Blue Voices

The island of Bali is a tourist destination that is second to none. Seminyak Beach, in Kuta Bali with a calm atmosphere is a strategic location for various social and personal activities, one of which is surfing, attracting Surfers from all around the world. Located right on the coast of Seminyak, Kuta, which is one of the favorite beaches for both foreign and domestic tourists, direct access to the beach makes The Haven Bali Seminyak a favorite stopover place.

The Haven Bali Seminyak was opened in September 2009 with nature-like character, but with a modern touch. The Haven Bali Seminyak runs an environmentally friendly concept and pays close attention to the social culture of Bali.

The Haven Bali Seminyak is a pioneer of lifestyle accommodation in Bali that offers a 3 in 1 hotel concept, namely hotels, suites and villas consisting of 96 hotel rooms, 60 suites, and 6 villa units complete with private swimming pools. The hotel is within walking distance to Bali's most exciting nightlife, boutiques, restaurants and some of the famous beaches.

Since its inception, The Haven Bali Seminyak has a concept that focuses on environmental sustainability and socio-economic development. The Haven Bali Seminyak has succeeded in obtaining the Emerald III certificate from Tri Hita Karana, a foundation that accredits sustainability in the hotel environment as a player in the tourism industry in Bali. Not only that, in 2018 The Haven Bali Seminyak succeeded in becoming a member of Signing Blue, the brainchild of WWF-Indonesia related to the improvement of marine tourism. The Haven Bali Seminyak is active in several associations, namely the Bali Province Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) and the Bali Hotel Association (BHA).

Coastal cleaning activities and cleaning of the surrounding area to maintain environmental cleanliness are routinely carried out by The Haven Bali Seminyak and in coordination with the PHRI and BHA associations on World Clean Up Day and The Biggest Beach Clean Up. A series of activities related to environmental sustainability are routinely carried out when celebrating the anniversary of The Haven Bali Seminyak, such as releasing Tukik (sea turtles) on Seminyak beach and renewing the Reading Park in Tianyar, Karangasem for social aspects. Not only that, The Haven Bali Seminyak also carried out a reforestation program, namely planting coconut trees on Serangan Beach. The Haven Bali Seminyak routinely carries out activities related to environmental and social sustainability, in line with the Tri Hita Karana and Signing Blue programs.

Environmentally friendly actions have been carried out throughout The Haven Bali Seminyak area, especially in the rooms and in the Sabeen restaurant. There are no longer any room amenities in single-use packaging. The Haven Bali Seminyak has replaced mineral water in single-use plastic bottles with mineral water in refillable glass bottles. There are signs urging guests to use water and electricity only as needed. At Sabeen, a restaurant owned by The Haven Bali Seminyak, they no longer use plastic straws and styrofoam or single-use plastic packaging. As stated by I Ketut Adi, Human Capital Manager of The Haven Bali Seminyak, “We are no longer using single-use materials such as plastic straws, plastic packaging or Styrofoam. We replace them with environmentally friendly materials as directed by the Bali provincial government, one of which is the Sabeen Signature Besek program for take away packaging, this is our effort in addition to being environmentally friendly as well as supporting the local economy.” Environmental sustainability efforts are also carried out in the kitchen area of The Haven Bali Seminyak, by empowering local entrepreneurs to supply vegetables and fruits. The Haven Bali Seminyak also utilizes several areas in the garden for vegetable gardening such as bok-choy, kale, carrots, lemongrass, and many more.

The Haven Bali Seminyak made various energy conservation efforts, one of these efforts is by replacing conventional light bulbs with Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). The Haven Bali Seminyak uses motion sensors in suite rooms to detect motion and if no motion is detected, the electricity will automatically turn off. In addition, The Haven Bali Seminyak has used a Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV) system for its air conditioning system. A high initial investment, but there will be significant electricity savings. As Putu Budi, Chief Engineering, The Haven Bali Seminyak, said, "The investment in switching from a conventional air conditioning system to a VRV air conditioning system is quite high, but savings of 30% can be felt every month."

In addition to energy conservation efforts, The Haven Bali Seminyak has also made efforts in water conservation. The use of a water filtration system throughout the hotel can save a significant amount of water. The Haven Bali Seminyak refers to the Environment and Hygiene Service (DLHK) of the province of Bali, using two different water systems, namely in collaboration with the Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM) and an independent underground water system. The underground water tank has been installed with a filtration system and is directly distributed to the swimming pool and bathroom without compromising guest comfort, this saves water usage by up to 30%. Water conservation efforts do not stop there, The Haven Bali Seminyak has 17 points of Biopori holes and five points of infiltration wells. All staff and guests have been educated on energy and water conservation efforts for environmental sustainability.

To minimize the carbon footprint and pollution to the surrounding environment, The Haven Bali Seminyak tests and monitors bad emissions from generators, this is performed annually by DLHK Bali. The Haven Bali Seminyak generator set is categorized as suitable for use and meets DLHK standards. Further effort to minimize environmental pollution carried out by The Haven Bali Seminyak is to reduce dirty water waste by establishing good cooperation with the Denpasar Sewage Development Project (DSDP) institution.

The Haven Bali Seminyak has good waste management and divides its waste into three categories, namely dry waste, wet waste, and B3 waste. With good cooperation with the environmental cleanliness management of the Seminyak Traditional Village, dry waste and wet waste are handed over to the Village, then The Haven Bali Seminyak receives compost to be used in the Hotel gardens. Regarding the replacement of mineral water in single-use plastic bottles for mineral water in glass bottles, there are further savings in terms of waste transport, as stated by Putu Budi, Chief Engineering, The Haven Bali Seminyak, “In the past we used mineral water in single-use plastic bottles and there is an additional fee for transporting the garbage. Now we use glass bottles where we buy glass bottles the first time only and do refills. The savings are almost 50% per month when compared to the past.”

To run a hotel with a sustainable tourism concept, The Haven Bali Seminyak is friendly to special needs guests. The hotel is equipped with a special bathroom for people with disabilities, a special ramp for wheelchairs, and has a special room located close to the lobby and restaurant.

In terms of helping the development and promotion of Balinese culture, The Haven Bali Seminyak does several things such as collaborating with besek craftsmen who produce Sabeen Signature Besek packaging, this gives special memories to guests, both restaurant visitors and overnight guests. Another effort to promote local culture is the activity of making canang, a Balinese offering made of various flowers and coconut leaves, to guests staying at The Haven on Nyepi Day.

The Haven Bali Seminyak together with the management of PHM Hotels conduct a program which is held once a year in October, called OctobArt. Collaborating with local Balinese painters to display their paintings in the hotel area. Of course, it presents Indonesian regional dances, namely Javanese dances to Papuan dances, in collaboration with the local dance studios of the Seminyak Traditional Village and the staff. In 2020, The Haven Bali Seminyak will educate visitors with the theme of painting eggs, in collaboration with egg painting craftsmen of Bali.

One form of The Haven Bali Seminyak's commitment to running sustainable tourism is to employ 100% Indonesian citizens, especially locals, namely from the Seminyak Traditional Village. The Haven Bali Seminyak diligently follows Indonesian employment laws, only employing workers who are old enough and all workers have complete employment contract documents. All staff at The Haven Bali Seminyak have gone through an orientation and training process related to knowledge of all aspects of the hotel. Training related to guest satisfaction and service is routinely carried out by each department. Of course, external training is also carried out, these are held with associations related to each department, for example the Front Office department with the Hotel Frontliner Association (HFLA) in Bali and Housekeeping in the Indonesia Housekeeper Association (IHKA) - Bali. Orientation programs, internal training, and external training help increase guest satisfaction, which is why The Haven Bali Seminyak gets good reviews, both from the TrustYou system and TripAdvisor, along with several other Travel Agencies such as Agoda and Booking.com.

The Haven Bali Seminyak provides opportunities for students from Vocational High Schools (SMK) or in tourism and hospitality high schools to be able to conduct training in hotels. There are several schools that The Haven Bali Seminyak provides opportunities for training, namely SMK Negeri 4 Mengwitani, Badung and Royal Bali College located in Gianyar.

Entering the Covid-19 Pandemic, The Haven Bali Seminyak made preparations and anticipations by successfully going through the process to get a 'New Normal' certificate issued by the Bali Regional Government Tourism Office (Disparda) in August 2020, and an 'I Do Care' or Cleanliness certificate, health, Safety, and Environmentally Sustainable (CHSE) issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenkraf) in November 2020. The Hotel’s Standard Operating Procedure has been updated and must be followed by all staff and guests. The addition of hand washing basins, hand sanitizers, and signs to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have been implemented. Guests are required to have their temperature checked and wash their hands before entering the hotel area. Signs for the mandatory wearing of masks, diligent hand washing, and social distancing have been placed at many points in the hotel area. The sterilization and disinfection process is routinely carried out when guests leave and rooms will be marked if they have passed the process. All staff are required to carry out testing using Rapid Antigen on a regular basis. These efforts will surely help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The hope of The Haven Bali Seminyak when things start to return to normal is that foreign and domestic guests can start visiting the Island of the Gods as usual, so that the Legian and Seminyak areas come back to life. Various nearby tourist sites in Seminyak, such as Kuta Beach and Tanah Lot with its exotic temples, are a part of the local heritage. The Haven Bali Seminyak cannot wait to start doing activities as planned, without obstructions from the pandemic.