Malta Hilton Crowned 'Regional Energy Champion'

The Hilton Hotel group has been taking major initiatives on the environment, with the Hilton in Malta doing particularly well.

Next time you're visiting Malta, be sure to stay at the Hilton Malta. The hotel was opened in 2000 and offers the highest quality accommodation you'd expect from a Hilton.

Hilton Hotels began a programme in January 2006 called "We Care!" This program was one of the first of it's kind. It began with Wolfgang Neumann taking the initiative and sending a letter to 80 Hilton general managers in Europe and Africa. His intentions were to get others to 'think green' and reduce the energy requirements of the Hilton Hotel chain. His plan was to decrease energy consumption by five per cent in the first year then fifteen per cent over three years.

The program was a huge success. The results at the end of the first year were astounding! Mr. Neumann's plan to cut energy consumption by five percent actually yielded a six-and-one-half per cent cut across the board after the first year. Hilton Malta alone saw just over fifteen per cent cut in energy per guest night.

Mr. Neumann's plan, in less than 3 years, earned the Hilton Malta praise from many environmental leaders. Environment Minister George Pullicino has praised the Hilton Malta for paving the way for other industry leaders to provide the same level of environmental preservation.

The "We Care!" program has been an educational experience for hotel employees and guests alike. As an added benefit for hotel employees, each of the 360 employees received an eco-friendly mountain bike.

Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech congratulated Hilton Malta's management and their employees for taking the initiative to promote and do their part to 'think green.'

Over the years, management and employees of Hilton Malta have engaged in environmental awareness activities. Some of these activities include:

*planting trees in Mellieha *donating substantial amounts to Heritage Malta *investing in a programme to minimize air pollution *treating waste water for irrigation *implementing gas burners *promoting clean air by not using diesel *installing a reverse osmosis plant *restoring a 400-year-old bastion wall

Malta is a densely populated archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The primary spoken languages are Maltese and English but due to the location of the small island nation, you may also hear French, Spanish and Italian.

Rich in history, Malta was captured by Napoleon while he was en route to Egypt during the French Revolutionary Wars in 1798. Then in 1814, Malta became part of the British Empire as part of the Treaty of Paris. King George VI awarded the George Cross to Malta in 1942. A replica of the George Cross appears in the upper corner of the Flag of Malta.

Malta is also home to the oldest freestanding structures in the world. Their name, Ggantija or Ggantia, means 'belonging to the giants.' Ggantija is a megalithic temple complex on the island of Gozo. The two Ggantija temples are notable for their gigantic Neolithic structures which were erected during the Neolithic Age, more than 5500 years ago.

Whether you visit Malta for its historical setting or simply on holiday, you're sure to find something to spark your interest.

The Hilton Malta is one of the leading 5-star hotels on the island. Why not pamper yourself while enjoying the history of the islands and helping preserve the environment?

About the author: For holiday information about Malta, which includes the Malta capital Valletta visit YourMalta.com

Other information about Malta includes a Malta map and for those taking a twin centre holiday the Milan weather