Four MGM Resorts International Properties Awarded Highest Green Key
Meetings Rating
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Key
Global, the largest international certification body evaluating
sustainable hotel operations, has awarded the prestigious "5 Green
Keys" rating to four MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM)
properties for its Green Key Meetings Program, including
Bellagio Resort & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino, Mandalay
Bay Resort and MGM Grand Las Vegas. The four MGM resorts are the
first in the United States to
receive "5 Green Keys" for meetings, and among an elite group of
only six total in North
America.
MGM Resorts remains one of the most productive meeting and
convention destinations in the world, offering award-wining
experiences throughout its three million square feet of meeting and
convention space. In addition, each of the 11 MGM Resorts
properties in Las Vegas as well as
Reno and in Tunica and Biloxi,
Mississippi and in Detroit,
Michigan has taken substantial steps in their commitment to
sustainability.
"Green Advantage is MGM Resorts International's platform to
ensure that environmentally-conscious decisions are at the
forefront of our business operations and facilities. We are
pleased to have earned the five-key distinction from Green Key
Global, validating the significant efforts of our team to build a
world class green meeting program," said Cindy Ortega, Senior Vice President & Chief
Sustainability Officer.
The designation of 5 Keys is awarded to hotels that exemplify
the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility in
relation to their meetings and convention facilities and
practices.
"Now, more than ever, the Meeting Planner community is seeking
innovative, sustainable solutions when hosting their events," said
Michael Dominguez, Senior Vice
President of Sales for MGM Resorts International. "As this is
an integral part of the meeting planner organization's objectives,
we are extremely proud to be a solution provider meeting
environmental expectations while still providing world-class,
award-winning service," Dominguez added.
Green Key Meetings is a comprehensive assessment tool for
eco-friendly resorts and hotels that hold meetings of any size. It
is designed to provide Travel, Meeting and Conference Planners with
a sense of a hotel's level of commitment to environment issues.
Overall, the Green Key Eco-Rating Program has more than 2,850
member hotels and is the foremost "green" ranking and audit program
in North America.
"As the first U.S. chain to introduce the Green Key Meetings
Program to its portfolio, MGM Resorts has demonstrated that
practicing environmental stewardship need not affect the quality of
an event but can, in fact, enhance its success," said Tony Pollard, Managing Director of Green Key
Global. "That these four Las Vegas
properties have all achieved the highest rating is a testament to
their dedication to sustainability within all aspects of their
operations."
Green Key Meetings ranks venues on a level of 1 to 5 keys, with
5 being the highest ranking. Keys are awarded based on how
properties perform in six conference and meeting areas: Core Areas
(carbon, energy, water, waste, air quality), Communication
(information, training), Activities (purchasing, auditing,
community), People (health), Exhibitions, and Audio/Visual. The
Green Key Meetings properties and rankings are listed at
www.greenkeyglobal.com/greenkeymeetings.asp.
MGM Resorts' approach to sustainability focuses on five core
areas - natural resources conservation, sustainable construction
and renovation, waste management, sustainable supply chain and
education and communication. This strategic framework of raising
environmental awareness and promoting sustainability forms the
company's sustainability platform, called Green Advantage. Green
Advantage is fundamentally changing the way MGM Resorts, its
properties and its 62,000 employees do business.
The Meeting and Convention spaces across MGM Resorts are
extending the level of environmental commitment through substantial
initiatives for implementing sustainable features. By example,
meeting spaces are retrofitted with light sensors and energy
efficient lighting and custom programs to deactivate heating,
ventilation and air conditioning while spaces are not in use.
Comprehensive recycling programs also divert 37.9 percent of all
materials from landfills each year. Resorts also offer specialty
menus featuring wide selections of organic, sustainable and Fair
Trade products as well as additional options for meetings to reduce
water consumption.
In 2011, MGM Resorts International was awarded 12 Green Key
Hotel rankings for designation of green business operations. At the
core of CityCenter, ARIA Resort & Casino was awarded LEED Gold
certification for sustainable design and construction from the U.S.
Green Building council.
About Green Key Global
Green Key Global is a leading
environmental certification body offering a suite of programs and
resources designed specifically for the lodging industry. The
Green Key Meetings Program ranks and certifies hotels and resorts
based on their commitment to sustainable "green" meeting and
conference operations. Developed by Green Key Global and MPI
Foundation Canada, the Meetings program delivers relevant green
meeting practices by providing specific green requirements that
meeting planners expect from hotels. This partnership is a long
term commitment to supporting the principles of people, planet and
profit. In the United States,
delivery of Green Key programs is a joint venture between the Hotel
Association of Canada and LRA
Worldwide, Inc. For more information, visit
www.GreenKeyGlobal.com.
About MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts
International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global
hospitality companies, operating a peerless portfolio of
destination resort brands, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay
Bay and The Mirage. For more information about MGM Resorts
International, visit the Company's website at
www.mgmresorts.com.
SOURCE MGM Resorts International