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focus

“We should definitely act with respect A n i n te r v i e w w i t h A n d r o n is G r o u p ’ s

O pe r a t i o n s D i r e c to r G e o r g e G i o ur t z i d is
for the place in which we operate.” a bo u t t h e f u t ur e a n d c h a l l e n g e s o f s u s t a i n a b i l i t y

o n t h e is l a n d o f S a n to r i n i .
George Giourtzidis - Director Of Operations at Andronis

How important is environmental-based training and creating safe and quality-based
hospitality for the Andronis Group? working and living conditions.
Corporate responsibility is beginning to grow and So where is the future of Santorini’s
become more and more important globally. At sustainability? Does the island have its own
Andronis we definitely wanted to be involved in set of challenges?
this and have applied many sustainable practices Santorini is definitely a challenging island overall
to how we operate. in terms of the day-to-day operations concerning
How is this implemented within the Group’s accommodation especially taking sustainability
hotels? into account. We are all responsible for the future
The main initiative that we have implemented of this island and we genuinely want to see this
is preparing a sustainability report so that we place flourish and continue to attract visitors
can begin to monitor and reduce the impact from around the world. However, the island’s
that our group has on the environment. Other infrastructure needs to keep abreast with its
actions we have taken are significantly reducing rapid development and in this respect, private
our energy, water and waste consumption. The initiatives just don’t go far enough.
majority of our guests transfers also take place Have you entered into any synergies or
using electric vehicles. collaborations with the end goal of creating
Are there specific protocols for proper waste the infrastructure necessary for the gentle
management and energy saving? development and sustainability of Santorini
Yes, of course. With regards to energy saving, over the next few years?
we have taken significant steps to reduce The Andronis Group generally seeks partnerships
consumption, such as replacing oil boilers with with companies that place sustainability high on
heat pumps, installing motion detectors to turn their agenda, such as Nespresso and Apivita.
on lighting in public areas and installing smart With regards to operations, we have taken part
sensors in guest rooms that automatically reduce in many initiatives and collaborations which
the air conditioning output and turn off the contribute to Santorini’s sustainability. However,
TVs. Concerning waste management, we take in terms of the island’s infrastructure, not much
great care to separate waste into recyclable and can be done by a hotel group acting alone. The
non-recyclable, limit garbage in general, have State has the first say in this regard.
removed all forms of disposable plastics from What personalized experiences does the
the hotels and from this year we are going to Andronis Group offer that respects the
compost a percentage of our food waste. destination that you are so proud of?
What do we all need to do to help Santorini One of my favorite experiences is the Cooking
develop whilst remaining sustainable for class at Andronis Concept. It is essentially a
future generations? three-hour cooking class during which visitors
We should definitely act with respect for the place learn some simple Greek recipes using local
in which we operate by, for example, limiting ingredients such as cherry tomatoes and fava
energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. But beans. Another very beautiful and popular
at the same time, as sustainability consists of experience is the hike that takes place between
several factors, one of which is human, we should our hotels in Oia and Imerovigli during which
all invest in improving the level of people who our guests become acquainted with Santorini’s
work in our field. This can be achieved through history. •

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26 • ANDRONIS • Magazine • ANDRONIS • Magazine