Corporate social responsibility

SUSTAINABLE HOTELS POLICY

The initiatives adopted and carried out by Hoteles Globales with the aim to make our hotels more sustainable, efficient and respectful with the environment and the local community are exposed in the present document.
With the constant growth and development of the different technological advances applicable to the hospitality sector, and thanks to the continuous updates of our systems and resources, we make a daily effort to be a more responsible and sustainable company.

1. Periodical revisions
Hoteles Globales advocates for a sustainable business model, and guarantees it through its annual audits and revisions, carried out internally, by means of its Quality Department, as well as by external independent cSome of the aforementioned revisions which take place periodically in our premises are as follows:

• Maintenance of the thermic installation in accordance with the Thermic Installation Regulation
• Periodical inspection of polluting emissions
• Obligatory inspection of the low tension electric installation
• Obligatory inspection of the high tension electric installation
• Revisions and inspections of fuel deposits
• Revisions and inspections of gas installations
• Inspections of lifting devices
• Inspection of fire safety devices and alarm
• Authorization for the dumping of residual waters and parameters within the established limits
• Legionellosis prevention
• Controls of the human consumption water

2. Analyzed environmental aspects
The environmental aspects which we identify and analyze in our establishments with the aim to work with the maximum efficiency and savings in the development of our activities are the following:

• Energetic consumptions for heating and sanitary hot water, for pool conditioning, heated pools and spas (electricity, gas, gasoil…)
• Water consumption for rooms/apartments, pools, irrigation, kitchen
• Generation of solid urban residues
• Generation of hazardous residues
• Storage and manipulation of chemical products
• Generation of emissions to the atmosphere (boilers, external noise…)
• Generation of waste waters

Based on the results of the aforementioned analyzed factors, we are constantly seeking for their improvement.

3. Buenas prácticas
In Hoteles Globales we develop touristic activities while trying to reduce environmental impact associated to different aspects previously mentioned through the implantation of different good practices, such as:

• Automatized illumination, photocells, clocks, timers…
• Faucets with flow minimizers, with presence detectors or timers, water tanks with double pulsation…
• Pool cleaning control
• Automatized irrigation
• Automatized thermic installation
• Thermic insulation systems
• Decrease of waste production (less packaging, double-sided paper for internal use…)
• Segregation of solid waste: light packaging, glass, paper/carton, organic waste (food)
• Correct hazardous waste management with authorized agents: batteries, contaminated packages, sprays, paints, obsolete fluorescents, toner, electric/electronic waste…
• Correct management of trimming waste, voluminous waste and construction waste.
• Correct storage and handling of chemical products according to security sheets. Safe storage with walls or trays, absorbent material in case of leak.
• Use environmental friendly products (cleaning and maintenance)
• Use of recycled paper

Additionally, in Hoteles Globales we carry out a continuous follow up of environmental aspects in order to detect possible deviations and plan annual objectives and goals, whether they are educational or for purposes of planification of improvements and investments.

PROTOCOL ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND GOOD LABOUR PRACTICES

1. INTRODUCCIÓN

Human rights are those basic liberties inherent to all human beings. They are based on the equality principle, manifesting that all human beings without any distinction by cause of religion, gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, age, culture or incapacity have the same universal rights. These rights are contained in 30 fundamental principles or articles which were adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Lots of different people, including tourists, suppliers and staff interact in many Hoteles Globales hotels, and as difficult as it is to detect when a person is compromising another individual’s human rights, it is important to understand how to manage this risk in order to ensure the protection of the wellbeing of vulnerable collectives, including minors, and guarantee that they are treated fairly and respectfully, without distinction for causes of sexuality, gender, age, ethnicity, religion or incapacity.

The World Ethical Code for Tourism by the World Organization for Tourism establishes that the exploitation of human beings, in any form, and especially sexually, and particularly when affecting children and teenagers, violates tourism’s fundamental objectives and constitutes a denial of its essence.

2. INSPIRING RIGHTS

A) Civil and political rights

In Hoteles Globales, respect for civil and political rights is mainly reflected in its obligations towards the people it employs. The obligations relating to human resources, in view of the fact that all internationally accepted human right declarations explicitly mention working conditions and labor rights, are addressed here as well:

1.- Right to equality of opportunities and a treatment free of discrimination

All Hoteles Globales policies, such as – but not limited to- those relating to recruitment, dismissal, payment, promotion and education, are free of discrimination. Hoteles Globales treats all its employees with the same respect and dignity. Our company believes in the principle of equal opportunities and equative treatment, therefore it fights in order to eliminate discrimination for reasons of race, color, gender, religion, political beliefs, nationality, origins or social condition, belonging to an indigenous collective, age, incapacity or other traits which are not related to the person’s capacity to complete their job. In our sphere of influence, degrading treatment or intimidation will not be tolerated, and no disciplinary measures will be applied to our employees without a fair procedure.

2.- Right to personal security

 Hoteles Globales does not take place in nor benefit from crimes against humanity, genocide, torture, forced disappearance, forced or obligatory work, taking of hostages or other violations of human rights, nor other crimes against the human being as defined in international law.
Our security measures comply with international human rights norms, as well as the laws and professional conduct norms of the areas in which we operate and are exclusively used for preventive or defensive purposes.

3.- Employee rights

Hoteles Globales does not use forced or obligatory labor. We hire our employees and pay them a fair wage which covers or exceeds basic needs, complying the collective agreement at all times. Persons working for Hoteles Globales have the option to abandon their employment within the established legal terms, and the right to receive the corresponding documents to their work relation with Hoteles Globales. Our employees have the right to affiliate to a syndicate or workers association.

Hoteles Globales does not use child labor and respects the children’s right to protection against economical exploitation.

The Company has a commitment with its employees to promote and develop policies which guarantee the principles of equity and equality of opportunities which allow an adequate professional development in a quality and security environment. Additionally, we are focused on favoring the hiring of local personnel in order to promote the development of societies where the company operates and the enrichment of the cultural diversity of our work teams.

4.- Respect to national sovereignty

Hoteles Globales recognizes and respects the norms and proceedings corresponding to international law (which include laws and regulations referring to sanctions and seizures approved by United Nations), national laws, regulations, administrative practices, development objectives, social, economic and cultural policies and the authorities of the locations where the company operates.

5.- Intellectual property rights and the transfer of technology

Hoteles Globales protects and applies intellectual property rights in a manner which contributes to the promotion of technical innovations and the diffusion of technologies, in order to benefit the producers as well as the users of the technological knowledge and for the fostering of social and economic wellbeing.

Other directions of company civism of Hoteles Globales regulate our conduct in relation to bribe, consumer protection and environmental protection.

B) Economic, social and cultural human rights

Due to its commercial nature, Hoteles Globales cannot apply all economic, social and cultural rights on its own. However, within the limits of our resources and possibilities, we do contribute in many ways through our activities to improve life conditions and other economic, social and cultural rights. Hoteles Globales contributes to the economic wellbeing and the common good when assuming certain responsibilities with different obligation levels:

• Hoteles Globales’ economic activities are carried out in conformity with applicable labor, environmental, tax and other laws and regulations (essential non-negotiable norms);
• The commercial activities are carried out following norms and developing activities of corporate social responsibility.

3. PRINCIPLES AND COMMITMENTS

In Hoteles Globales we are very aware of our influence regarding compliance of Human Rights, therefore, and in relation to our Corporate Social Responsibility Policy, we establish the following principles. Our employees:

• will receive an adequate wage, in compliance with the Hospitality Collective Agreement;
• will work for a fixed number of hours in accordance with applicable laws and regulations;
• will be local whenever possible;
• will be free to join a syndicate or similar organization in order to protect and represent workers rights.



On its turn, the Management:

• promotes the provision of extraordinary profits to its employees such as meals and accommodation depending on the case;
• fosters development of its employees on their jobs, improving their capacities with education opportunities and professional development.
• tries to be informed of the local community matters which can affect their lives and ensures that their points of view are considered for the decision making of the company.
• Actively manages the protection of children and teenagers from sexual abuse or exploitation in tourism.
• Is committed to educate its staff and engage them in the company’s practices and policies for the protection of minors against sexual exploitation; and for the adequate management of situations of this nature, fostering prevention;
• appreciates its staff and treats them fairly and respectfully, ensuring that no discrimination against anyone is allowed, no matter their age, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, religion, culture or incapacity;
• complies with all applicable labor laws and regulations;
• educates its staff on sustainable development of the company.

LOCAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT POLICY

Hoteles Globales is committed to the constant improvement of its services, the compliance with legal requirements and reaching the maximum quality level demanded by our clients, always trying to contribute with the communities in which we operate, with the aim of helping to achieve a good development of sustainable tourism.

We foster the destination amongst our clients, pointing out interesting attractions, restaurants, markets or crafts centers, and we encourage them to explore the history, culture and traditions of the area.

The Management expresses its commitment to maintain a close relationship with our local community and does so through:

• Integration: respecting, supporting and promoting the culture, norms and conservation of the local environment.
• Collaboration: maintaining a permanent dialogue with the local community and social agents in order to get to know their needs and contribute to their progress through responsible behaviors and initiatives which improve the lives of locals, protecting the environment and preserving the culture and traditions of a destination.
• Purchases: prioritizing the acquisition of local products in order to strengthen the economic and social development of the community, guaranteeing the quality and price standards and the sanitary and safety criteria. We actively choose to purchase goods and services from local suppliers.
• Social investment: establishing a collaboration strategy with social entities following these lines of action:
• Support to local communities
• Children health and wellbeing programs
• Donation of rooms and services

INTEGRATED POLICY ON QUALITY MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Hoteles Globales is a company dedicated to the exploitation of hospitality services for more than 40 years. Our goal is to offer the best service to our clients, through high quality levels which allow us to achieve their satisfaction and fidelity.

Hoteles Globales believes in the respect for the natural environment, complying with all applicable legislation and norms. We want to improve day by day in all aspects relating to quality and environment in the development of our activities through the gradual implantation and certification, in all our establishments, of quality management systems.

The lines of action which our company carries out are the following:

• We want to offer the best service and quality standards to our clients, satisfying their needs and meeting their expectations, which implies the constant adaptation of our staff to different types of clients.
• We must identify, evaluate and control the impact on the environment which our activity might cause, considering it whenever we make a decision.
• Improvement objectives are going to be set, in order to reduce the environmental impact of our premises or the development of our activities on the environment (soil, water, atmosphere or natural resources) as well as to improve our service indicators in the organization management processes.
• Practicing fidelity actions and strategies for our clients.
• Fostering our suppliers’ adaptation to our quality and environment criteria.
• Motivating our clients to participate in our Environment Management system.
• Keeping our clients informed, boosting their cooperation by creating a special interest for the preservation of the environment.
• Guaranteeing the constant improvement of our environment management and carrying our internal and external audits of the system in order to verify that it is working correctly, contributing to the conservation of the environment.
• Broadcasting out Corporate Social Responsibility Policy in our hotels.
• Publishing our environmental and social indicators.
• Supporting non-profit non-governmental organizations with social and environmental goals.

The working philosophy of our company is diffused by means of the present Policy of quality and environment protection, clearing and defining the lines of work for our staff to obtain a bigger personal satisfaction in the development of their duties, showing our clients our commitment with their satisfaction and certifying the reaching of our objectives of sustainable development in a way compatible with our economic results.

CORPORATE POLICY FOR THE PROTECTION OF MINORS

1. GOAL

The present policy (hereinafter, the “Policy”) has the aim to establish a set of conduct rules for the orientation of the employees and collaborators of Hoteles Globales (hereinafter, the “Company”) in case of observing any signs of activities or conducts which result or are potential of resulting harmful, physically or emotionally to all those minors within the hotel premises or its surroundings, such as clients or minors residing in the neighboring areas of the hotel.

1.1 TYPES OF HARMFUL CONDUCTS (Travelife Factsheet 16: Safeguarding children)

• Physical abuse: hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or any other action that causes physical harm to a child.
• Emotional abuse: continued mistreatment of a child that impacts on their development, including telling them they are worthless, causing them to feel frightened or stopping them from participating in normal social activities.
• Sexual abuse: forcing a child to take part in sexual activities such as pornography or prostitution, whether or not they are aware of what is happening.
• Neglect: persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical or psychological needs which is likely to impact on their development. Neglect ranges from a child being locked alone in a room for periods of time or being left without proper supervision, to restricting access to medical treatment, not responding to their emotional needs or ensuring their education needs are met.

1.2. Sexual abuse: Commercial sexual exploitation of minors in the touristic industry

n view of the extended and worrying reality of sexual exploitation of children in the touristic industry all around the world, many initiatives of child protection have been implanted since the beginning of the 90s in order to fight this kind of situations.
In 1990, social workers and other professionals of many countries in the Asian southeast, one of the most affected places by this kind of exploitations, initiated a non-profit campaign under the name ECPAT (End to Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking).
The first International Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children was held under the initiative of ECPAT International in August 1996. Its content and Agenda for Action were based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ("UNCRC").
Based on the aforementioned actions, an international awareness has been created among companies in the tourism sector, focused on their corporate social responsibility, thanks to which protocols and policies are implemented more and more frequently to combat injustices such as sexual exploitation of minors.

2. SCOPE OF APPLICATION

The Policy will be applicable in the following areas:

• Objective scope: includes all the tourist exploitation activities carried out by the Company. This area includes all the activities carried out by the different departments that make up any of the hotel establishments owned by the Company, as well as all the administrative functions that are carried out in their offices.
• Subjective scope: the Policy links all employees and collaborators of the Company in all its establishments and offices, as well as to suppliers and external companies with which the same is related, and the clients that receive the services offered by the Company in the exercise of their activity.

3. COMMITMENTS

In view of the potentially existing risk of situations or behaviors that result or may be harmful to minors, the Company undertakes to carry out the following actions in order to prevent conflicts of this nature:

• train the staff of their establishments in the countries of origin and in the destinations in which they operate;
• introduce a clause in the contracts with their suppliers in which they declare their common rejection of mistreatment of any kind towards minors;
• inform tourists through catalogs, triptychs, posters, informative videos, tickets, web pages or in the way deemed appropriate;
• provide information to the "key" local agents at each destination;
• Report regularly on the implementation of these measures.

Likewise, the following ways to combat exploitation of any kind towards minors are recommended:

• cooperation between countries and between different sectors of society;
• mobilization of the tourism industry and the business world in order that their infrastructures are not used for purposes that result or could be harmful to minors;
• actions to ensure the implementation and development of laws, plans and programs against this type of behavior or activities;
• interaction and collaboration with the Police and local authorities;
• rehabilitation of minors who have been victims of any type of abuse;
• preventive measures in the form of education and information.

4. RESPONSIBILITY

In line with the commitments outlined above, the level of responsibility of the tourism sector has been defined in the following terms:

• The direct responsibility corresponds to those agents who consciously disseminate, organize and receive sex tourism trips (even if there is a small evidence that they are involved), as well as to business operators or establishments where travelers can contact or exploit to minors, specifically, accommodation, centers and leisure areas etc. The tolerance of this type of activities implies complicity with the operators and with the travel organizers.
• An indirect responsibility corresponds to the tour operators, travel agencies, carriers, especially airlines, if they are aware that they are being used as vehicles to drive the perpetrators or potential causes of this type of behavior and abuse towards minors.

Therefore, the Company, as a potential operator with indirect responsibility, adopts this Policy in order to prevent criminal proceedings of any kind in relation to minors.

5. ACTION PROTOCOL AND WHISTLEBLOWING CHANNEL

The persons and entities to whom this Policy is applicable shall, in the case of any action or conduct they observe and consider likely to be or be linked to the exploitation or abuse of minors of any kind, shall inform their responsible superior immediately or to the Directorate of the Quality Department, who will supervise and remain alert in order to detect any suspicious behavior.

As soon as the Company becomes aware of any potentially criminal activity that is contrary to the personal and emotional integrity of minors, it will launch, together with the competent authorities, to whom it will inform as soon as possible, the pertinent corrective measures to put an end to the conduct and punish it adequately.

In order to facilitate the communication of activities contrary to the Company's Policies and the applicable laws and regulations, an anonymous whistleblowing channel will be made available to its staff and external collaborators, which can be accessed through of the corporate website. By means of it, the problematic behaviors can be reported more quickly and easily and put an end to them more effectively.

Emergency telephone number – Guardia Civil: 062

6. STEPS FOR THE PROTECTION OF MINORS

1. Observation
2. Communication
3. Denunciation
4. Solution
5. Feedback

TRAVELIFE GOLD CERTIFICATION

Travelife is an international sustainability certification that recognises those hotels which comply with Travelife's environmental and social management policies.

To achieve the Travelife GOLD certification, one of the most prestigious sustainability awards, hotels have to prove that they are compliant with more than 160 Travelife requirements, such as the development and execution of programs in order to increase energetic and water savings, recycling measures, programs to adequately treat and eliminate chemicals or dangerous waste, the implementation of plans to preserve surrounding natural areas, programs to protect human rights and welfare of workers, or collaboration with organizations by means of taking part in social activities.

Some of the activities that Globales is currently developing in accordance to the aforementioned measures are: the installation of recycling points in all the hotels, implementation of programs to quit or reduce the use of disposable plastics, offering more sustainable alternatives, organization of activities to improve local environmental conditions such as beach cleanup days, cooperation with the Red Cross and other organizations caring for people at risk of social exclusion, animal welfare organizations, and awareness and training programs for employees.

Globales expects to obtain the certification for all its hotels, and to this day, the following hotels have already obtained the certification: