The start of a brand new year is the perfect time to look at some of the new hotels in our selection that have taken the lead on environmental and social responsibility.
Sustainability isn’t a competition. For those who truly care about lasting change, individual achievements are important only inasmuch as they lead to mass accomplishments. It’s especially true for hotels, where sustainability isn’t a business strategy without risks — at least not yet — and where the biggest upsides will come only when the entire hospitality industry normalizes eco-friendly and socially responsible practices. Most travelers approve of sustainability, of course, but there’s still a chunk who either don’t care about combating waste/pollution/discrimination/exploitation, or who wonder what luxuries they might be giving up by choosing a hotel that does.
The hotels below prove that you won’t be missing out on anything. They’re just a handful of the new entries in our selection that combine luxury and style with an extensive menu of sustainability efforts. We’ve called out some of those efforts here, but click on each hotel to visit their profile page and read the long list of measures they currently have in place (look for the green leaf).
Six Senses Vana
Dehradun, India
A more meditative setting would be difficult to imagine for this remarkably contemporary structure, surrounded by woodland at the foot of the Himalayas, and Six Senses does everything in their power to preserve it. Natural ventilation cools the interiors, rainwater is harvested in the hotel’s own water treatment plant, and produce is grown on site — while cheeses, miso, and kombucha are made from scratch. Even much of the artwork on display is made from 100 percent recycled materials. Not to mention, the hotel was awarded LEED Platinum status in 2015.
Magma Resort Santorini
Santorini, Greece
Named for the volcanic rock on which it stands, Magma Resort Santorini is architecturally eco-conscious, using natural materials like wood and stone in a design meant as a modern update on traditional Cycladic forms. Hotel operations are similarly eco-friendly and socially responsible, with an eye toward benefiting and bolstering the local population.
Six Senses Crans-Montana
Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Besides the use of Swiss green energy for 100 percent of the hotel’s needs, Six Senses Crans-Montana invests in creative, restorative, local projects. One is a partnership with a local horticulturalist and orchardist to preserve genetic diversity among the region’s apples, pears, and apricots.
Boen Gård
Kristiansand, Norway
An old timber farm and sawmill that traces its earliest roots to the 16th century, the quaint Boen Gård has preserved its buildings, parks, and outdoor areas through careful restoration and ongoing maintenance — with a mission to guard this place’s special history. Meanwhile, the sustainable farm setting means it’s possible for Boen Gård’s restaurant to operate almost entirely from organic ingredients grown (or caught) on site.
Opera35 Hotel
Turin, Italy
Present-day Turin is perhaps better known for its industrial heritage, but a hotel like Opera 35 is a characteristic example of the era’s residential stock, and it’s been carefully preserved. Today, its frescoes and stucco share space with contemporary Italian design furniture and modern fixtures and fittings, along with an expansive collection of sustainability measures, from efficient energy use to the reduction of food and water waste.
Pacific Motel
Cayucos, California, USA
On the central California coast, a block and a half from the ocean, a local couple chose not to build the Pacific Motel from scratch, but to restore a since-forgotten motor lodge — and to replace all its asphalt and gravel with beautiful palm trees and succulents. In your room you’ll find locally sourced artwork and bath products.
Six Senses Kanuhura
Lhaviyani Atoll, Maldives
Yep, another Six Senses. And well deserved. At all Six Senses resorts, sustainability is a core value, and decisions are made only after considering the social, environmental, and economic effects. The resident turtles at Kanuhura are thankful. The hotel’s own marine biologist studies the local turtle population and monitors their nests in a conservation effort that spans their own and neighboring islands.
H10 Palazzo Galla
Rome, Italy
A 19th-century building in central Rome, just to the east of the Piazza Venezia, is where you’ll find H10 Palazzo Galla, an 82-room outpost of the Spanish-born H10 hotel chain. Across all H10 properties, an ambitious sustainability program aims for the following goals by 2030: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent, reduce water consumption by 20 percent, and reduce waste by 25 percent.
Nautilux Rethymno
Rethymno, Greece
Rethymno, on the north coast of Crete, is a small city, but it’s large enough to lend Nautilux something of a dual aspect: this is a proper beach resort with direct access to the Aegean, but it’s also a quick walk from the vibrant little town center. At the hotel, best practices promote sustainability with a particular focus on solar energy and local, seasonal cuisine.
Lake Spa Hotel Seeleiten
Caldaro, Italy
Set by the side of Lake Caldaro, Lake Spa Hotel Seeleiten sits in a spectacular wine-producing valley surrounded on all sides by mountain peaks. That verdant landscape helps the kitchen focus on seasonal, local ingredients, and the hotel provides a host of sustainable activities. Car-free holidays are encouraged with shuttle services from bus or train stations, and bicycles are provided free of charge. If you’d rather stay on foot, a trained herbal expert will lead you on a hike through the forest.
Maslina Resort
Stari Grad, Croatia
Maslina Resort does its share to keep the Dalmatian Coast in spectacular condition, with a focus on reforesting trees and protecting native species, as well as more hotel-specific measures like going plastic free, producing their own amenities, and installing new solar panels to be completed by the end of the year. The organic garden spans 7,000 square meters — you can visit it on an eco-friendly wooden bike, and the spa uses its lavender and sage in treatments.
Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay
Singapore, Singapore
Locations in Singapore don’t get much more central than Marina Square, the mixed-use development that’s home to the 583-room Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay. Which only makes their rooftop, covered in solar panels and a 150-square-meter urban farm that supplies much of the hotel’s cuisine, all the more impressive. They call themselves a “garden-in-a-hotel,” owing to an enormous sky-lit atrium that contains over 2,400 plants, trees, and shrubs.
Mark Fedeli is the hotel marketing and editorial director for Tablet and Michelin Guide. He’s been with Tablet since 2006, and he thinks you should subscribe to our newsletter.