Travel with a clear conscience, vacation without harming the environment: This is exactly what more and more people want from their stay. Fortunately, there are also an increasing number of hotels that specialize in precisely this. You no longer have to compromise when it comes to winter sports either. Eco-friendly accommodation and sustainable ski hotels are slowly beginning to conquer the mountains. At least these addresses should be on your bucket list:

Falkensteiner Hotel Montafon, Vorarlberg/Austria

The Falkensteiner Hotel Montafon only welcomed its first guests around a year ago. It's located directly on the Latschau reservoir on the Erlebnisberg Golm and is the first 5-star family hotel in this region. Environmentally conscious guests will be pleased to know that it operates as a sustainable ski hotel and is completely climate-neutral. The rooms are beautifully furnished and the entire hotel is tailored to the needs of families.

© Falkensteiner

The Family Ecotainment Concept teaches even younger guests about the importance of environmental protection in an exciting and playful way. The cuisine (ingredients from the region and in season) and the Acquapura Organic Spa are also real highlights. Here, you can ski in the only climate-neutral ski area in the country. A shuttle takes guests to the middle station.

Falkensteiner Hotel Montafon
Latschaustraße 45, 6774 Tschagguns, Vorarlberg, Austria
Tel.: +43 5556 20888
Web: falkensteiner.com
Price: Doubles from € 450

Gradonna Mountain Resort, Tyrol/Austria

This beautiful retreat is located 1,350 meters above sea level above the village of Kals am Großglockner. Since its opening in 2012, it has impressed guests with its warm hospitality, timeless design and endless opportunities to get active or relax. In winter, you can enjoy real ski-in, ski-out and the outstanding ski area in East Tyrol. But the resort is also aware of its responsibility towards the environment.

© Gradonna Mountain Resort

The Gradonna Mountain Resort is the first hotel in East Tyrol to meet the strict criteria for ISO 14001 certification. This is only awarded to businesses that operate in a resource-conserving manner and can provide comprehensive evidence of this. For example, the hotel's own wood chip plant, which processes wood in a CO2-neutral way, generates energy. And the waste heat from the refrigeration technology heats the swimming pools. 

Gradonna Mountain Resort
Gradonna 1, 9981 Kals am Großglockner, Austria
Tel.: +43 4876 82000
Web: gradonna.at
Price: double room from approx. € 370,- per night

Hotel Klosterbräu & Spa, Tyrol/Austria

The Seyrling family, who have been running the Klosterbräu for six generations, have made it their mission to offer sustainable vacations in the Tyrolean Alps. Efforts to avoid packaging, heat recovery, waste management, etc. have led to the Klosterbräu actually being able to call itself a sustainable ski hotel, hiking hotel and a sustainable wellness temple. Naturally, the products come from the region, from certified organic partners. Some even come from their own farm, such as the eggs.

© Klosterbräu

Fruit, vegetables, herbs and hops come from the own garden. Those arriving by train are picked up by the e-shuttle. There are e-charging stations, e-bikes and e-scooters to borrow free of charge and much more. The shuttle takes you to the lift and back to the hotel from the Gschwandtkopf directly ski-in style on the doorstep.

Hotel Klosterbräu & Spa
Klosterstraße 30, 6100 Seefeld in Tirol, Austria
Tel: +43 5212 2621
Web: klosterbraeu.com
Price: Doubles from € 520

Como Alpina Dolomites, Northern Italy

Just opened on December 7, 2023, the Como Alpina Dolomites is definitely a sustainable ski hotel that you should put on your bucket list. Because the Alpe di Siusi has been chosen as its home. And this has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009. Surrounded by the mighty Dolomites, winter sports fans and hiking enthusiasts will definitely find their personal playground here. The luxury hotel, which is open all year round, boasts the COMO Shambhala Retreat as a wellness oasis and beautiful rooms with a breathtaking panorama.

© COMO Hotels & Resorts

Sustainability is approached on various levels. For example, all products that are available in good quality also come from the region. Non-profit organizations and social enterprises are supported. Local nature is protected. And we are constantly working to minimize the carbon footprint that a hotel inevitably leaves behind.

COMO Alpina Dolomites
Compatsch, 62/3, 39040 Alpe di Siusi BZ, Italy
Tel: +39 0471 796004
Web: comohotels.com
Price: Doubles from € 730

Cervo Mountain Resort, Zermatt/Switzerland

Local, authentic, cosmopolitan and with an understanding of conscious living - this is how the Cervo Mountain Resort in Zermatt describes itself. In fact, it's a hotel that scores points with many lovely details, offers casual luxury and boasts so many sustainability aspects that they almost go beyond the scope of this article. Firstly, there's the sustainable energy concept. Here, the focus is on the use of renewable energy; the Cervo covers 99 percent of its energy requirements with geothermal energy.

 

© CERVO

On the other hand, we naturally rely on local producers. Their products come from the surrounding area and are only allowed to travel a maximum of 150 kilometers. The entire value chain is well thought out, as services and furnishings are also largely sourced from the surrounding area. And it goes without saying that nothing is wasted here, neither in the spa nor in the kitchen. If that's not enough, the rooms and suites are beautiful and guests stay right on the ski slopes.

CERVO Mountain Resort
Riedweg 156, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland
Tel: +41 27 968 12 12
Web: cervo.swiss
Price: Doubles from € 890

Marmotte Mountain Eco Lodge, Chamonix/France

Situated in the heart of the French Alps, the Marmotte Mountain Eco Lodge can accommodate ten people. They are divided into 5 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. There are also spectacular views of the Chamonix valley, an outdoor jacuzzi, a large lounge area and a chef on request. The entire chalet has been recently renovated.

© Marmotte Mountain Eco Lodge

Plenty of privacy is guaranteed here, and the center of Chamonix is only about one kilometer away. Only green technology was used in the construction of the luxurious Eco Lodge. Thanks to advanced systems for the use of renewable energies, it's a self-sufficient chalet in terms of electricity and heating.

Marmotte Mountain Eco Lodge
31 Chem. des Rambles, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
Tel: +33 6 82 89 15 23
Web: marmottemountain.com
Price: from € 12,000 per week

Read more: Sustainability: travel without regrets