The Leela Group joins global Earth Hour

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts today announced that for the third consecutive year, its eight award-winning 5 star hotels around the country united to support a greener planet and joined the Earth Hour on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 8:30 pm.

To show their commitment towards a green and sustainable future, all hotels switched off nonessential lights, including exterior lights and rooftop neon signages, and dimmed interior lights, including the lobby, to a safe level for guests and employees. To counterbalance, hotels illuminated various spaces with candles and created a chain of candlelight dinners across its acclaimed restaurants to communicate the global call for climate change in an accessible and aesthetic manner. All General Managers connected with guests and invited them to participate in this initiative.

The group also actively raised awareness about this important campaign among thousands of its Twitter and Facebook fans and followers.

“The Leela group is proud to support Earth Hour. It is a reaffirmation of our enduring commitment to protect our environment and operate green hotels that contribute towards a healthier, safer environment for our guests and employees, every day”, said Rajiv Kaul, President, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. He added, “Earth Hour is a powerful symbol through which each one of us can make a lasting difference on the health of our planet.”

Participation in Earth Hour is part of The Leela Group’s commitment to Nature, one of the four pillars of the brand. The group is committed to developing sustainable and environmentally friendly hotels. It has achieved the highest global ratings - Platinum LEED certifications - from the U.S. Green Building Council, for sustainable design and world-class green practices for The Leela Palace New Delhi and The Leela Palace Chennai. Former President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred the National Energy Conservation Award 2012 to The Leela Palace Bangalore for its notable contribution towards energy savings.

Since its inception, the group has focused on converting barren land on which the hotels are built into green, lush zones that benefit surrounding communities, further reducing energy and water consumption, and responsibly handling waste management while limiting carbon emissions, among other initiatives.

Earth Hour, an initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is the world’s single largest annual event, which has inspired millions of people across 172 countries and territories to switch off lights to draw attention to the worldwide issue of global warming and climate change.

About The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, headquartered in Mumbai, India, is owned by Hotel Leelaventure Ltd.

The luxury hotel group owns and manages eight award-winning properties in prime urban locations and magical holiday destinations across India including Mumbai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Chennai, Goa, Udaipur and Kovalam. New properties under development include Bangalore, Jaipur, Agra, Lucknow and Kathmandu. The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts is committed to providing warm, gracious and anticipatory service in settings that capture the essence of India. The group has a marketing alliance with US-based Preferred Hotels & Resorts and is a member of the Global Hotel Alliance based in Geneva, Switzerland. For further information, please contact your travel counsellor or visit our website at www.theleela.com