Talking About Green

For the discerning traveller, with a taste for luxury as well as green living, hotels around the world are adopting more sustainable methods to keep their guests comfortable and happy. Eco luxury hotels of today use innovation and class to create a lavish experience without emitting unnecessary carbon waste. Furthermore, some of these luxury hotels are set in the most pristine and sensitive natural environments and adopt a zero carbon policy in order to blend in with their surroundings. Here are examples of three luxury green hotels from around the world, proving that you can circumvent the globe and reduce your carbon footprint.

The URBN Hotel Shanghai, China

This luxury hotel in China (pictured above) aims to give its guest an experience as opposed to just passive opulence. There is a wide array of activities that guests are encouraged to partake in, such as Chinese cooking, tai chi, yoga, bike tours, and of course the chance to have an eco-friendly trip, giving you a break that does your body and soul a lot of good. This luxury hotel in Shanghai was awarded as China’s first carbon-neutral luxury hotel. All of the rooms were built using recycled, natural or local materials, thus greatly reducing carbon emissions during its building. Their famous spa uses only fresh skincare products, both indulgent and eco-friendly, as it’s made from only natural ingredients. Being one of the most luxurious spa hotels in Shanghai, guests can enjoy seasonal spa treatments that have three phases, involving berries, fruits, flowers and even Chinese herbs.

Waipiate Boutique Lodge, New Zealand

Next we go south and visit New Zealand’s most eco luxury hotel in Warkworth. The main attraction is the incredible setting and the magnificent bird watching it offers. This New Zealand luxury hotel sports five star accommodations, and rests on five acres of beautifully manicured gardens and lawns. Situated in the gardens are large orchards, vegetable gardens and herb gardens, which are grown for the guest’s enjoyment. Thus this eco luxury hotel earns its five green stars by only using organic and locally sourced food for its cuisine. This five star luxury hotel also has other green initiatives, like solar heating systems, a recycling programme and a system for reusing grey water. For this sustainable luxury, Waipiata Boutique Lodge earned the Enviro-Gold award.

Lenox Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts

From the tranquil New Zealand setting we now step foot in the busy commercial hub of Boston. Here at the family-owned, luxury hotel in Massachusetts, its reputation for being the first in many sustainable tourism initiatives is widely known. It was the first luxury hotel to counteract 100% of its air pollution and carbon emissions. Their PURE rooms have high tech air purifications systems that guarantee a peaceful sleep with noticeably cleaner breathing air, something you wouldn’t find in any ordinary hotel. They also offer a shuttle service to and from the luxury hotel in hybrid Lexus SUVs.

Citations:

• CC image from Flickr

Dave Tucker is an avid writer with an interest in architecture, from luxury property for rent in Notting Hill to the world’s most luxurious hotels; Dave is very much in favour of green architecture and hopes to see it spread in the years to come.

Incoming search terms:

• most luxurious eco hotels in the world