Authored Article by Punish B Sharma, Vice President – Operations, THE FERN HOTELS & RESORTS Meluha The Fern, Rodas An Ecotel Hotel

Sustainable and eco-conscious hospitality has gained huge importance nowadays. However, sustainability is not merely a philosophy but a way of life for Meluha, The Fern, an ecotel hotel, ever since its inception. Located at Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, Mumbai, the hotel is a part of The Fern Hotels & Resorts, India’s leading environmentally sensitive hotel chain.

The hotel is a certified Ecotel hotel, and the certification facilitates its ability to minimize the environmental impact of its day-to-day operations. It also reduces operations costs and contributes to being a socially responsible organization. 

Since its inception, the 140-room hotel has been at the forefront of sustainable hospitality. Besides being recognized twice by the Union Government of India, the hotel has won numerous accolades nationally as well as internationally and is the recipient of more than 50 awards. Meluha The Fern was also honored with the prestigious Best Ecofriendly Hotel (Five Star) award by the Ministry of Tourism. The award was presented by the Union Minister of State for Tourism, Mr. K. J. Alphons, and Ms. Rashmi Verma, Secretary (IAS), Ministry of Tourism, during the ‘National Tourism Awards, 2016–17.

Meluha-The Fern is also the first LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design)-certified hotel. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system. The hotel’s building design exhibits state-of-the-art architecture and sustainable systems and technologies. The hotel’s green building uses a high-efficiency heating and cooling system. Energy-efficient lighting, rainwater harvesting systems, low-flow faucets, and flushes are some of the other measures adopted by Meluha.

Meluha has achieved an enormous reputation as a hotel with concern for the environment without compromising on luxurious hospitality. The waste management practices of segregation and implementation of reduce-reuse-recycle measures ensure the solid waste diversion rate is almost 100%.

Various sustainability practices adopted by the hotel include:

Comprehensive storm water drainage plan to control erosion and reduce negative impacts on water and air quality.

Drinking water is sterilized in the ultraviolet ray filter and passed through a central chilled water system for cooling. 

The waste water of the hotel is treated and then further reused in areas like the air conditioning plant and flushing gardening.

Rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and roof water harvesting are also incorporated into the hotel.