silosobeachresort.

com/
 Design and Specialised Businesses

Hospitality Business, B (Hons)

BHB2102 – Environmental Management

Individual Assignment –

E-visit to Siloso Beach Resort’s Website

Name Student Number

Darryl Eugene Tan Kee Yew 1802220

Date of submission: 24th March 2020

Submission to: Mr Chui Heng Tak

Word count: 1899 words

Table of Contents

1. Siloso Beach Resort................................................................................................................1

2. Sustainability Efforts...............................................................................................................2
2.1. Water Management............................................................................................................2
2.1.1. Spring Water Usage....................................................................................................2
2.1.2. Water Saving Appliances...........................................................................................2
2.1.3. Water Saving Policies.................................................................................................2
2.1.4. Water Harvesting.........................................................................................................2
2.1.5. Water Management Learning Points........................................................................3
2.2. Energy Management..........................................................................................................4
2.2.1. Energy Efficient Building Design...............................................................................4
2.2.2. Energy Conscious Management Guidelines...........................................................4
2.2.3. Energy Saving Technology........................................................................................4
2.2.4. Energy Management Learning Points......................................................................5
2.3. Waste Management............................................................................................................6
2.3.1. 4R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Respect..............................................................6
2.3.2. Agricultural Farming Project......................................................................................6
2.3.3. Waste Management Learning Points.......................................................................6
2.4. Landscaping Efforts............................................................................................................8
2.4.1. Vector Management....................................................................................................8
2.4.2. Landscaping Efforts Learning Points........................................................................8
3. Conclusion.................................................................................................................................9
4. References...............................................................................................................................10
5. Appendices..............................................................................................................................11
1. Siloso Beach Resort

Founded in 2006, the Siloso Beach Resort (SBR) is currently the only eco-resort
on the tourist destination of Sentosa and overlooks the hip Siloso Beach. SBR was
conceptualised in 2003 as an eco-hotel with the plan that all-natural habitats in the
surrounding area were to be preserved. Over 200 hotel rooms were built, without
any of the 200 existing trees begin cut down, with 450 trees begin planted post
construction. Therefore, SBR is surrounded by natural foliage which overlooks the
South China Sea and provides guests with a wide variety of accommodations
ranging from family rooms, roof garden suites and uniquely designed villas. Within
its distinct setting, SBR houses many unique amenities such as a natural spring
water swimming pool, a waterfall, water slides and gym. Outside the resort is a
range of food & beverage and entertainment options.

SBR’s goal is to make every guests’ stay a memory but also prioritises
environmental sustainability and preservation. Environmental sustainability efforts
will be further elaborated in the report. A summary of SBR’s details can be found
in Appendix A.

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2. Sustainability Efforts
Since SBR was purposefully built as an eco-hotel, sustainability efforts can be seen
throughout the resort through its daily operations. These efforts encompass different
areas in the resort that will be divided into water management, energy management,
waste management and landscaping efforts below.

2.1. Water Management

In-built into the sustainability efforts, SBR has strong water management policies and
technologies in place. This can be seen in Appendix B which shows that water usage
has remained relatively stable after 2009.

2.1.1. Spring Water Usage

As mentioned above, SBR has a spring water swimming pool and this is due to the
fact that it lies above a natural spring reservoir (Appendix C). This allows
minimisation of water usage as it is mainly used for the swimming pool and
gardening. Tap water is currently used for guest rooms and F&B.

2.1.2. Water Saving Appliances

SBR has installed water efficient appliances throughout the resort to reduce the
overall water usage. These appliances include: Water efficient taps with sensors,
water control valves, water efficient taps and shower heads and waterless urinals in
all public toilets.

2.1.3. Water Saving Policies

Specific water saving policies have be put in place for staff to minimise water
consumption. Also, SBR intends to spread awareness of water saving and has
numerous educational panels throughout the resort. It has a “water hut” dedicated to
it. Information is also available within the SBR in-house eco TV channels.

2.1.4. Water Harvesting

SBR’s roof top garden is self-sustaining as plants do not require additional watering
as it can retain water whenever it rains. This allows a significant amount of rainwater
to be collected and provides a source of water for SBR.

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 2.1.5. Water Management Learning Points
Especially for water management, I believe that it is necessary to involve both the
guests and the staff in these efforts due to the overall usage. Therefore, the water
saving policies are crucial to teaching guests about it. I also am impressed that upon
discovery of the spring water source below SBR, they decided to incorporate it into
the design of the hotel operations instead of continuing their plan as I believe that it
would cause more time and effort to do so. It is a smart move as it allows them to
have a spring water swimming pool with unique features. People usually believe that
such sustainability efforts usually have negative impacts on the hotel operations, but
this shows that it can be beneficial as well.

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 2.2. Energy Management
SBR has multiple energy initiatives, which according to the Building & Construction
Authority, is one of the most energy efficient buildings in Singapore (Siloso Beach
Resort, n.d.).

2.2.1. Energy Efficient Building Design

Since its conceptualisation, SBR was designed to be an energy efficient building with
factors which work holistically to contribute to a minimisation in energy usage. One
main area is that it was designed to be open concept. The open concept room
corridors allow natural air flow and light which reduces the need for energy to be
used for cooling or lighting purposes. Public spaces such as the Al Fresco Café also
uses the same concept. Also aiding in the increase in natural air flow is the fact that
the buildings were constructed on stilts. This allows air to circulate under and
between buildings, allowing a natural cooling effect.

2.2.2. Energy Conscious Management Guidelines

SBR has implemented specific staff guidelines to help reduce energy usage. These
guidelines identify best practices and limitations that staff must comply with. Some of
these practices include switching the lights and appliances off when not in use.

Within these guidelines, SBR tries to include guests into the energy saving process.
Educational messages are scattered throughout the resort and has 2 in-house
television (TV) channels on environmental awareness. One shows a documentary on
environmental problems, while the other is a slideshow on how to reduce
environmental impacts.

2.2.3. Energy Saving Technology

SBR has implemented various technology in different areas of the resort to reduce
the overall consumption requirements during its operations. One main area is
choosing energy efficient options when possible. All lights in the resort are light-
emitting diodes (LED) or compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) which reduces the need
for change in lightbulbs as often. Pumps used around the resort are also energy
efficient and SBR also uses fan instead of air-conditioning where possible.

Another main area is that SBR has updated its 3 rd generation heat exchange chiller
system to the 4th generation in 2014. This upgrade allows better heat recovery which
means that it has lower energy consumption than the top 50 th percentile of hotels in
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Singapore (SBR, 2019). A hot water pool was constructed to use the heat waste
from this chiller system as a heating mechanism. The spring water is heated by hot
water pipes from the chiller plant. This is another form of a closed looped system that
is utilised in SBR.

2.2.4. Energy Management Learning Points

On the site visit, I was most impressed by the close loop heat exchange chiller
system and hot water pool. This meant that careful consideration developing this
energy saving feature and allowed the guest one more amenity to enjoy. I also am
impressed with the lengths that they have gone to educating guests about
sustainability as this means that SBR is about the bigger picture and not simply
about having a unique selling point to attract guests.

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 2.3. Waste Management
2.3.1. 4R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Respect
SBR has added an addition “R” which stands for respect the surrounding
environment to the current known 3 R’s (Reduce, reuse, recycle). SBR believes that
respect has to be given for the surrounding environment first then only can they
reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduction efforts are prevalent throughout the resort and
is implemented in areas such as in F&B and housekeeping.

2.3.2. Agricultural Farming Project

Based around its spring water pond, SBR has release a form of aquaculture farming
in 2013. The pond treats the spring water to a neutral pH level which allows SBR to
produce food through aquaculture farming. Plants have been carefully selected to
improve water quality but result in no environmental damage from start of plantation
to harvesting. Two of the three selected plants, the water chestnut and water
kangkong (Appendix D), can be harvested for consumption and improves the water
quality of the site.

The implementation of this mini aquafarm allows SBR to implement a wormery and a
fish farm as a closed loop system which results in zero waste. The wormery is used
to manage food waste and worm castings are used as fertilisers for plants in its
rooftop garden (Appendix E). Excessive worms are used as fish food for the
breeding of tilapia and snakehead fishes which allow the resort as source of fish for
harvest and consumption.

2.3.3. Waste Management Learning Points

For waste management, I have learnt that what has allowed SBR to succeed is its
incorporation of the 4th “R”, which stands for “Respect for the surrounding
environment” into its policy. I agree with SBR that in order to be successful at
environmental sustainability, one must first respect it. Instead of half-heartedly
incorporating sustainability efforts simply for the sake of corporate social
responsibility (CSR). This is applicable for the hotel industry as a hotel cannot
succeed at sustainability efforts after it is built. For an organisation or hotel to truly
practice environmental sustainability, it has to be planned from its conception. Only
then can it be properly successful.

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I believe that the example of incorporating careful planning is the close looped
system in its agricultural farming project which results in zero waste. These features
may not be possible in implementing into a hotel that was not designed to be
sustainable. The other area that impressed me was the wormery which allowed the
production of fish, reduction in waste and help in fertilising vegetables for harvest.

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 2.4. Landscaping Efforts
SBR has taken much care in its landscaping efforts which started before the resort
was even built. One of its main concerns was the preservation of all existing trees
onsite and unusual construction techniques had to be used. Considerations of
construction can be found in Appendix F. These considerations have had impacts on
various other sustainability efforts.

2.4.1. Vector Management

SBR does not use the typical fogging practices but chooses to utilise 3 practices
found below that are better for surrounding species and the ecosystem.

2.4.1.1. BTI Spray

Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (BTI) is a naturally occurring bacterium
found in soils. It contains spores that specifically affect mosquito larvae, blackflies
and gnats. BTI is not toxic to people and has been approved for pest control in
organic farming operations (EPA, n.d.). BTI can be used in many functions such as
through aerial spray and spraying on stagnant water bodies.

2.4.1.2. Biocontrol for Mosquitoes

SBR also uses biocontrol in the form of ecosystem design which provides a range of
ponds throughout the site. These waterbodies provide habitats for species that are
natural predators of mosquitoes such as mosquitofishes, dragonflies and lizards.
These control mechanisms not only help vector management but adds to the
aesthetics of the resort.

2.4.1.3. Enzyme Spray

SBR also uses a more effective but expensive process through an enzyme spray.
This spray is only utilised for particular locations for special occasions.

2.4.2. Landscaping Efforts Learning Points

The final area was the care taken for its vector management, having gone out of
their way to use more expensive solutions instead of simply through chemical
fogging. I believe that when people think about vector management, their go-to
solution is fogging as most Singaporeans are exposed to fogging from a young age.
This shows that they have truly actualised their policy of respect for the surrounding
environment and are not afraid to use an alternative solution that may not most
inexpensive.
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3. Conclusion
This e-visit has allowed me to understand environmental sustainability better in a
hotel setting and allows me to widen the scope and perspective of how a hotel can
implement such environmental sustainability measures in the future. I believe that
since SBR was conceptualised as an eco-hotel, it can deliver a unique sustainable
experience through both its operations and engagement of guests. This is something
that other hotels should seek to emulate and truly allows the guest to “Stay for
Good”.

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4. References

Siloso Beach Resort (n.d.). Sustainability: Green initiative. Retrieved from

https://www.silosobeachresort.com/sustainability/green/

United States Environmental Protection Agency (n.d.). Bti for mosquito control. Retrieved

from https://www.epa.gov/mosquitocontrol/bti-mosquito-control

Siloso Beach Resort (2019). Siloso Beach Resort Sustainability Report 2019. Retrieved from

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ungc-

production/attachments/cop_2019/481925/original/2019_Sustainability_Report_Final

%28191228%29.pdf?1577504971

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5. Appendices

Appendix A: Summary Table of Siloso Beach Resort

Name Siloso Beach Resort

Vision To set the environmental benchmark to
allow our guests and the community to
experience a quality eco-friendly
environment that encourages them to adopt
environmentally friendly initiatives.
Mission The Resort will continuously strive to
reduce its ecological impact by adopting
best practices and applying appropriate
new technologies.
Values At the resort we believe that:
- Our commitment to the environment
begins with our employees,
stakeholders, customers and
community. It requires both
enormous dedication and real
ingenuity and is a long-term
process.
- Each one of us needs to change our
critical behaviours and be
environmentally conscious on a
daily basis.
- Community and customers are
essential to our long-term success
and we need their involvement and
support to build a successful and
sustainable environment
programme.
- We need a complete and holistic
approach in tackling environmental
challenges.
- Our plans, strategies, people and
processes must be built on the

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 foundations of continuous
improvement.
- Providing quality services and
accommodation to our customers
Target Market Eco-tourists
Families
Number of rooms 196
Room Types Superior
Deluxe
Family
Roof Garden Suite
Villas

Appendix B: Water Usage from 2009 to 2018 (Cubic Metres)

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Appendix C: Spring water swimming pool

Appendix D: Water Plants in SBR Aquaculture Farm

Appendix E: Rooftop Garden and Vermi Composting System

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Appendix F: SBR Building Construction Considerations

Maximise natural lighting through an open concept

Maximize natural cooling through efficient design as well as the implementation of unique

features

- Longest self-maintained roof top garden in Singapore

Making use of a very significant amount of re-used materials in the built structure
Making use of the natural shape of the terrain

- Swimming pool has been placed on top of an existing maintenance road

Rainwater harvesting and purification passive features

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