Fairmont Mayakoba paves the way for sustainable luxury

New Springer book by Prof. Derval, showing how planet and people-friendly experiences can be designed scientifically, decodes the Fairmont Mayakoba case.

PARIS, FRANCE, April 25, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A visit to the Fairmont Mayakoba resort gives hints on the future of hospitality and how flora and fauna can successfully coexist thanks to sustainable yet fun activities.

Researcher Prof. Derval, PhD, Chair of DervalResearch, shows how planet and people-friendly products and experiences can be designed scientifically: "You wake up in 240 acres of tropical forest, 40 miles south of Cancun. Guided by Iggy the iguana, Chamu the monkey, and Balam the jaguar, you reach the kayak on the crystal clear canal. Your snack on the way to the Riviera Maya coral reef is a handful of escamoles—the larvae from the chicatana ant—with a sip of mescal. No, you are not in an episode of Survivor, but at Fairmont Mayakoba in Mexico (Fig. 1). Good news is the adventure is there, but in a gated AAA Five-Diamond resort that engaged in a very complete green partnership program making it an environmental hotel, paving the way for the future of hospitality and luxury."

This immersive study provides insights into how luxury is more and more about the experience. Fairmont Mayakoba initiated a very integrated and complete eco-program that earned the ACCOR Luxury Brands resort the Environmental Hotel of the Year. "It is more than not replacing the towels of the room; the idea is to make the most of the environment while respecting it," Prof. Derval explains, "Biking, watersports, scuba diving, but also yoga and refurbishing the coral reef are all part of the thrill. The time when people were enjoying themselves at the party and then leaving a mess for others to clean up is over—at least Fairmont Mayakoba is trying to change that through an intense and broad green partnership. The innovative measures include limiting the water to cut the consumption by half, using biodegradable toilet paper, metal cutlery rather than plastic, local products bought in bulk, organic and pesticide-free food, recycling gray water from the shower to hydrate the vegetation, preparing local honey and growing in-house herbs, or making sure to fish lobster sustainably."

Robert-Jan Woltering, Regional Vice President, Mexico and Central America for ACCOR Luxury Brands, and General Manager of the Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, shares his daily quest: “Mayakoba is an enclave in the jungle, surrounded by mangroves. Then we have these fantastic cenotes—like a sinkhole and underground rivers, fresh with pure water—that exist in the Yucatán Peninsula. These 380 miles of underground rivers are then connecting into the ocean. It is all about preserving nature in collaboration with the Mexican government and local NGOs. We are mostly fighting single-use plastic. In Europe, we do not measure how much plastic is around us. It is sickening when I go through these mangroves and see plastic bottles, plastic wrapping, and more plastic. When you have a storm, suddenly you see meters of plastic—it is truly scary. When we see these little movies about plastic on social media, we might feel it is all a bit exaggerated, but it is true! Last weekend we had 20 m of plastic—it is like everywhere you look, you see plastic.”
On a bright note, the country of Mexico is planning to ban single-use plastic in the coming year. Ahead of the trend, Fairmont Mayakoba has already eliminated most single-use plastic at the resort, with plans to be completely free of single-use plastic bis this summer.

Fairmont is part of the ACCOR group that counts 5,200 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries. Robert-Jan Woltering, who just received the International GM Award for Best Hospitality Leader in Mexico, introduces his plans around augmented hospitality:

"My vision is that there could be a hotel next to your house, taking care of maintenance but also of arranging activities like a concierge would do. Why not also propose co-working spaces? The concept of lifestyle hospitality would mean that a hotel is not just a place you stay but also a service that gives you fulfillment in your daily life, inviting you to a football match or a music concert. That is the roadmap we will develop over the coming 5 to 10 years."

The Fairmont Mayakoba inspiring story is featured among other surprising sensory insights in Prof. Diana Derval's much-anticipated book "The Right Sensory Mix: Decoding Customers' Behavior and Preferences," just published by Springer Nature and available in a book/ebook format.
The research results and leadership guidelines are expected to help hospitality and luxury brands design the next generation of customer experiences.

About Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya
Nestled in the heart of the Riviera Maya, Mexico, the 401-room Fairmont Mayakoba is a AAA Five Diamond resort set on 45 acres, within a private luxury community. Surrounded by a lush mangrove forest intersected by water canals, the property offers over 46,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space, an energizing Willow Stream Spa featuring 20 treatment rooms, and El Camaleón Golf Course, host to the only official PGA TOUR event in Mexico. A dedication to a green philosophy has earned Fairmont Mayakoba the Rainforest Alliance verification among other eco- accolades. For reservations and additional information: email myk.reservations@fairmont.com, or visit fairmont.com/Mayakoba

About DervalResearch
DervalResearch is a pioneer research firm using biosciences to decode human behavior and preferences. People are rational, they just have a very different perception. Personas’ decisions seem to just come down to culture and emotions but are in fact deeply rooted in their very own physiology, microbiome, sensory perception, and hormonal makeup, and can therefore be anticipated and better targeted. With non-invasive yet powerful predictive tools like the Hormonal Quotient™ (HQ), Sensory GeoMaps™, or the Derval Color Test, our neurodiverse team of scientists and designers help organizations seize business opportunities, increase their innovation hit rate, and develop planet and people-friendly experiences from Paris to Shanghai. Additional information: https://www.dervalresearch.com and follow @dervalresearch

Prof. Diana Derval, PhD
DervalResearch
+372 602 7208
diana@dervalresearch.com
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