“Leading the Way: Porta Hotels’ Sustainable Journey Under Andreas Kuestermann”
Andreas Kuestermann, Executive Director of Porta Hotels here in Antigua, is a man on a mission. His passionate mission for more than ten years has been to drive environmental sustainability practices throughout his hotels.
This passion was ignited back in 2014 by watching a YouTube video of a sea turtle suffocating from plastic straws lodged in its nostrils. Firstly, hearing that there were enough plastic straws to circle the Earth six times, and secondly, because his hotels were using 110,000 a year, Andreas decided to stop offering them in his hotels. His, “Let’s Save the Turtles” table tent campaign was a way to help educate his guests to the plastic straws disastrous environmental impact. One could say, he was ahead-of-the-curve, as at that time, neither bamboo nor wooden straws were available as a replacement.
Andreas then reached out to Philip Wilson, founder of Ecofiltro, to see if they could offer half size, ceramic water filters with logos for hotel bedrooms. Since 2014, every bedroom and all public areas of the hotels have Ecofiltros. This has resulted in 142,000 fewer plastic water bottles ending up in the garbage. Back in 2014, being ahead-of-the-curve, meant some guests asked for plastic water bottles. Now in 2025, Andreas happily notes that people have stopped asking. And for the guests who ask for plastic water bottles for trips, Porta Hotels offers glass water bottles for sale that are both recyclable and reusable.
Like Ecofiltro, Gronn is a company based in Antigua. They transform used non-returnable beer and liquor bottles into water, juice and beer glasses. Andreas reached out to the owner, Arnold Benfeldt to supply Porta Hotels. “So next time you order a beer it may have come from a Johnny Walker Red bottle,” Andreas explained.
Andreas is also a keen proponent of Antigua Limpia, pioneered and managed by Philip Wilson under the Fundación Valle de Panchoy. Andreas remembers when Philip Wilson mentioned that, as he walked the streets of Antigua, he couldn’t help but notice how dirty the streets and sidewalks were. For the past nine years, Antigua Limpia has been cleaning these streets and sidewalks of Antigua as well as in many villages around Antigua with support from the private sector.
Andreas Kuestermann’s unwavering commitment to sustainability proves that impactful change often begins with a single decision—and the courage to stay the course. From eliminating plastic straws and bottles to partnering with local eco-innovators, Porta Hotels has become a model for environmentally conscious hospitality in Guatemala.
