Meliá Chiang Mai’s restaurants, Laan Na Kitchen and MAI Restaurant and Bar, have each been awarded the prestigious “Golden Star Award” for ongoing sustainability efforts as part of Thailand’s Green Kitchen project.

Supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Puangrat Kaelown from Chiang Mai University’s Environmental Engineering Faculty, Green Kitchen 2025 promotes organic and sustainable food concepts with participation from 44 restaurants and hotels in Chiang Mai.

Key criteria for participation in the program include: prioritising sourcing local, organic, and seasonal ingredients; reducing waste by composting and recycling, and minimizing single-use plastics; implementing eco-friendly design such as using sustainable materials and non-toxic finishes; community engagement such as educating staff and customers on sustainable practices; and health and wellness offerings such as nutritious, plant-based menu options.

Meliá Chiang Mai’s executive chef, Suksant (Billy) Chutinthratip, said the hotel has been recognised as an exemplary example of the Chiang Mai-based Green Kitchen project, with its two restaurants this year each receiving The Golden Star Award, due to each securing the Chiang Mai Green Kitchen Award for three consecutive years.

In addition to demonstrating a continuous commitment to sustainable and eco-friendly practices, the Golden Star Award required each restaurant to meet stringent food quality requirements through adherence to rigorous local organic food selection protocols and the consistent delivery of high-quality culinary offerings. Active involvement in community initiatives that promote sustainability, such as supporting local farmers, reducing food waste, and participating in environmental conservation efforts, was another award criterion.

In a bid to work closely with local farmers to help them improve sustainability and encourage ethical production to ultimately make the overall food system more resilient, the hotel works with a network of ethical and chemical-free suppliers including organic gourmet farm Rong Khum in San Pa Tong, gourmet farm SEED in San Sai District and Jartisann’s Original Thai Cheese, which crafts artisanal cheese made from high-quality, locally sourced raw cow’s milk. 

The network is a central plank in Meliá Chiang Mai’s ‘360° Cuisine’ program, designed to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint and promote healthy eating. Under the program, the hotel sources ‘farm-to-plate’ organic produce that travels only a short distance. As much of each ingredient is used – roots, leaves, stems, stalks, and more – in a ‘thoughtful cooking process’ before ‘plate to farm’ food waste returns to the farms as fertilizer in a truly 360° concept. Leftover cooking oil is sent to be recycled into biodiesel. 

Since the 360° Cuisine program’s inception in 2022, the hotel has sent more than 8342.5 kg of leftover food for compost and fertilizer to both farms and more than 2603kg of cooking oil to a biodiesel producer.

Meliá Chiang Mai also works with three universities to educate and train upcoming generations of hospitality professionals about sustainable farming, culinary, and waste management practices.

“Engaging directly with local farmers, producers, professors and health sector professionals to create a unique connection within the community that ultimately benefits the health of our guests, our community and our environment takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” said Chef Billy. “Yet it’s worth it to support chemical-free, ethical and sustainable agriculture … and it’s a welcome bonus for our restaurants to officially receive the gold star too!”

About Meliá Hotels & Resorts

Meliá Hotels & Resorts is the best-known international brand in the portfolio of the Meliá Hotels International company; it has more than 100 city and resort hotels in the main leisure and business destinations of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. The brand offers exemplary meetings and events facilities in all important business cities as well as in exotic locations, catering to the ever-expanding conference and incentive travel market. As part of its innovation philosophy and new positioning, Meliá Hotels & Resorts has reinvented itself to cater to every aspect of the guests’ wellbeing. Unique experiences are created for guests and are defined by relaxation, quality time, and personalised services. For a balanced lifestyle, Meliá Hotels & Resorts instinctively understands the guests’ needs and lifestyle expectations, which is an integral part of its redefined identity. Follow Meliá Hotels & Resorts on Twitter @MeliaHtlResorts, Facebook @Melia.Hotels, and Instagram @meliahtlresorts. www.melia.com.

About Meliá Hotels International 

Founded in 1956 in Mallorca (Spain), Meliá Hotels International operates more than 380 hotels (portfolio and pipeline) throughout more than 40 countries, under the brands Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Paradisus by Meliá, ME by Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, The Meliá Collection, INNSiDE by Meliá, Sol by Meliá, and Falcon’s Resorts by Meliá, plus a wide portfolio of affiliated hotels under the “Affiliated by Meliá” network. The Group is one of the leading companies in resort hotels worldwide, while also leveraging its experience to consolidate the growing segment of the leisure-inspired urban market. Its commitment to responsible tourism has led the Group to become the most sustainable hotel company in Spain and Europe, according to the last S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (Silver Class). It also has ranked seventh in the Wall Street Journal’s list of the 100 most sustainably managed companies in the world (and the leading travel company) and is the only Spanish travel company included in the list of “Europe’s Climate Leaders 2021” by Financial Times. Meliá Hotels International is also included in the IBEX 35 Spanish stock market. For more information, visit www.meliahotelsinternational.com

About Asset World Corp Public Company Limited    

Asset World Corp Public Company Limited is a holding company under TCC Group operating leading integrated lifestyle property development in Thailand. The company has two main businesses consisting of the Hospitality business managed by top hotel executives of world-renowned hotel brands such as Marriott, The Luxury Collection, Okura, Banyan Tree, Hilton, and Sheraton and Retail, Wholesale and Commercial properties whose projects include 1) Retail and Wholesale including lifestyle travel destinations, community shopping malls, community markets, and wholesale business real estate. Popular real estate projects consist of ASIATIQUE the Riverfront Destination, Gateway at Bangsue, AEC Trade Center – Pantip Wholesale Destination, Tawanna Bangkapi, and 2) Commercial buildings, including the famous Empire Tower and Athenee Tower, located in Bangkok’s central business district.