Raffles Sentosa Singapore Preserves Sentosa Island’s Natural Environment and Cultural Heritage
Raffles Sentosa Singapore was recently awarded its inaugural Green Globe certification. Cocooned within breeze-cooled tropical rainforest, Raffles Sentosa Singapore is Sentosa Island’s first all-villa resort. Inspired by contemporary Singaporean design with touches of tradition felt throughout the interiors, each villa is a secluded private haven for seamless indoor-outdoor living.
“This recognition acknowledges and rewards our team’s dedication to upholding international sustainability standards by implementing responsible practices across all resort operations since opening our doors in March 2025. We look forward to continuing to work closely with our guests, colleagues and community to preserve Sentosa Island’s natural environment and heritage, and to create meaningful, long-term impact for the benefit of both visitors and locals,” said Cavaliere Giovanni Viterale, Cluster General Manager of Raffles Sentosa Singapore and Sofitel Singapore Sentosa.
Onsite Conservation Efforts
Honouring its natural and cultural heritage are key pillars in the hotel’s sustainability vision. To preserve the pristine natural surroundings, two native ficus trees aged between 100 and 150 years are maintained within the grounds. Additionally, other indigenous and drought resistant plants feature in landscapes to enhance biodiversity. Formerly a British military barracks, restoration efforts made to the Raffles Sentosa Spa building received the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Architectural Heritage Award in 2005.
Carbon Emissions Reductions and Water Conservation
Although only newly opened in March 2025, comprehensive sustainability initiatives have been implemented across the property to minimise the hotel’s environmental footprint. To reduce carbon emissions, over 50% of landscapes are planted with native plants, villa air conditioning compressors are automatically shut-off by a building management system (BMS) when doors are left open for more than three minutes, 100% electric buggies are used for transportation and EV charging stations installed. As one of the hotel’s sustainability targets to achieve greener buildings, solar-powered lighting is used outdoors, harnessing energy generated from the tropical sunlight.
Water saving measures include reducing water pressure in valves by 50% in male and female washrooms in back-of-house areas, and installation of water-efficient fixtures in guest rooms and public bathrooms. In villas refillable water bottles are offered, eliminating single-use plastic bottles. A Purezza water filter system is used in restaurants that not only reduces reliance on imported bottled water but also supports a mangrove reforestation project in Indonesia. On the island of Sumatra, Purezza Premium Water collaborates with eco-tech company Green Steps Group to verify and track each mangrove tree planted through geotagging and photographic records – helping restore and protect biodiversity in the region.
Waste Reduction Initiatives
Waste management strategies utilise the latest smart technology to decrease food waste and incorporate circular principles into daily hotel operations. In kitchens, Winnow machines use AI technology to help monitor food waste, refine menus, and gain insights into guest preferences. The hotel has introduced villa wooden key cards, eco-friendly amenities’ packaging and office printed collateral sourced only from FSC-certified paper to tackle the global problem of plastic pollution. Paperless check-in and check-out processes have also been implemented. Laundry bags, guest shirts, shoes, and tote bags provided in the villas are made from reusable fabric. Canvas bags are now used for soiled linen instead of plastic. Items such as Nespresso capsules, which are hard to recycle, are separated from recyclable waste, collected and returned to the supplier for recycling.
Food Sustainability
Fine dining is synonymous with the world renowned Raffles Hotels & Resorts chain. Chefs at the restaurants and bars at Raffles Sentosa Singapore are equally concerned about food waste as they are about creating culinary masterpieces and delectable dishes. A zero-waste philosophy has been adopted repurposing ingredients such as prawn shells, beef, vegetables, and corn trimmings into stocks, soups, and other dishes that minimise waste while maximising flavour. At Royal China, renowned for its refined Cantonese cuisine, this approach extends to turning red snapper bones, lobster shells, and wagyu trimmings into superior stocks, soups, and dim sum. A thriving edible kitchen garden has also been established onsite that provides fresh ingredients from more than 20 varieties of herbs and fruit trees.
Contact
Michelle Wan
Cluster Director of Corporate Communications
Raffles Sentosa Singapore | Sofitel Singapore Sentosa
4 Bukit Manis Road, Sentosa
Singapore 099947
E Michelle.WAN@raffles.com
T +65 6032 4688