Christmas lights illuminate Joy~Nostalg, highlight sustainability

Joy~Nostalg Hotel and Suites Manila, managed by Accor Hotels, ushered in the holiday spirit with a dazzling Christmas tree-lighting ceremony on 20 November, transforming its lobby in Ortigas Center, Pasig, into a festive wonderland. Embracing the theme “Woven Wonders,” this year’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony illuminated the lobby in shades of red and blue, celebrating the importance of sustainability.

Joy~Nostalg’s Christmas tree was embellished with vibrant decorations made from fabric trimmings by some of the country’s leading fashion designers. Notable contributors included Puey Quiñones, Wilson Limon of NIñOFRANCO, Gabby Garcia of TAGPI, and Adrienne Charuel of Maison Métisse, who repurposed these materials into stunning festive round ornaments.

“Instead of them being discarded and just contributing to our landfills, they have been repurposed in a very decorative manner,” said Odette Huang, general manager of Joy~Nostalg Hotel and Suites Manila.

The tree is also adorned with upcycled Nespresso capsules transformed into star ornaments by the De Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation. These ornaments, which were the center of last year’s sustainability-themed Christmas celebration, added another layer of eco-friendliness to the festive event.

“We would like to think that each and every one of us is a unique thread, and the thread that is all forming into a fabric in a beautiful tapestry with the connections that we make and working together to make this earth, this community, a more sustainable and something that has a lasting impact on what we do with our daily lives,” Huang added.

Adding to its commitment to a more sustainable world are coffee-scented candles. Joy~Nostalg collaborated with young local entrepreneur Retastro, a brand dedicated to upcycling used materials, to convert and repurpose the hotel’s used coffee grounds alongside eco-friendly local materials into coffee-scented candles.

“It’s a very good way, again, for our sustainable efforts,” Huang said.

Simultaneously, the hotel announced a new partnership with the Philippine General Hospital Chaplaincy, which provides support to children afflicted with serious illnesses, primarily cancer.

Joy~Nostalg’s Christmas tree lighting not only marks the start of the holiday season but also emphasizes the hotel’s dedication to sustainable practices, perfectly aligning with its 15th-anniversary campaign.

Special guests that also graced the evening were Rachelle Ng; Angelu de Leon Rivera, the Pasig City councilor and chairperson of Committee on Culture, Arts, and Tourism; Victoria Margarita Paje, division chief of the Department of Tourism and Raymond Lising of the barangay of San Antonio.