Iconsulthotels' CEO, Martin Kubler, is an active member of the editorial board of HBME (formerly Hospitality Business Middle East). In April 2014, he contributed an article about Dubai's most famous green garden at the JA Jebel Ali Golf Resort. The article describes the resort's green gardening strategy and explains how, in the middle of the desert, JA Resorts & Hotels runs a profitable bio-gardening scheme that benefits the resort's guests, the environment, and the local community. Would you like Iconsulthotels experts to write for you, too? Have a look at http://qoo.ly/3ntq9

1. APRIL 2014 hospitalitybusinessme.com
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TREND TALK
T
hose of us, who have been in
Dubai a little longer, might
remember that in 2007 there
was a lot more free space
around the city than there is
now. We all know how successful Dubai
has been in filling this free space with
world-class attractions, iconic residential
and commercial developments, and even
the occasional park.
Mark Brettsworth, the late General
Manager of what was then the Jebel Ali
Golf Resort & Spa, located seemingly far
outside the growing city, had a different
idea when it came to making use of free
space in 2007: He turned an area of
unused land at the resort into the city’s
first bio garden.
Over the past seven years, Dubai has
grown a lot bigger, and so has the bio
Heartfelt Hospitality & Bio
Gardening – A Perfect Hole in One!
The story of Dubai’s most famous green garden
garden of what is now the JA Jebel Ali
Golf Resort.
An easy 30 minutes drive away from
Dubai Marina, a full-time gardener and
lots of enthusiastic volunteers, grow
a large variety of fruits, vegetables,
and herbs – all 100% organic. Just like
Dubai, the garden is set to grow even
bigger in the coming years with the
addition of a greenhouse and more
space for further organic produce.
Fredrik Reinisch, the resort’s current
General Manager, makes a convincing
business case for the company’s bio
gardening activities: It’s good for the
environment, good for the resort’s
guests, and good for the company’s
bottom line.
No pesticides are used in the resort’s
bio garden and the resort’s CO2
emissions are reduced, because less
produce has to be shipped in from
outside. The hotel’s bio gardening
activities also reduce the amount of
waste shipped off to landfills, because
the gardening team makes its own
compost using waste materials from
the resort’s several kitchens. The resort
also installed a water recycling system
that reuses water used to irrigate
the resort’s golf course to water the
growing bio garden. Last year, the
company went a step further and
unveiled a new aquaponics system that
combines conventional aquaculture
(raising aquatic animals such as snails,
fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with
hydroponics (cultivating plants in water)
in a symbiotic environment. Aquaponics
gardening is an amazingly productive
way to grow organic produce, while
providing the added benefits of fresh
fish as a safe, healthy source of protein.
JA Jebel Ali Golf Resort’s bio garden
now satisfies all the resort’s herb
needs and the vegetable needs of two
restaurants – the savings on not having
to buy herbs from outside suppliers
alone amount to approximately AED
5,000/month.
Interestingly, the bio garden is virtually
self-funding – the used oil from the
resort’s kitchens is converted into diesel
by an external company. The money
raised from diesel sales pays for the
full-time gardener and all tools and seeds
needed to keep the garden growing.
Guests at the resort not only get to
enjoy locally grown, organic, produce,
but are also encouraged to visit the bio
garden and learn more about where the
food served in the resort comes from
or just relax by the watering pond in
the middle of the garden and enjoy the
tranquil atmosphere and the aroma of
fresh herbs. The resort’s kids’ club even
holds weekly gardening sessions and the
company is also keen to involve local
schools in its bio gardening efforts.
Savings in buying quality produce
from outside suppliers combine
seamlessly with priceless PR value at the
resort. In 2012, it was awarded the first
ever Dubai Green Tourism Award, and it
enjoys high profile locally and regionally
amongst environmentalists and green
enthusiasts. In a city that often vies for
attention with “artificial” attractions
such as indoor ski slopes or sprawling
water parks, JA Jebel Ali Gold Resort,
chose a more natural and sustainable
path and is seeing its efforts pay off
handsomely.
Martin Kubler
Founder, Iconsulthotels FZE