concierge / SmallTalk
What is your
personal philosophy
with regard to
sustainability?
Sustainability means
a lot of different things
to different people.
There is no one aspect
to it: from recycling,
to how we use our
resources, how we
harvest, how we bring
products to the hotel,
all the way to dealing
with food waste.
I think it is very
important for people—
especially chefs
from the culinary
department. We’re
highly conscious of
[our resources], so
sustainability is all
about what we do
with them, how we
use them, and how
we maximise the
economics of it.The Grand
Hyatt Manila is
a substantial
institution in terms
of physical size and
manpower. How
do you implement
sustainability
measures in such a
large establishment?
I think it’s important
that you get everybody
on the same page.
Sustainability isn’t
driven by just one
person in the hotel:
it has to become a
community thing. If the
community doesn’t
buy it, it becomes
a difficult battle to
move forward and
achieve something.
I think if everyone
buys in, you can makeNo Compromise
Grand Hyatt Manila general manager
Gottfried Bogensperger talks about how the
hotel is changing the game when it comes to
environmental awareness and action
FULL SERVICE
Gottfried Bogensperger has over
30 years of experience in his field,
rising through the ranks from chef
to prime hotelierIt has been barely two years since the Grand Hyatt Manila opened its
doors in Bonifacio Global City, but the hotel is now considered one of the
capital’s best places to stay at and dine in. It would be quite easy to rest
on this particular laurel, but the man running the show is a stickler for
consistency when it comes to the quality of amenities, services, and—most
relevantly—sustainability offered to guests.
Originally from Austria, Grand Hyatt Manila General Manager Gottfried
Bogensperger started his career in the hospitality sector as a chef, joining
Hyatt Hotels in his twenties and rising through the ranks to become
executive chef at the Hyatt Regency Johor Bahru, Grand Hyatt Seoul, and
Grand Hyatt Singapore. His work in the food-and-beverage aspect of the
business helped build his own drive towards delivering the very best in terms
of both service and product quality without compromise.
In his current capacity, he is keen on promoting sustainability through
various initiatives such as Green Mondays—when vegetarian and vegan
options take centre stage at the Grand Hyatt’s restaurants—tie-ups with
local farmers and purveyors, and an overall reduction in both organic and
inorganic wastes.
a conscious change
in how we work with
the environment and
how we take care of
the resources that
we have. They are not
unlimited, so we may
as well think about
what is happening
and how to do
things better.Do you adhere to
any sustainability
guidelines from
Global Hyatt?
We do have certain
guidelines globally on
such things as the
removal of straws
and other single-use
plastics from our
amenities. That is just
one aspect, but it’s
little things like these
that help make a
difference if everyone
buys in and gets
on board.
For our hotel,
in particular, here
in the Philippines,
we have a great
opportunity to bring
down [environmental
compromise] through
initiatives that veer a
little closer to home.
Our initiatives are
not only sustainable
in terms of our food
supply, but also in
the way we dispose
of litter and the way
we maintain our
rooms and facilities.
The environmental
aspect is in the way
we reduce carbon
emissions [in our
operations], thus
lowering our overall
carbon footprint—it all
ties in together.36 philippine tatler. august 2019