Aitken Spence Hotels Ranked Highest in STING Corporate Accountability Rating 2011 Tourism Sector by LMD magazine Sri Lanka

05th February 2011, www.island.lk

Aitken Spence Hotels was the only hotel company ranked in the top ten and was the highest ranked contender in the tourism sector in the STING Corporate Accountability Rating 2011 as revealed in the February issue of LMD.

The STING Accountability Rating conducted an independent survey of the LMD 50 companies and 10 key State Owned Enterprises (SEOs) operating in Sri Lanka.

The survey was carried out based on information provided by the companies on a voluntary basis as well as from information that is available to the public – including annual reports, sustainability reports and corporate websites. The companies are categorized into broad bands (Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze) which provides an indication of their levels of advancement in the area of corporate accountability.

Aitken Spence Hotels were classified "Gold" based on scores derived to reflect a holistic and integrated approach to CSR, sustainability and governance.

The STING Corporate Accountability Index assesses companies based on six areas; measurement and disclosure, corporate values, stakeholder engagement, policy coverage, management and governance and identifying impacts, risks and opportunities. These key factors are weighted according to their relative importance in facilitating corporate accountability.

"Sustainability is a core belief of Aitken Spence Hotels and an integrated sustainable policy has been developed and implemented internally, incorporating our values and commitment to the environment and the communities in which we operate. We consciously adopt best practices in environmental and social governance in harmony with the principles of the United Nations Global Compact and the Millennium Development Goals.

We believe that that our philosophy has assisted us in differentiating our product both in the local and international arena", said Mr. Malin Hapugoda, Managing Director, Aitken Spence Hotels.

The Aitken Spence Hotels chain includes exotic properties such as Barefoot at Havelock located on the "The Best Beach in Asia" as rated by the Time Magazine; Heritance Kandalama, Sri Lanka’s most awarded hotel and "an icon of modern hotel design" as rated by the Observer UK; and Desert Nights Camp, Al Wasil, Oman, rated as one of the top ten desert retreats in the world. The chain’s Heritance Tea Factory has been rated by The Independent, UK as one of the ‘Top Five Factory Hotels’ in the world and one of the best 100 places to stay in the world by the Sunday Times, UK.

Related Info :
• Tea Tourism at Heritance Tea Factory, the Highest Located Tea Factory now One of the Five Best Factory Hotels in the World
• Heritance Kandalama Wins Wild Asia 2010 Responsible Tourism Award for Large Hotels at ITB Asia Tourism Trade Show