children in our community.
Our goal is to raise awareness, help identify, prevent, and report such incidents. These are the steps:

1. We do not hire minors, except where provided by the Law, with a parent’s permission.
2. We have established a policy on the subject of children exploitation and abuse.
3. We communicate to our guests, partners, and staff our commitment to safeguard children and that an applicable policy is in place.
4. For a detailed and knowledgeable briefing, we direct our guests and the public to official sites for children’s rights, what consists child abuse and where to report it locally. 
5. We encourage all stakeholders to be vigilant and inform them of the signs that should be aware of.
6. We cooperate closely with local authorities for any suspicious event within our hotel grounds or our community.
7. We are partners and a major donor to “The smile of the child” the #1 NGO in Greece battling with violence against children, missing children, children with medical emergencies and children that simply need home and sustenance.
8. We provide multiple contact points for helping children in need:

Kos Primary Court Prosecutor                                                                     “The smile of the child”
Tel. 22420 22364                                                                                                           11040
 
Kos Police Greek                                                                                               Helpline for Children
Tel. 22420 22222                                                                                                            1056
 
European Helpline for Children                                                   European Hotline for Missing Children
116111                                                                                                                             116000

Hotel manager
Maria Kosma

Grand Blue Hotel is committed to maintaining high standards both in serving their guests and in dealing with staff and stakeholders. To achieve this, a quality management system has been drafted and certain policies are in place. Information for defining the guidelines comes from our guests and staff in the following ways:
Customer feedback

• A PR Officer is inviting guests for a refreshment and a discussion on their hotel experience. A minimum of eight appointments are carried our daily and a log is kept and forwarded to the hotel manager.
• Said Officer also surveys different hotel departments, interacting with guests and recording a separate log with his/her observations and comments, forwarded also to the hotel manager.
• One member of the Reception Team is designated as Customer Overseer in all shifts, to address any problems 24/7
•  A guest comment card and questionnaire is posted in our online guest help-center (Exclusivi) and the PR officer monitors and processes all comments.
• All Tour Operators that we have contracts with, send us complaints and suggestions regarding our services and facilities, that are evaluated, and certain selections are integrated in our quality policy.
• All personnel interacting with our guests will attend a training session on how to carry themselves among guests and the optimum way to carry out their obligations.
• The Reception Team receives extra training on how to properly address customer complaints and requests, and how to communicate issues with other departments and the hotel manager.
• The weekly meeting of the Hotel Manager and all heads of Departments, including the PR Officer, includes a section for discussing issues and complaints from guests.
•  The PR Officer monitors all channels that provide users with the option of reviewing their stay, like Booking, Tripadvisor etc. Said reviews are not only answered but all issues arising from them are forward and dealt with, by the hotel manager.
• Should a customer have been wronged in some form, amendments are made even after a guest has left our hotel.

Staff Feedback

• A locked suggestion box has been placed in the staff rec area, and employees are encouraged to express suggestions on operations. In the same box they can file, even anonymously, complaints about their working conditions, another employee, or their dept. manager.
• The Hotel Manager collects the contents of this box weekly and addresses all issues either directly or in cooperation with the people in charge of the department/employee concerned.
• The weekly meeting of the Hotel Manager and all heads of Departments includes a section for discussing issues that employees have raised.
• Finally, all employees have been informed that if they have exhausted all options of solving their problem with the department manager, they have the liberty to address the Hotel Manager directly.

 
Hotel Manager
Maria Kosma
 

Our commitment:
Grand Blue Hotel is collaborating with the local community for various projects aiming to promote the culture and heritage of our destination. It is also our commitment to maintain a constant dialogue with the community and to ensure that we contribute in some way to the improvement of the socio-economic status of our fellow citizens.

Our goals:

1. To support the local economy
2. To promote local products /traditions/attractions to our guests
3. To raise awareness and protect the environment, including the local fauna and flora.
4. To promote and spread awareness for Hippocrates of Kos and his teaching on healthy living.
5. To ensure that our operations do not in any way disturb “the flow” of our community, especially when it comes to tradition.
6. To contribute and donate to local institutions for the less privileged.

 
Our actions:

• Purchasing all fruits and vegetables, dairy products, honey etc from local farmers and producers
• Purchasing various items for our hotel such as furniture, electrical supplies etc from local businesses
• Encouraging our guests (through our site) to visit certain local attractions, landmarks, antiquities, and places of natural beauty.
• Purchasing organic farming toiletries from a local producer and this way advertising these products to our guests
• Promoting local products like wine, olive oil and a local cheese in various occasions including serving them at the Greek Breakfast buffet.
• Giving priority to personnel permanently residing in ​​Kos, priority. We also offer apprenticeships to permanent residents of Kos.
• Donating canned food, linens, furniture etc to local charities, families in need, the church or army base.
• Hosting events and drives for local charity organizations.
• Organizing yearly blood drive to support our local hospital.
• Organizing beach clean-up days and tree plantation drives, celebrating World Environment Day with corresponding activities.
• Sponsoring the Hippocratic Foundation of Kos and Hippocrates’ philosophy in all our literature, on our website and in our participation in trade exhibitions.
• Hosting sessions and seminars on Hippocrates and his ever-timely teachings
• Maintaining the Hippocratic Garden, with herbs and plants that Hippocrates used for healing.

The Hotel Manager
Maria Kosma

 

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2023-24

 COMMUNITY POLICY
LEGAL OPERATION OF THE HOTEL - All applicable licenses and certifications have been obtained. A Labor Specialist has drafted an obligation chart for both Hotel ownership and employees.
RELATIONSHIP WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS –

• Cooperation and sponsorship of the Hippocratic Foundation of Kos
• Cooperation and sponsorship of the Svoureneio Center for the invalid
• Cooperation and Day Hosting for the 2^nd regional Day-Care-Center
• Restructuring of the iconic Palm Road

 
ORGANIZE ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY

• Environment day June 6^th with Hippocratic Foundation of Kos
• World Cleanup Day Sept 21^st with local primary school
• Sponsorship of Antimachia Lyceum in “Virtual Businesses” competition
• Sponsoring of the Hippocratic Gardens
• Hosting of annual conferences for the Hippocratic Foundation of Kos

 
OFFERING DONATIONS IN-KIND

• Donations to St. George Church and St Nikolas Cathedral
• Linens to the hospital and army base
• Purchasing uniforms for local athletic unions
• Food stock for the St. Nektarios monastery

 
SUPPORT THE LOCAL BUSINESS AND MAKE LOCAL PURCHASES

• 92% of food and drink stock, kitchen ware, food ware, utensils
• All replacement electrical & electronic devices, furniture &house wares
• All garden supplies, plants & soil

 
EMPLOYEES & HUMAN RIGHTS
EQUAL RIGHTS – EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
All staff members have access to the same training and educational seminars, boarding facilities, advancement opportunities, and productivity bonuses.
 
NO DISCRIMINATION
Our Hotel employs staff of various nationalities and religions, both men and women, locals, immigrants and guest workers
 
EMPLOYEE’S RIGHTS
A Labor Specialist has drafted the Employment ByLaws, describing the rights and obligations for both Hotel ownership and employees.

STAFF CONDUCT
A Code-of-Conduct has been issued and communicated to all staff members. Teams seem to be fully integrated, and we have received positive comments from guests.
 
REWARD PRODUCTIVITY
The previous period 3 staff members have been promoted and 2 members received bonuses for productivity scores*
 
PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT - TRAINING
Between 26/10/23 and 21/07/24, eleven training sessions have taken place. These sessions were basically aimed at senior members and department heads. **
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*Event: The productivity rate has not been at its best this year.
Cause: Demanding circumstances and lack of staff has resulted in team leaders being busy carrying out chores meant for the staff. Thus, having less time to get to know each member of their staff and how they perceive their duties.
Corrective steps:  Team leaders and dept. managers will have to not only follow the productivity of their staff but also work closely with them and encourage them on more effective practises.
Special attention should also be given to low productivity as a result of lack of more specialized training (see below).
**Event: Not all teams’ members were trained adequately this season.
Cause: Shortage in the working force in the industry, resulted in “last minute” hirings. In combination with the fact that employees had different levels of education and training, and a language barrier due to their origins, resulted in basic training only.
Corrective steps: Efforts must be made for early recruitment. Recurrent personnel with similar ethnic/language backgrounds to assist with the new member training. An absolute minimum of training sessions/subject must be set, for an employee to be considered competent to work with us.
 
SUSTAINABLE KITCHEN
Our Hotel also diligently practices a “KITCHEN WASTE” program that aims to handle organic waste in the best way possible.
The program includes the handling of food preparation organics, kitchen leftovers and guest leftovers. All three are weighed separately and documented and we then make adjustments on how we order, how we cook and how we serve our meals.
The undisputed benefits are:

• limiting the food that is thrown away,
• reducing methane and other gas emissions produced when organics break down,
• reducing transportation emissions
• reducing our total amount of solid waste
• concentrating on quality over quantity

Our guests are informed of our policy both by our general literature in the dining halls, welcoming them to eat all they want but not serve more than they will eat
 
  
COMMUNITY POLICY:

• A more in-depth cooperation with the Hippocratic Foundation of Kos not only for its’ promotion as a location, but the dissemination of Hippocrates teachings and approach on well-being
• The building of breakwaters along with a beach restoration near our hotel will not only benefit us and the local community with a sandy user-friendly beach but also keep the beach from totally disappearing since erosion has reach the seaside road.
• Promotion of local lines that sail in the neighboring island in the form of day-cruises
• A coordinated cooperation with local Mountain Bike Tours and two stables that offer rides to scenic areas of our island.

 
HUMAN RIGHTS AND EMPLOYEES

• Outsourced Trainers teaching separate sessions for Housekeeping, Service, Kitchen, and Reception
• Applying a Big Brother/Sister program where recurrent personnel will sponsor new staff with similar ethnic/language backgrounds, easing them into the Greek culture and our hotel philosophy and way of working.
• Early recruitment efforts, attending Workshops and Career Days organized by various agencies and unions, starting right after the end of our season.

We believe that the three areas assessed above are indicative markers for our growth. Our workforce is the backbone of our business and our ties and participation with the community put us on the map of this island as an organic part of it, while our food consumption control efforts have a rewarding resonance with our environment and our guests.
There is always room for improvement, and we are always willing to achieve challenging goals.

Hotel Manager
Maria Kosma