portia
hart
British-Trinidadian and having lived, studied and worked in the UK, Japan, France and Monaco, Portia has lived in Cartagena since 2015.
There, she has founded two boutique hotels, a beach club and a recycling foundation. Her island hotel, Blue Apple Beach, is the first business in Cartagena to certify as a B-Corp and the first island resort to certify in the world.
Portia believes that business can be a force for good in the world and tourism can bring about positive social changes and environmental repair. As an entrepreneur, she creates the places she seeks as a customer - a blend of local and international, inclusive, high-end, yet laid back and creative - crucially, always considerate of the environment and local community.
As well as operating her own businesses, Portia provides advisory services to private and public sector on the practical application sustainable methodologies in tourism. She is a regular speaker and panelist both in Colombia and internationally.
Please reach out if you'd like to engage her.
"dynamic speaker. The examples of how she helped her people was powerful and so intentional. Very inspiring!"
SAMPLE PRESS
PODCAST EPISODES
March 2024
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Georgina Godwin heads to the Caribbean coast of Colombia to meet Portia Hart, founder of Blue Apple Beach, a boutique hotel and beach club on the island of Tierra Bomba. Hart discusses her regenerative approach to sustainability and explains how aligning best practice in hospitality with environmental and social responsibility is the right thing to do for both business and planet.
April 2023
Enjoy Guilt Free Beach Life In The Colombian Sun​
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To continue our celebration of our planet Earth this month, Portia humbly and humorously shares her story of creativity through resource sustainability and community belonging, in building her boutique hotels, beach clubs, bars and a not-for-profit foundation, all rooted in the culture of Cartagena
March 2023
Colombia: A Breath Of Fresh Air
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Portia, our second pilgrim, is making a habit of breaking the hotelier mode in Cartagena whilst at the same time taking time out to launch her own foundation. Is the Blue Apple hotel a good place for a party ? Well at least one 96 year old thought. Join me in this fascinating conversation with a role model who is cutting her own path in the world of tourism.
"loved her energy, balance of the 3 Ps, and this sort of attitude is key to get more and more people to come along On the journeY"
Speaking engagements
MAD ACADEMY, COPENHAGEN (2023, 2024)
Practical Application of Sustainable Hospitality
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COLOMBIAN MINISTRY OF TOURISM (2023)
Social Equality in Tourism
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LE MIAMI (2022)
Panelist
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HOSPITALITY TALKS (2021)
Social Responsibility & Travel Business Success (with Jake Haupert & Jared Meyers)
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THE CONSCIOUS TRAVEL FOUNDATION (2021)
Diversity & Inclusion in Travel (with Chris King from Lightning Recruitment)
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REGENERATIVE TRAVEL SUMMIT (2020)
​How Regeneration, Environmental, and Social Equality Are Connected.
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TL TALKS (2020)
Preserving while promoting a destination.
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MATTER AT PURE (2019)
Collaboration not competition: Why the industry needs to work together for positive change
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THE LONG RUN (2019)
Scaling up waste management and recycling
"Portia Hart was the most inspiring because I found a lot of alignment with her ethos and attitude as a businessperson"
RECENT consultancy & volunteer roles
Conscious Travel Foundation
Mentor
A UK based collaboration aiming to make travel a force for good, The Conscious Travel Foundation was established to reinforce the positive impact of the travel industry and inspire a more meaningful, intentional way of exploring the world. As a mentor, I host regular firesides with experts on a range of topics and advise members on best practice.
Regenerative Travel
Standard Bearer
Regenerative Travel is a benefit corporation uniting and promoting a global collection of independent hotels dedicated to operating not only sustainably, but regeneratively, with regards to social and environmental well-being. As Standard Bearer from 2020 - 2022, I defined the membership criteria and data metric set for analysis for founding hotel members.