The Earth Day was once the only time when people thought about the state of the environment, but that time has passed. Nowadays, sustainability is a concept that influences all sectors of life, including travel. A recent study shows that 90% of travelers want sustainable travel options. Therefore, Forbes Travel Guide’s Global Ambassador for Responsible Hospitality, Hervé Houdré, hopes that the standards set in place through FTG’s forthcoming Responsible Hospitality verification program will be the bridge between guests, travel advisors, and corporations and hotels.

The Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort in Aruba earned the Global United Nations 2020 Climate Neutral Now Award and the 2023 Energy Globe Award for initiatives such as reusing water from sinks and showers for the grounds, using solar power to heat water in guest rooms and laundry, boasting the lowest per-occupied-room electricity usage of all Aruba hotels, and supporting community wildlife conservation efforts like Aruba’s Donkey Sanctuary and a local foundation dedicated to the protection of sea turtles.

The Drake Bay Getaway Resort, located in the preserved land of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica’s rainforest, achieves a carbon-negative status. It offsets more carbon than it emits by protecting 160 acres of untouched forest that absorbs and stores CO2 and employs renewable energy sources like solar-based water heating.

The Brando, an eco-friendly French Polynesia resort, uses a pioneering AC cooling system where cold water gets pumped from the deep ocean, reducing the energy used for its air conditioning system by 90% and overall energy by 45%. It also adopts other sustainable practices, such as composting all food waste for its garden, reusing wastewater for irrigation, and relying on solar panels.

The HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, A Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa, famed for its traditional tea ceremony and accompanying sweets, makes its vegan carrot cookies in a rhythmic cycle with a local farm. The Kyoto hotel sends leftover coffee grounds that the farm uses as fertilizer for the carrots. The result is a delicious treat that guests can feel good about enjoying.

The Maldives hotel Soneva Jani has a foundation that embarks on a series of impressive projects to ensure the health of the environment, community, and local economy. Not limited to the hotel’s sustainability measures, the foundation also fosters dialogue between top environmentalists and island council presidents of three local communities.

The Five-Star Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, in Vietnam, takes a holistic approach to sustainability, one that incorporates practices such as creating its water bottling plant, composting waste to use as fertilizer, and inviting future generations to learn how to care for the earth with a miniature composting site.

The Dubai hotel Atlantis, The Palm, is Forbes Travel Guide’s inaugural Responsible Hospitality award winner. It earned the honor through its investment in green initiatives, such as the development of an onsite water-bottling plant that will allow it to eliminate single-use plastics, decreasing the resort’s waste by 95% with food waste reduction technology, relying on locally sourced and sustainable ingredients whenever possible, and aiding in local marine conservation projects.

the Dubai hotel’s turtle rehabilitation facility, which was launched in 2004. The facility is unique in the region and rescues and cares for injured or sick turtles before releasing them back into their natural habitat. Over the years, the facility has saved and released 2,050 turtles. Guests of the hotel are provided with a toll-free hotline in case they come across a turtle in need of rescue. Additionally, to celebrate the success of the project, the hotel offers a “Turtle Tea,” where guests can enjoy sculptures made with recycled materials by Dubai-based French-Tunisian artist Idriss B, paired with vegan treats, and learn about the significance of the rehabilitation project.

The Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City has also joined the conservation efforts by collaborating with the Billion Oyster Project to restore the nearby New York Harbor. Oyster shells act as natural water filters, allowing the marine ecosystem to thrive, but are often in short supply. The hotel donates the leftover shells from its restaurants to help the Billion Oyster Project achieve its goal of restoring 1 billion oysters to New York Harbor by 2035.

The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica has designed an entire bi-level suite dedicated to sustainability. The EverBlue Sustainability Suite proves that luxury and environmental responsibility can coexist. The suite features amenities like an Avocado Green Mattress, reusable face masks from Skin Sheet, dissolvable body wash sachets, and a handwoven hammock hung on the private patio.

The JOALI BEING hotel in the Maldives was founded to provide a sanctuary of well-being for the Earth and all its inhabitants, along with immersive wellness programs for guests. The hotel also provides a safe refuge for turtles with three rehabilitation and conservation centers created in partnership with the Olive Ridley Project. They can even adopt any of the rescue center’s turtles to receive monthly updates until the turtle is well enough to return home to the wild.

The Tides Inn in Irvington, Virginia, undertook a $3.6 million restoration project of the wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay. This project aimed to create a “living shoreline” consisting of preserved and newly planted trees, native shoreline vegetation, and an oyster reef. As a result of the project, the 3,000 migratory and wildlife species that populate the wetlands can continue to thrive. The inn recently launched a new program that allows guests to help restore the wetlands, accompanied by an expert ecologist, to celebrate the success of the project this Earth Day.

Extracted from: https://stories.forbestravelguide.com/12-eco-friendly-luxury-hotels