According to a study, half of all travelers would be willing to make more sustainable choices. However, the good intention often fails due to a lack of knowledge about attractive options. Yet there are already numerous ecological luxury hotels worldwide that are pioneers in sustainability: Visionaries who are already ensuring the change of tomorrow today and show that luxury and sustainability do not have to be mutually exclusive. We show you 5 special hotels with sustainability factor, thanks to which you can not only see the world, but also enjoy it without a bad conscience.
1Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti
CERTIFIED CLIMATE HOTEL WITH ORGANIC RESTAURANT
The Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti is an outstanding resort in the middle of the impressive Dolomite world. Unique are both the 5,000 m2 large Lefay Spa World, as well as the wood-panelled suites and residences furnished with natural materials. The healthy and sustainable cuisine, convinces in the organic restaurant and in the Sky Lounge. Located directly in the forest and built from local materials such as wood and stone, the resort blends flawlessly into the landscape. As a certified climate hotel, it focuses on energy conservation through good insulation of the walls on the one hand, and on electricity generation from sustainable resources, for example biomass-fired boilers and combined heat and power plants on the other. Employees and suppliers are preferably chosen from the region in order to promote the local economy and protect the environment. Lefay Resorts was the first Italian tourism company to sign an agreement with the Ministry of the Environment to neutralize CO2-emissions. According to these standards, Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti also reports regularly on its results and improvement targets in a sustainability report. Guests are made aware of the resort's sustainability measures by means of a "Green Book" on the rooms & suites. This also includes suggestions on how each individual guest can do their part. Particular emphasis is placed on the economical use of energy and water as well as the reduction and recycling of waste. Rainwater is collected and used for watering the green areas, for example, and glass bottles and biodegradable straws help to minimize plastic waste.
DZ from € 300 / night | lefayresorts.com
2Hotel Saltus
CHIC ECO HOTEL IN THE MIDDLE OF NATURE
Hotel Saltus is located on the edge of the forest in Jenesien, with the Dolomites right on its doorstep and Bolzano at its feet. This hotel shows that environmental friendliness and style are not mutually exclusive: The architects have succeeded in creating a setting for nature as a work of art with this hotel. As an Eco Hotel, it is completely dedicated to the protection of nature. Natural materials were used for the construction. The Forest Spa, located deep in the spruce forest, is 100% chemical-free, disposable plastic is avoided, vegan alternative menus are available and the pool is filled with rainwater. Guests are encouraged to travel in a climate-friendly way: Those who arrive by train get a 5% discount, are personally picked up at the train station, and ride public transportation for free during their vacation.
DZ from € 150 / night | falstaff.at/fhc/eco-hotel-saltus/
3Nature Hotel Chesa Valisa
THE FIRST ORGANIC AND CLIMATE-NEUTRAL HOTEL IN VORARLBERG
The Naturhotel Chesa Valisa is the first organic hotel and recently also the first climate-neutral hotel in Vorarlberg. Electricity is generated from hydropower and the hotel's own solar panels, hot water is produced by photovoltaic systems and heating is provided by district heating. A particularly creative action of the hotel is "Cheese for Kilometer-Askese", awarded by Voralberg Tourism with the Innovation Award 2014: Those who hand in their car keys on arrival are given a free parking space and a mountain bike or cross-country skiing equipment, and a piece of Walser BIO mountain cheese as a thank you. This means that 80% of the guests forego their car during their holiday and switch to the free bus or e-bike, which can be rented at the hotel.
Double room from € 270 / night | naturehotel.at
4The Chedi Andermatt
IMPRESSIVE LUXURY HOTEL WITH A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH
Built at 1,447 metres in the middle of the Swiss Alps, the Chedi Andermatt sets new standards in the international luxury hotel industry - both in terms of hotel standards and sustainable use of the earth's resources. True to its parent company GHM, the Chedi also combines Asian accents with local influences. 123 exclusive rooms and suites, four restaurants, some of which have been awarded a Michelin star and 16 and 14 Gault Millau points respectively, a modern health club and wellness facilities on 2,400 m2 await you. The hotel was built according to the MINERGIE® standard - a recognised Swiss quality seal for sustainable and ecological building. Various environmental organisations were involved in the planning and local, insulating materials were used. Both for the construction and the operation of the hotel, regional companies were taken into account as far as possible, thereby creating new jobs in the area. Regionality is also a priority for suppliers in order to reduce CO2 to save. Seasonal, fresh Swiss products are preferred. In order to produce as little hotel waste as possible, a strict recycling system has been developed. Whenever possible, the use of plastic is avoided. Environmentally friendly cleaning agents are used to prevent pollutants that are harmful to health and the environment from entering the waste water and thus our ecosystem. In addition to our environment, the Chedi Andermatt also cares about the well-being of animals: the golf course serves as a breeding ground for certain bird species and the skin and facial care products of the Spa and Health Club are not only organic and chemical-free, but were also produced and developed entirely without animal testing.
Double room from € 540 / night falstaff.at/fhc/the-chedi-andermatt/
5The Alpina Gstaad
ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS SWISS LUXURY HIDEAWAY
The Alpina Gstaad is a luxury hideaway in the Alps, surrounded by unspoilt nature. Its amenities include the 2000 m2 The hotel boasts the largest and only Six Senses Spa in Switzerland, two Michelin-starred restaurants with 18 and 16 Gault Millau points respectively, a cinema and a private art collection. The latter is constantly being expanded and currently consists of 64 works by some of the world's leading contemporary artists such as Jacqueline Humphries, Pierre Huyghe, Wade Guyton and Nicole Eisenmann. From the outset, emphasis was placed on ensuring that the hotel was built and managed sustainably. Local wood and stone as well as recycled materials were used as building materials, which were processed by regional craftsmen. The fact that sustainability is not just a phrase at the Alpina Gstaad is shown by lovely details such as the Tesla electric cars for transporting guests. The hotel is also a pioneer in the responsible use of energy: from 2015 to 2016, CO2-emissions of the hotel by 18.8%. Sensor-controlled air conditioning and heating systems reduce electricity consumption, and the pools are partly heated by means of heat recovery. The hotel is supplied with ecological energy from hydroelectric power and from the nearby Saanen woodchip heating plant. The Alpina Gstaad is a member of the NOW Force for Good Alliance and cooperates with EarthCheck, the world's leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for sustainable tourism. This means that the hotel aligns itself with international sustainability standards for the travel industry, transparently outlines its efforts and regularly reports on improvements.
Double room from € 580 / night | falstaff.at/fhc/the-alpina-gstaad/
Picture credits: Lefay Dolomiti; Hotel Saltus; Chesa Valisa; The Chedi Andermatt; The Alpina Gstaad; Unsplash (Victoria Garcia)
