Polar explorer and conservationist Robert Swan’s quote, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it” underscores the urgent need for individual responsibility in addressing environmental challenges.
This call to action extends beyond individuals to corporations, as collective effort is essential to advancing long-term sustainability and safeguarding the planet.
In the hospitality industry, a hotel in Sabah has been making waves with its continuous efforts to raise awareness of environmental sustainability.
Shangri-La Rasa Ria Kota Kinabalu’s commitment to pioneering eco-conscious practices – redefining luxury through sustainability – has been nurtured for close to three decades.
Last year, the 494-room resort made history as the first hotel in Malaysia and the first in the Shangri-La Group globally to achieve ISO 21021 certification for sustainable event management.
This international standard recognises the resort’s holistic commitment to environmental stewardship, local community empowerment and responsible tourism.
Shangri-la Rasa Ria Kota Kinabalu general manager Fiona Hagan said that as a group, Shangri-la had always been focused on the community.
“Sustainability is ingrained in the way we do business.
“Shangri-la’s Sustainable Seafood Policy; Rooted in Nature programme – where our chefs and food and beverage directors look for local supply chains; and the Embrace programme are among initiatives the group has in place,” she said.
Rasa Ria’s Embrace programme, she said, focused on capital investment and asset improvement at schools in Tuaran district.
“Since the hotel opened in 1996, we have run our Embrace programme alongside the Education Department by identifying what schools in Tuaran need,” said Hagan, who was named Malaysia’s Best Hotel General Manager at Travel and Leisure Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific 2025.
In 2024, the resort invested RM243,360 in environmental social governance (ESG) related activities, with 63.9% allocated to its Embrace programme.
This move has benefitted over 60 schoolchildren through educational outreach, improved facilities and engaging activities such as World Pangolin Day and food safety workshops.
Community empowerment
Tuaran, located 34km north of Kota Kinabalu, is not only a town rich in nature and multicultural heritage, it is also home to the sprawling 162ha resort with 3km private beach, 25ha forest reserve and 18-hole golf course.
The chance in 2017 to helm the property, rich in biodiversity and facing South China Sea, gave Hagan an immediate sense of belonging.
“I’m passionate about clean beaches and waterways,” said Hagan, who grew up in the picturesque beachside town of Ballina in New South Wales, Australia.
With 80% of its staff from Tuaran, she saw potential in empowering its close-knit community to become guardians of their natural surroundings.
“Many of our people reside within 5km of the resort, and we have some who are now third generation Rasa Ria staff.”
Their love for their hometown and Hagan’s Australian upbringing made conveying the importance of caring for the environment an easy process.
“At Rasa Ria, beach cleanups, carried out twice a week, are a big part of committing to the environment,” she said.
“Sometimes we have 50 to 70 staff volunteering, especially on Friday afternoons.
“I had been here for three months, and one particular day at a beach cleanup, I asked my team, ‘What do you see? And someone said, ‘I see a lot of straws.’
“I asked for feedback, and the suggestion was for us to stop serving plastic straws.”
On the Monday morning, Hagan received several complaints from guests that their drinks had arrived without straws.
“So I asked the team, ‘Why did we not serve straws to our guests?’ and they replied that we had decided not to serve any more plastic straws.
“It then struck me, ‘Wow, this team knows the right thing to do’. They understand but just need the right framework.”
Recognising that her staff were key stakeholders was the turning point in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable approach to change.
“This was very different from other places I had worked.
“Elsewhere, it often took more effort to build collaboration and communication with the team.
“But at Rasa Ria, conversations around sustainability flow naturally and easily,” she said.
The trust shared between staff and Shangri-La’s leadership became the driving force behind the hotel’s journey toward lasting sustainability.
Environmental stewardship
Unknown to guests, much of the resort’s sustainability work, fundamental to protecting the natural surroundings, takes place hidden from sight.
The rainwater harvesting, laundry water recovery system, electricity-conservation and food-waste management work in harmony to reduce environmental impact.
In 2024, recycling waste efforts contributed to an impressive 63.21% waste diversion rate from the landfill with the hotel’s Glass Bottle Recycling Programme – a major contributor to its overall sustainability achievements.
Glass bottles from restaurants are crushed, using an inherited machine, into fine, sparkling sand.
This glass sand is then repurposed for landscaping and construction within the resort.
Shangri-La Rasa Ria ESG director Yvonne Sipain said encouraging locals to drop off glass bottles extended the commitment to sustainability into the wider community.
The hotel also prides itself as a guardian of local wildlife within its coastal forest in this Bornean sanctuary.
In partnership with local environmental organisations, the resort supports biodiversity monitoring, habitat protection and awareness programmes aimed at protecting elusive species.
Its pangolin conservation is one such effort.
“Many years ago, the hotel worked in partnership with Sabah Wildlife Department in conservation efforts of the orangutan,” said Hagan.
“Our nature reserve, at that time, was designated as a space for orphaned baby orangutans.
“Once rehabilitated, the babies were transferred to Sepilok. Due to its success, the programme ended in 2015.”
Its expansive grounds provided room for building on conservation and education, she said.
“We really wanted to look at the local environment that we operate within and focus on the credibility of our team.”
Today, many of the resort’s Discovery Centre naturalists are environmental science or biodiversity graduates.
“We wanted to leverage off the natural environment and pool of naturalists to transfer knowledge on Sabah’s flora and fauna to the local community and guests,” said Hagan.
The hotel also invested in enhancing trails within its nature reserve.
Early risers can take on a 98m guided hike along one of the few trails leading to the summit of Timpak Pogimpaan, where the sunrise casts a majestic glow across the skyline with Mount Kinabalu in the distance.
Lucky hikers might just get to see some forest animals such as bearcats, slow loris, pangolins and a variety of birds including the tabon scrubfowl.
Tailoring to CSR events
Its natural landscape has provided the resort a platform to design events that promote sustainability while offering local businesses a stage to showcase their products.
One of its earliest milestones in sustainable event management was hosting a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme for 350 delegates from an American company.
“We pitched the idea of setting up a market around our swimming pool, where everything is locally sourced and made, and spending would go back to the community,” said Hagan.
“The event was a huge success, and served as a powerful demonstration of what we, at Rasa Ria, can accomplish as a team.”
Today, the hotel maintains strong collaborations with Sabahan artisans and vendors, showcasing handmade crafts and traditional textiles in the resort to generate income opportunities to support local livelihoods.
Women-led initiatives, such as the Sarimpak Robe project with Changgih Designs, and sewing collaborations with communities in Tuaran and Tamparuli, create sustainable income while preserving heritage crafts.
By integrating eco-conscious practices into its daily operations such as sourcing for local, organic ingredients, reducing water and energy consumption and eliminating single-use plastics, Rasa Ria is redefining what responsible luxury can look like.
The resort also engages guests through educational initiatives and green experiences, encouraging them to become active participants in environmental stewardship.
These qualities have shaped the resort’s approach to hospitality, fostering a culture that is more mindful and purpose-driven.
“Our journey in sustainability has always been deeply rooted in the people of Rasa Ria and the community of Pantai Dalit and Tuaran,” said Hagan.
“The community’s knowledge, traditions and unwavering support have inspired us to go beyond hospitality.
“For Shangri-la, doing business the sustainable way is the right way of doing business in the long run,” she added.
To discover more, visit www.shangri-la.com/kotakinabalu/ rasariaresort/
