Beach Rotana Hotel Complex, Abu Dhabi Sets a New Sustainability Milestone for Rotana
UCSL United Certification Systems Ltd., a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body, proudly announces that Beach Rotana Hotel Complex, Abu Dhabi, has achieved GSTC Certification, demonstrating independently verified sustainability performance against the GSTC Hotel Standard, the world’s leading benchmark for sustainability in tourism.
Awarded following a rigorous on-site assessment by UCSL, the certification covers the Beach Rotana Hotel Complex, Abu Dhabi, including the hotel, residences, and serviced apartments, representing a highly complex hospitality operation. At this scale, embedding sustainability into everyday operations requires clear systems, strong internal coordination, and long-term operational commitment. Throughout the audit, the team demonstrated a structured and thoughtful approach to sustainability, embedding responsible practices into guest experience and day-to-day operations.
Located on Abu Dhabi’s waterfront between downtown Abu Dhabi and Al Maryah Island, Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi is one of the city’s best-known five-star properties, combining resort-style experiences with business, retail, and leisure connectivity. As the first Rotana Hotels & Resorts property to achieve GSTC Certification, Beach Rotana Hotel Complex, Abu Dhabi reflects the group’s philosophy rooted in long-term relationships, innovation, genuine care, and integrity – values central to The Rotana Life.
Awarded following a rigorous on-site assessment by UCSL, the certification covers the Beach Rotana Hotel Complex, Abu Dhabi, including the hotel, residences, and serviced apartments, representing a highly complex hospitality operation. At this scale, embedding sustainability into everyday operations requires clear systems, strong internal coordination, and long-term operational commitment. Throughout the audit, the team demonstrated a structured and thoughtful approach to sustainability, embedding responsible practices into guest experience and day-to-day operations.
Located on Abu Dhabi’s waterfront between downtown Abu Dhabi and Al Maryah Island, Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi is one of the city’s best-known five-star properties, combining resort-style experiences with business, retail, and leisure connectivity. As the first Rotana Hotels & Resorts property to achieve GSTC Certification, Beach Rotana Hotel Complex, Abu Dhabi reflects the group’s philosophy rooted in long-term relationships, innovation, genuine care, and integrity – values central to The Rotana Life.
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Congratulations to the entire Beach Rotana team on achieving certification against the GSTC Hotel Standard, the world’s leading benchmark for sustainability in tourism. Milestones like this are always about people, the teams behind the scenes who continuously improve, care about the details, and work together toward something meaningful. It is wonderful to see Rotana’s values reflected in property’s daily operations, and we are honored to work with teams who share a genuine commitment to quality, integrity, and long-term thinking.
At the heart of the property’s approach is a structured sustainability management system designed to support continuous improvement across environmental, social, cultural, economic, health, safety, and operational dimensions of the business. Sustainability performance is monitored through defined objectives, measurable indicators, internal review processes, and regular management engagement. Deep care about nature and people is reflected in how the property engages guests, employees, suppliers, and the wider destination ecosystem.
Guests are encouraged to participate through responsible visitor communication, resource conservation guidance, and sustainability information available throughout the guest journey, including in-room communication and public spaces. Sustainability performance and ongoing initiatives are also shared transparently with guests through hotel communication channels. The hotel is also working on reducing single-use plastics and introducing sustainable guest amenity solutions.
Behind the scenes, the hotel has implemented structured approaches to sustainable procurement, including supplier screening and purchasing considerations, such as MSC and ASC for responsibly sourced seafood and food products. A strong emphasis is placed on employee engagement through regular training and internal initiatives designed to encourage staff participation and continuous improvement, recognizing that responsible hospitality depends also on people and organizational culture.
Particular attention is also given to care for wildlife within the hotel environment, with guest guidance encouraging respectful interaction with animals and monitoring systems in place to support animal wellbeing.
Guests are encouraged to participate through responsible visitor communication, resource conservation guidance, and sustainability information available throughout the guest journey, including in-room communication and public spaces. Sustainability performance and ongoing initiatives are also shared transparently with guests through hotel communication channels. The hotel is also working on reducing single-use plastics and introducing sustainable guest amenity solutions.
Behind the scenes, the hotel has implemented structured approaches to sustainable procurement, including supplier screening and purchasing considerations, such as MSC and ASC for responsibly sourced seafood and food products. A strong emphasis is placed on employee engagement through regular training and internal initiatives designed to encourage staff participation and continuous improvement, recognizing that responsible hospitality depends also on people and organizational culture.
Particular attention is also given to care for wildlife within the hotel environment, with guest guidance encouraging respectful interaction with animals and monitoring systems in place to support animal wellbeing.
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Achieving GSTC Certification represents an important milestone for Beach Rotana and a proud moment for our entire team. This achievement reflects the dedication and collective effort of colleagues across the property, whose daily work brings our hospitality values to life. At Rotana, genuine care, integrity, long-term responsibility, and continuous improvement shape how we deliver luxury hospitality every day, and we are proud to see these values reflected through this achievement. We are sincerely grateful to UCSL for their professionalism, expertise, and partnership throughout the certification process.
As sustainability expectations continue to evolve across global hospitality, independently verified sustainability performance is increasingly becoming part of how trust, competitiveness, and long-term destination value are built. Beach Rotanai’s achievement reflects this important shift and contributes to the growing momentum behind structured sustainability implementation across hospitality in the UAE and wider Middle East region.
About Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi
Located on a prime waterfront setting between downtown Abu Dhabi and the capital’s financial district, Al Maryah Island, Beach Rotana is one of the city’s landmark five-star hospitality destinations. Combining resort-style relaxation with convenient access to business, retail, and leisure experiences, the property offers a premium hospitality experience.
The hotel features 413 rooms and suites,12 restaurants and bars, wellness and fitness facilities, private beach access, and direct connectivity to Abu Dhabi Mall, creating a versatile destination for both leisure and business travelers. With its long-standing reputation for hospitality excellence and recognition within the region’s tourism sector, Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi continues to deliver a guest experience defined by quality, comfort, and attentive service.
About Rotana
Rotana currently manages a portfolio of over 100 properties throughout the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Turkey, with an aggressive expansion plan in place. Rotana has chosen to acknowledge how precious time is by making all time spent in their range of hotels ‘Treasured Time’. This means Rotana has pledged to understand and meet the individual needs of all guests. In so doing, Rotana has evolved its product brands to include, Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels by Rotana, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts by Rotana, Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana, Edge by Rotana and The Residences by Rotana. Treasured Time. The Rotana promise to you.
Further information on any Rotana property, its brands or reservations can be obtained by visiting rotana.com or by contacting one of the regional sales offices.
About UCSL
United Certification Systems Limited (UCSL) is an independent certification body, headquartered in the EU and operating worldwide. Proud to be one of the first GSTC-Accredited certification bodies, we provide certification services that align with the highest standards in luxury hospitality, bringing unparalleled expertise to the forefront. Driven by a deep passion for sustainability, we transcend the traditional role of a certification body, emerging as pioneers in research and education, spearheading positive change within the tourism industry.
About GSTC Certification
GSTC Certification is the globally acknowledged mark of sustainable tourism, awarded to tourism businesses that meet the GSTC Standards, managed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an international non-profit organization established through a strategic coalition including the United Nations Foundation, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and UN Tourism. The term "GSTC Certification" specifically means certified by a Certification Body that is GSTC-Accredited, ensuring full alignment with the world’s highest standards for sustainable tourism.
Located on a prime waterfront setting between downtown Abu Dhabi and the capital’s financial district, Al Maryah Island, Beach Rotana is one of the city’s landmark five-star hospitality destinations. Combining resort-style relaxation with convenient access to business, retail, and leisure experiences, the property offers a premium hospitality experience.
The hotel features 413 rooms and suites,12 restaurants and bars, wellness and fitness facilities, private beach access, and direct connectivity to Abu Dhabi Mall, creating a versatile destination for both leisure and business travelers. With its long-standing reputation for hospitality excellence and recognition within the region’s tourism sector, Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi continues to deliver a guest experience defined by quality, comfort, and attentive service.
About Rotana
Rotana currently manages a portfolio of over 100 properties throughout the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Turkey, with an aggressive expansion plan in place. Rotana has chosen to acknowledge how precious time is by making all time spent in their range of hotels ‘Treasured Time’. This means Rotana has pledged to understand and meet the individual needs of all guests. In so doing, Rotana has evolved its product brands to include, Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels by Rotana, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts by Rotana, Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana, Edge by Rotana and The Residences by Rotana. Treasured Time. The Rotana promise to you.
Further information on any Rotana property, its brands or reservations can be obtained by visiting rotana.com or by contacting one of the regional sales offices.
About UCSL
United Certification Systems Limited (UCSL) is an independent certification body, headquartered in the EU and operating worldwide. Proud to be one of the first GSTC-Accredited certification bodies, we provide certification services that align with the highest standards in luxury hospitality, bringing unparalleled expertise to the forefront. Driven by a deep passion for sustainability, we transcend the traditional role of a certification body, emerging as pioneers in research and education, spearheading positive change within the tourism industry.
About GSTC Certification
GSTC Certification is the globally acknowledged mark of sustainable tourism, awarded to tourism businesses that meet the GSTC Standards, managed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an international non-profit organization established through a strategic coalition including the United Nations Foundation, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and UN Tourism. The term "GSTC Certification" specifically means certified by a Certification Body that is GSTC-Accredited, ensuring full alignment with the world’s highest standards for sustainable tourism.