Hilton Prague and Hilton Prague Old Town, marked Earth Hour 2014 from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 29, 2014. The hotels joined hundreds of the more than 4,000 hotels and timeshare properties that are part of the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands by switching off lights, as well as organizing other projects for guests in demonstration of their commitment to live sustainably and take action by caring for the planet in the year ahead.
“Earth Hour is one of the many ways we show our commitment to energy conservation while delivering great guest experiences. We are encouraging our guests, neighbors and team members to join us in support of this global effort,” said Michael Specking, cluster general manager, Hilton Prague & Hilton Prague Old Town.
Earth Hour was celebrated at Hilton Hotels in Prague through a variety of activities such as:
• Unique illumination inside the hotels, including candles, small LEDs and special decorations while the main lights were dimmed or switched off completely
• At Hilton Prague Old Town, guided bike tours were offered and electric bikes rented to show an eco-friendly way of city transportation
• At Zinc Lounge & Bar, Hilton Prague Old Town, guests had an opportunity to sample an “H60 cocktail”, especially created for Earth Hour
• Torches and fireworks were installed in front of Hilton Prague Old Town main entrance
• A blind food tasting game took place at CzecHouse Grill & Rotisserie, Hilton Prague, where guests had an opportunity to receive a special reward in case of success and start a romantic candlelit dinner in the best possible way
• Indoor bikes placed in Hilton Prague lobby, which guests and team members were able to ride in order to generate electricity used to light the glass pyramid roof
• A candle making workshop in Hilton Prague team canteen took place a day before the event, where team members had a chance to make their own candle they could use at home to celebrate the Earth Hour
Created by WWF, Earth Hour began in 2007 as a way for individuals and businesses to show how simple steps can make a significant impact on addressing climate change. This worldwide effort began in Sydney, Australia when more than two million people turned off their lights for an hour and reduced the city's energy consumption by more than 10 percent. It became a global movement in 2008 with more than 50 million people participating, and today is the largest grassroots environmental movement in the world with more than 7,000 cities and towns in 152 countries and territories and hundreds of millions of people participating across seven continents. In 2013 alone 345 million people were reached through the campaign’s website and social media. This year’s theme focuses on mobilizing young people to become the next generation of leaders for a sustainable world, a theme that resonates with several Hilton Worldwide commitments to connect and prepare young people over the next five years.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts has a long history of supporting Earth Hour - the original idea was even dreamt up during a WWF meeting held at the Hilton Sydney.
Participation in Earth Hour is part of Hilton Worldwide’s commitment to Living Sustainably, one of the four pillars of the company’s responsibility and sustainability strategy, Travel with Purpose™. In demonstration of its commitment in this area, Hilton Worldwide has elevated sustainability as a performance metric and a brand standard across all hotels, raising it to the same level of importance as quality, service and revenue. To support the company’s sustainability goals, LightStay™, Hilton Worldwide’s proprietary performance system, is used to measure, analyze and report on sustainability data across the global portfolio.
Media can access additional information about Hilton Prague and Hilton Prague Old Town at news.hilton.com/prague and news.hilton.com/pragueoldtown.
