There’s an Earth-kind revolution afoot in the world of hospitality. What were once innovative moves such as installing water-saving plumbing, motion-sensor lighting, or energy-efficient insulation are now the baseline standard. And where ‘environmentally friendly’ once had earthy hessian-rug connotations, today, responsible regard for our planet’s future can be delivered with more than a little design flair, too.
Hotels know you’re not here just for award-winning green architecture, but they’re also hoping their low-impact designs may at least influence your decision to stay… Here’s a global whirlwind tour of luxury hotels that are delivering sustainable design in style.
ICELAND
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon: the harmonious one
It’s hard to know where the moss-covered basaltic landscape ends and the nature-hued sleek Scandi interiors begin – which is exactly how the design of the Retreat at Blue Lagoon was intended.
This Icelandic stay has always been about harmony: about durable, repairable building materials; about incorporating quarried lava into the build; about running entirely on geothermal energy – to power its kitchen-supplying greenhouses, and to warm its cocooning, underground spa. It’s only the lagoon’s mineral-rich waters that the architects can’t take credit for – you’ve nature to thank for those.
COPENHAGEN
Coco Hotel: the lateral thinker
Striving for sustainability within the confines of a city setting is the architectural equivalent of a kitchen disco: you’re going to need to pull some sizzling moves without taking up much space.
At Vesterbro retreat Coco Hotel, in Copenhagen, geography’s been no barrier to becoming carbon neutral. The hotel is part of city food collective Cofoco, and runs on renewable energy sourced from the group’s solar park in the town of Nees (which is also the site of an organic farm that supplies the kitchen).
SEVILLE
Triana House: the efficient one
With so much eye-candy to admire at Triana House – a less-is-meh boutique hotel of flamboyantly dressed interiors – you’re unlikely to notice its invisible perks, so allow us to introduce you…
This colourful crashpad is the city’s first Passivhaus-certified stay, meaning it’s excellently insulated, airtight, and fitted with particulate filters and mechanical ventilation. It’s all very energy-efficient, meaning that as you tread the cobbles of this fabled Moorish metropolis, your luxurious lodgings are effortlessly treading lightly.
SWITZERLAND
Hôtel des Horlogers: the biodegradable one
While you’re busy recharging your batteries in Hôtel des Horlogers’ sumptuous spa, refuelling at its nature-focused brasserie, or feeding your soul with fresh-air fixes in the Swiss countryside, the hotel itself is – ever so slowly – biodegrading.
Watchmakers Audemars Piguet commissioned this zig-zagging stay, just steps from its atelier, to leave less of an environmental footprint than pitching a tent – plus it meets stringent Minergie (low-energy-use) standards in its daily operations, to boot.
SRI LANKA
Jetwing Vil Uyana: the back-to-nature one
It’s a jungle out there, you’d think, as you make your way through the radiantly green grounds of this Sri Lankan retreat to your passively cooled and lit thatch-and-clay pavilion, designed by environmental architect Sunela Jayawardene.
In reality, however, it’s a man-made private nature reserve, out there: Jetwing Vil Uyana provides a sanctuary for species both formally introduced (native fish, slow lorises) and gatecrashing, such as wild elephants and the occasional croc. All of which makes for a restful stay in nature, punctuated with night safaris, cave-temple trips and spoiling Balinese spa treatments.
NEW ZEALAND
The Hotel Britomart: the responsibly built one
This apartment-block hotel is in one of Auckland’s hippest precincts – where the staff are in AllBirds trainers and the check-in is stand-up. So far, so swish and contemporary.
But the Hotel Britomart is far more earthy than its clean-lined looks suggest. It was New Zealand’s first Five-Green-Star build: 90 per cent of its construction waste was reused or recycled; it generated 50 per cent fewer emissions than is usual, and even the water used for mixing concrete was captured or reclaimed. Plus, the hotel’s still auditing its environmental impact in yearly reports.
Ebb Dunedin: the sociable one
Building a hotel from scratch brings a frisson of freedom for any architect, and down on New Zealand’s South Island, Gary Todd wasted no time in conjuring Ebb Dunedin – a pioneering Earth-kind stay that brings together the owners’ passions for hospitality, high design and art.
This boutique stay centres around a light-filled atrium, fringed by gallery landings onto which all rooms open, with the addition on each floor of a mezzanine lounge. And, when the sun shines in South Island, a retractable roof up top ensures natural light and ventilation reach all levels.
BRAZIL
Rosewood São Paolo: the green-fingered one
Rosewood brought out the big guns for this award-winning São Paulo hotel, securing Jean Nouvel and Philippe Starck to turn their magic on one of the country’s largest ever upcycling projects, built with 100 per cent locally sourced and upcycled materials.
Its arrival is breathing new life into a once neglected neighbourhood – literally, with the planting of 10,000 trees. A vertical-garden tower is home to a further 250 mature trees. And beside its eco credentials, it’s the hotel’s art collection, dining spots and pools that will impress.
Discover our full collection of environmentally pioneering stays in our collection of most sustainable hotels.
