he Oitavos, a 5 stars hotel located in Cascais, a premium destination in Portugal, awarded as one of the best MICE and golf resorts in Portugal and in Europe, reinforced its commitment to sustainability with an investment of 600.000 euros in upgrading the infrastructure for charging electric vehicles and installing photovoltaic panels. The hotel invested in an infrastructure dedicated to electric mobility and is currently the only one in Portugal to be able to provide up to 374 kW (600A) simultaneously, using energy from the national electricity grid. This infrastructure has the capacity to charge up to 30 cars (EV) simultaneously. It can receive 28 chargers up to 22Kw and 2 chargers up to 150Kw (super-fast). In addition, it installed another 614 photovoltaic panels, now having a total of 1,500 panels, responsible for producing 30% of the annual energy consumed by the hotel. The Oitavos has a sustainability strategy applied to all areas, with emphasis on the pre-heating systems for domestic hot water (DHW) and heating of pool water (both salt water extracted from the Atlantic), through the use of the heat produced by the “chillers/air conditioning”; the use, whenever possible, of objects made of reusable and recyclable materials; in terms of gastronomy, the option for seasonal, local, sustainable and non-industrial products; the option in the surroundings of the hotel for areas with natural vegetation that are not watered or treated. The golf course’s maintenance practices, with respect for the local fauna and flora, also earned it the certification of Gold Signature Sanctuary, having been the first golf course in Europe, and the second in the world, deserving distinction by the prestigious organization Audubon International. The Oitavos Dunes golf carefully manages irrigation water, using soil water monitoring probes and adjusting irrigation allocations in different areas of the course. The predominant grass species is Bermuda 419, a warm-season grass with low water requirements. Deficit irrigation is practiced, assuming a field with a less lush green in favor of a more natural appearance and integrated with the surrounding natural areas. The natural areas, which represent 35% of the total area of the golf course, are kept free of invasive species through manual weeding and the propagation of autochthonous flora. The field installed small catchment basins for drainage water that serve as drinking fountains for the fauna. The necessary cleaning of the pine and bush areas is carried out outside the nesting season. In the maintenance facilities and in the Clubhouse, all waste is separated and recycled or reused, from used oils to washing water from spraying equipment and 85% of maintenance transport vehicles are electric.
