Entrepreneurs Don Ramon Bagatsing and Alessandra Atienza, the dynamic couple behind the first green service hotel in the Philippines, take the lead in championing green living and sustainable business through its chain of eco-friendly hotels strategically located in various travel destinations in the country.
Eco Hotel President and CEO Alessandra, the creative force behind the brand, founded Eco Hotel in 2013. The business became the pioneer in promoting ecotourism in the Philippines by advocating development that balances social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
The concept of Eco Hotel was born at a time when the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by the year 2030.
“I am not a hardcore environmentalist but I do what I must to recycle what goes to waste. Coming from a developing nation and growing up poor, wastage was painful yet it taught me a plethora of lessons in life,” shares Alessandra who has 31 years of experience in real estate development, leasing, finance, and hotel operations.
With ecotourism
as a primary focus of government sustainability programs, Eco Hotel has been classified as the first green service hotel in the Philippines, a recognition for environmentally responsible lodging that follows the practices of green living. It promotes sustainability by harnessing the power of nature as it consciously upcycles, reuses, and redesigns discarded materials utilized in every Eco Hotel space to minimize its impact on the environment.
Eco Hotel Chairman and Chief Vibe Officer, Don Ramon, who on his own, is also a successful entrepreneur, says that together with his business partner and wife, Alessandra, they saw the potential of the tourism industry