Khalil: Customers prefer eco-friendly hotels Cairo - Mohammed Salah Nabil Kahil, manager at Alexandria’s world famous Sofitel Cecil Hotel, has stressed the importance of Egyptian hospitality services taking up the mantle of environmentalism in business. “Customers prefer eco-friendly hotels,” Khalil said. “Environmental efficiency is a new standard.” Speaking exclusively to Arabstoday, the Cecil’s manager revealed he had participated in an EU-funded workshop in the southern French city of Nice aimed at improving environmental approaches in the services industry. Alexandria’s hotel has already been awarded the necessary environmental certificate by the European Union. Khalil claimed 80 percent of tourists prefer to visit Egypt’s Red Sea region because of its biodiversity and lively ecology, found in the region’s coral reefs and nature reserves. “Environmental tourism has been given a real boost in recent years,” the manager said. “There’s even talk now of turning Sharm el-Sheikh into an environmental destination.”