Wink Hotels Takes the LEED in Sustainable Transformation of Vietnam’s Hospitality Landscape
Wink Hotel Saigon Centre holds Vietnam’s highest LEED rating to deliver environmentally-focused hospitality excellence that promotes health and wellbeing
Wink Hotels, Vietnam’s revolutionary new hospitality brand, reinforced its commitment to reimagining sustainable tourism and creating positive environmental impact. Its flagship Wink Hotel Saigon Centre @ 75 Nguyen Binh Khiem, which opened on 24 March 2021, holds the country’s highest certification for the globally-recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System Gold v4. A pioneer in the sustainable transformation of guest experiences, the hotel defined new industry benchmarks for contactless guest services, cashless payment and eco-conscious operations in its distinctive style of hospitality, setting the standard for Wink Hotels’ pipeline of 20+ properties in Vietnam.
Sustainability is deeply ingrained in Wink Hotels’ brand ethos. From conception to construction, careful consideration was made to ensure responsible tourism and reduce environmental footprint. Its remarkable success in achieving the LEED Gold v4 certification for Wink Hotel Saigon Centre is evident from the building’s architecture, interior design, healthy indoor ambient quality, efficiency in water, energy and lighting consumption. Last year, Wink Hotel Saigon Centre won the Asia Pacific Property Awards 2020 for “Best New Hotel Construction and Design, Vietnam” in recognition of its sustainable design. As a sign of Wink Hotels’ relentless focus on sustainability, the 243-room Wink Hotel Danang Centre was recently conferred the same accolade in advance of its scheduled opening in Q2 of 2022.
Wink Hotel Saigon Centre’s architecture was designed for efficient thermal transmittance to reduce energy consumption. Built with waste management in mind, the hotel encourages waste segregation into three categories: recyclable, domestic and hazardous waste. For water efficiency, all indoor fixtures are equipped to control water flowrate. Fresh air quality is 30 percent above the minimum required level.
Every guest will have peace of mind knowing that each Wink Experience is a positive step towards reduction of single-use plastics and paper waste. Wink Hotel Saigon Centre has pioneered technology-centric guest services such as contactless guest services through Wink Hotels’ mobile app for self-check-in and check-out, which also serves as the mobile key. Cashless transactions are encouraged through “Keycard Credits” that can be topped up for a full calendar year to facilitate future visits. Other innovative services for instant gratification include Grab & Go services from Vietnamese-inspired food carts, vending machines and laundromats on every floor.
“At Wink Hotels, we do things differently, one positive footprint at a time. Our guests are upwardly mobile entrepreneurs, who appreciate the empowerment of controlling their stay the way they want it at their fingertips. Breaking free from traditional hotels, we want to liberate this new generation of digital natives through innovative yet sustainable guest experiences that are aligned with their personal preferences,” said Michael Piro, chief executive officer of Wink Hotels.
To reduce guests’ environmental footprint, the trendy hotel in the vibrant Dakao Ward of Ho Chi Minh City provides parking facilities to support bicycle, carpooling and electric cars. Not only will this eco-friendly amenity reduce carbon emissions, it promotes discovery of the hotel’s fascinating neighbourhood.
To close the recycling loop, Wink Hotel Saigon Centre has collaborated with PlasticPeople to recycle plastic waste into useful objects and furniture such as amenity trays, bins, desks and even building materials. Other sustainable partnerships include Toong, the brand’s eco-conscious coworking partner, which equips each individual desk and workspace with their own lamps and fans to reduce central power usage.
Wink Hotels is conceived by developer, Indochina Kajima, operated by Indochina Vanguard. Both are joint venture companies between Indochina Capital and Kajima Corporation and Vanguard Hotels respectively.