Bahia Principe and Its Commitment to Sustainability

Bahia Principe’s Sustainability policies were approved in 2016 by Encarna Piñero, CEO of the Piñero Group. These policies establish the sustainability commitments adopted by Bahia Principe.

The policies that were approved and implemented include

At Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts, we are cognizant of the importance of development in harmony with the environment and society in general. Therefore, we see the management of our hotels from a global perspective. We are firmly committed to offering our clients a product of the highest quality, improving the quality of life of our colleagues and positively influencing the local community and the environment, while continuing to be an economically viable company in the medium and long term.

All our company management policies are defined with sustainability in mind, thus we aim to be a dynamic and modern company, adapted to today’s reality, striving to be an example in present and future management.

Our commitments to sustainability in its triple aspects - economic, social and environmental - are as follows:

• From the environmental point of view, we are committed to improving the management of energy resources, water and waste, in addition to actively participating in the conservation of the rich biodiversity that surrounds our hotels.
   
• For the sociocultural aspect, our commitment focusses on the responsible management of human resources encouraging the recognition of work, adequate training of our colleagues, equal opportunities, active defence of human rights and the rights of minors, support for local development and cooperation for the protection of local culture.
   
• At the corporate level we work on the implementation of standards and government systems in order to be more competitive and to improve the quality of our products, as well as to improve the relationships with our interest groups, establishing effective mechanisms for active communication. Our management is based on ethics and responsibility of the business.
   
• As a leading company in the international tourism sector we accept the role that we play, working our values in a comprehensive manner, making our interest groups participants in actions, maintaining a permanent and effective dialogue, in support of sustainability.

Check here the Bahia Principe Riviera Maya Resort 2016 Sustainability Report.

At Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts we understand the importance of managing our human resources, not only for the performance of our activity but for the communities and regions where we are represented and in which we aim to be a positive influence, actively contributing to their social, economic and cultural betterment. We are committed to the following:

• In keeping with good corporate governance we encourage behaviour based on ethics and responsibility for all, from management to line staff, ensuring respect for human rights. Therefore all our operations are performed from a responsible and ethical viewpoint.
   
• As an international company we have a strong intercultural component which, without a doubt, enriches us. We depend on the integration of various groups of persons, not only respecting diversity but promoting it. No person can be the victim of discrimination due to gender, age, nationality, race, different abilities, religion or sexual orientation.
   
• Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts does not employ minors under any circumstance whatsoever, thus we have developed measures for the detection and prevention of the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents.
   
• We prioritize the contracting of local staff as the best way to contribute to community development and we ensure the professional development of our team members through the establishment of information and training programmes, improving company qualification.
   
• We maintain a favourable equal opportunity work environment that respects the culture and ensures the dignified and fair treatment of our team members.
   
• We respect the association and union membership of our team members, developing strategies for understanding and cooperation with the workers’ legal representatives and cooperating for continued improvement.
   
• We make a positive contribution to the development of the local communities in which we operate, carrying out social activities for the improvement of quality of life, to respect the local culture in a distinct manner and to provide direct incentives to the communities. All of this is done through continuous dialogue with them.

Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts, being aware of its responsibility to protect the environment, arranges all of its actions to include its social and environmental involvement in all of its activity processes, developing them in a framework of respect and protection of the surroundings. Our hotels ensure not only the highest level of satisfaction of our clientele but there is a firm commitment to act in a responsible manner, guaranteeing the care and conservation of the environment, ensuring the generation of value in a sustainable framework.
The importance given to protection of the environment is reflected in our Environmental Policy, the principles of which are as follows:

• To sensitize and train staff on the culture of safety, health and care of the environment
   
• To sensitize our clients and team members so that they understand and participate in this culture
   
• Continuous improvement of the production chain seeking technologies and processes which respect the environment
   
• Continuous improvement of infrastructure for the reduction of energy consumption, to optimize the comprehensive management of water, preventing contamination, adequately managing waste water and promoting its reuse
   
• To plan actions to adequately prevent and control contamination of the soil, water and atmosphere
   
• To participate and/or collaborate on programmes or other actions for protection and conservation of local biodiversity in the surroundings where we carry out our activity.
   
• To be rigorous in compliance with the regulation in force for environmental protection and the adoption of the measures necessary for avoiding damage to the surroundings which may be caused by development of our activities, eliminating them or, as appropriate, minimizing them.
   
• Seeking avenues of opportunity in all processes ensuring the maintenance of energy efficiency, operations and the appropriate treatment of wastes.
   
• The ecology is incorporated in management, encouraging continuous cooperation and dialogue, promoting the alignment and integration of human resources in the company commitment to environmental policy.

At Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts we recognize that in order to contribute directly to the improvement of the communities in which we carry out our activities as well as the proper sustainable development of our activity, it is important to establish an acquisition of goods and services policy that is consistent with such purposes. Our commitments in this area are as follows:

• To acquire, whenever possible, locally grown, produced or prepared products according to sustainability criteria
   
• Priority will be given to the acquisition of products that minimize the management of waste (containers, wrapping, etc.) promoting, wherever possible, the acquisition of goods with large volume presentations produced in a sustainable way
   
• To establish criteria for selection of suppliers, giving priority to those who certify that their production, packaging, storage, transport and marketing are done according to sustainability criteria.
   
• To promote responsible purchasing in any of our areas through certified products.
   
• To evaluate and acquire high efficiency energy products and machinery for the purpose of reducing energy consumption.
   
• To always utilize products that comply with legislation at the sanitary and environmental level.
   
• Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts will encourage its sustainability, environmental, social as well as health and safety policies among its suppliers, creating a joint identity, encouraging them to share values and action principles, while discarding the principles that lead to contrary behaviours

At Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts we consider as a priority the prevention of risks as well the safety and health of our team members in their work environments. The following commitments are paramount:

• The life, physical integrity and health of the employees are rights whose protection must be a constant of the daily routine for those of us who are a part of Grupo Piñero.
   
• We believe that people are our greatest asset so we intend to establish a preventive policy aimed at a scientific, comprehensive, integrated and participatory prevention model.
   
• We start on the principle that all work accidents, incidents and illnesses can and must be prevented, committing ourselves to reaching a high level of safety and health at work, not limiting ourselves exclusively to complying with the regulations in force in the area, but carrying out actions that increase the level of protection of workers, providing workplaces that are safe and healthy for our team members.
   
• The chain of command must assume and strengthen the integration of safety in the production process, establishing the basic principle that the best productivity is achieved with the greatest safety, therefore it must not be forgotten that the conservation of material and human resources is fundamental to reduce costs.
   
• In order to promote safe conduct in the activities performed, staff will be provided with all the existing information on the risks inherent to their work, as well as training and sensitization necessary on the ways and measures to be adopted for their proper prevention.
   
• Furthermore, staff participation in the issues related to the prevention of risks at work will be promoted, since the staff has the most knowledge and details on the tasks performed and, as such, is the most appropriate to provide support and suggestions on the safest way to complete them.
   
• In this sense the mechanisms, tools and training necessary for our teams to work will be established, always according to the criteria for maximum safety and food hygiene.

This policy establishes the principles that inspire the commitment of Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts
to human rights in all its activities and areas of action.
Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts adopts the approach of the United Nations Report “on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises”. The approach that can be found in this policy is that of due diligence, aimed at minimizing the risk of infringing human rights.
Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts understands that due diligence in this area includes the following elements:

• Analysis of the principal risks on the subject of human rights, including the potential impacts on vulnerable groups and on the matter of gender.
   
• Establishment of commitments.
   
• Assignment of responsibilities with respect to performance in this area.
   
• Training of persons in the Company.
   
• Supervision and monitoring of the implementation of the policy.
   
• Correction of bad practices that may have occurred.

Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts, in all its activities everywhere in the world, commits to respect human rights and to establish, where circumstances may so dictate, mechanisms that allow for the verification of its compliance. The practical application of this Policy will be determined by the institutional and legal framework existing in each country.

Commitments to human rights:

1. To avoid discriminatory practices or those which diminish the dignity of persons

2. To eradicate the use of child labour

3. To facilitate the freedom of association and collective bargaining

4. To protect the health of persons

5. To offer dignified employment

6. Engagement with persons connected to suppliers and other collaborating companies

7. To publicly support and promote respect for human rights

8. To respect local communities and traditional ways of life

9. To protect facilities and persons with regards to respect for human rights

10. To contribute to combatting corruption

At Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts we reject and take a zero-tolerance approach to labour exploitation, ill-treatment and sexual abuse of children and adolescents. We firmly believe that any form of physical or sexual violence against them is unacceptable and can be prevented, by sensitizing and informing our team members, guests, suppliers and associates, and always collaborating with the organizations and authorities that are involved in this struggle. Therefore, we are committed to carrying out the necessary actions for the eradication of these issues from our hotels.

• To publish our policy against labour exploitation, ill-treatment and sexual abuse of children and adolescents among team members, guests, tour operators, suppliers and other interest groups.
   
• To urge our suppliers and associates to make the mutual commitment of opposition and zero-tolerance to labour exploitation, ill-treatment and sexual abuse of children and adolescents.
   
• To support and participate in local, national or international campaigns, against the ill- treatment and abuse of children and adolescents.
   
• To host training and sensitization days with team members, in association with the relevant organizations for the detection and prevention of this problem. As well as to provide guidelines on the actions to follow in cases detected, with prevention being the guiding principle.
   
• To detect and channel possible situations of ill-treatment or sexual abuse of children and adolescents from our hotels to the relevant authorities.

Bahía Príncipe sees itself as a client-focused organization, which relies on the implementation of quality in all its processes as a means to create value. It maintains loyalty relationships with the principal agents in the tourism sector: client, suppliers, team members and the society in general.

We believe that the best way to ensure excellence in services is to surpass client expectations, both internal and external clients, and to grow on the basis of those relationships in a continuous and innovative way. Through staff training and teamwork, we control work processes, so that the quality of the offer translates into a sustainable business at the social, economic and environmental level.
The quality policy follows the principles of:

• Reliability of service
   
• Qualification of the staff
   
• Commitment to personalized attention
   
• Complete and well maintained infrastructures and equipment

In recent years we have been working in all Bahia Principe Hotels & Resort chain hotels to implement these policies. We have achieved important results, including raising awareness of the culture of sustainability within the company and receiving 15 sustainability certifications in 11 of the company’s hotels.