OCTOGONE HOTELS (TERRE RESORT) EXTENDS HOSPITALITY TO GUESTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Added: (Sun Mar 07 2010)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Redefining Five-Star Hospitality with Environmentally Friendly Efforts


Marrakech, Morocco -- Octogone TERRE Resort & Spa offers guests not only unmatched, five-star hospitality, but also an environmentally friendly atmosphere. Octogone Hotels' green philosophy begins with light and water conservation and encompasses home grown produce. The company's first property, Octogone TERRE Resort & Spa, which opened in November 2006, has paved the way for keeping a safe environment.
"One of our main priorities here at the TERRE Resort & Spa is to help save our planet. We are doing as much as we can to ensure our survival on this beautiful planet, called earth - the namesake of this resort. While guests stay with us they are also helping to keep a healthy environment," says Christian Rivadalla, Founder and President of Octogone Hotels.
Octogone Hotels’ Green Setting:
At Octogone Hotels, Riad-style accommodations are presented in a home-like setting that honors a green philosophy. The hotel's focus on environmental safekeeping is evident through the following efforts:

Light Conservation:
Traditional guards guide guests to their villas with handheld lanterns in order to decrease the use of outdoor artificial light. In addition, un-occupied villas and suites are not lit in the evening and at night only lanterns are used outdoors.

Recycling:
Appropriate leftover food is re-used for the hotel's gardening and bird-feeding programs that are implemented by the hotel's expert gardeners.

Water Conservation:
Filters have been installed to ensure pure water throughout the property. Rainwater is collected overnight using water wells and re-used for irrigation. Recycled water waste is re-used for irrigation in specific areas of the garden. Each hotel is also implementing Xeriscape™ (water efficient) principles, meant for native and naturalized plant species that are adapted to survive in areas of low precipitation.

Home Grown:
Octogone Hotels serve guests with their very own home-grown produce. Even herbs and flowers are specifically grown for use in the hotel. Upon departure, each guest is presented with a bottle of organic, first-pressed olive oil (0.3% acidity), which comes from the hotel's own Farm Estate that cultivates more than 1,000 olive trees.

Other notable, environmentally friendly features at Octogone Hotels include:
• Reserving existing vegetation, including opting for desert plants that require minimum watering.
• Creating green-friendly walkways using Tadlakt which uses pigment and plaster as a base thereby eliminating the use of cement, and banning cars/trucks/buses from the property.
• Use of earth light-colored pavement to introduce a natural light reflecting effect to minimize solar heating. The Tedlakt absorbs heat, keeping the surface cool. Cement or tar would do the opposite.
• Integrating architecture to maximize the environmentally friendly philosophy: adjusting ceiling planes to create a mechanism of distributing light in a space, and creating ventilation and re-circulation of coolness and heat.
With these efforts, Octogone Hotels offer guests an opportunity to save the environment while on vacation.

About Octogone TERRE Resort & Spa
Octogone TERRE (Earth) Resort & Spa is a secluded luxury five-star getaway located at the doors of the famous palm grove "Palmeraie" just 7 kilometers outside of Marrakech and on the road to Casablanca.

Everything at TERRE -- from the architecture to the cuisine -- is an innovative blend of old and new enabling guests to step into the past and be immersed in true Moroccan style while being pampered with all imaginable present-day luxuries.

The 56-room luxury suite property is set on almost 12 acres of land in its own small village. Facilities include three restaurants, a full-service spa, an infinity pool, tennis courts, a fitness center, golf putting area, and access to a nearby world-class golf courses.

For reservations, call: (480) 503-8022 or (800) 915-4012 or visit the website: www.octogonehotels.com or www.terre.com.