Friday 20 January 2012

Hilton hypocrites promoting another climate change scam

Some of the readers of this blog may remember the post about Hilton Hotels Worldwide "sustainability" hypocrites announcing the "shutting down of business center equipment", "dimming interior lights in lobby and reception areas" and "encouraging guests to switch off their room lights"  during the "earth hour" last year.

(Fortunately business executives in need of hotel accomodation were able to use the facilities of other hotels, not participating in this annual greenie stupidity.)

Now the same Hilton hypocrites are again busy promoting another climate change scam.

Hilton Worldwide and Sundance Institute announced today the winners of the newly launched Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Award program, which includes $25,000 for one feature film and one in-process category winner. The prizes will be presented at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival next week.

In a press release Hilton eulogizes the winning (bogus) documentary:

The Island President (Feature): President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives is confronting a problem greater than any other world leader has ever faced -- the literal survival of his country and everyone in it. As one of the most low-lying countries in the world, a rise of in sea level would submerge the 1200 islands enough to make them uninhabitable. A classic David and Goliath tale, The Island President captures Nasheed's first year in office, culminating in his trip to the Copenhagen Climate Summit where the film provides an unprecedented glimpse of what takes place at such a top-level global assembly. A movie about one man's mission to save his nation, The Island President, is a riveting, uplifting story that is impossible to ignore

The reality is that Hilton´s "sustainability" efforts are just a way to look "progressive", cash in on the supposed "green" trend and at the same time reduce energy costs in their hotels.

And the selection of "The Island President" as the winning documentary is also a carefully thought out decision. As one of the biggest - if not the biggest - foreign hotel and holiday resort businesses in the Maldives - with three major resorts: Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Hilton Maldives/Iru Fushi Resort & Spa and Waldorf Astoria Maldives - Hilton is of course interested in receiving favourable treatment by the Maldives government.

Awarding the film that glorifies the publicity hungry climate crusadeer president of the tiny island state is, of course, one way of securing Hilton´s future business interests in the area.

One would not be surprised at all if President Mohamed Nasheed, who once organized a publicity stunt with an underwater government meeting, is already one of the regulars at the Conrad Maldives "unique Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, the world’s first all-glass undersea restaurant with spectacular 180° views of coral and marine life".

At least it would fit the real lifestyle of this darling of the "progressive" western media, who recently joined The Legacy Club for the super rich in Asia, which certainly has a lot of interesting activities to offer for its members:

The Legacy club "is, first and foremost, a lifestyle club. And like all lifestyle clubs, members enjoy a range of privileges that include investment opportunities, luxury hotel suite stays and wellness retreats, priority booking for private jets and once-in-a-lifetime experiences"

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