Top 10: Sustainable Hotels
There were approximately 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals in 2024 according to the UN Tourism’s World Tourism Barometer.
Many of these people will stay in hotels, whether for business travel or holidays.
However, many popular travel destinations could be significantly affected by climate change.
According to the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the hotel industry contributes roughly 1% of global carbon emissions. It says that hotels need to reduce their absolute carbon emissions by 66% by 2030 and reach a 90% reduction by 2050.
Here, Sustainability Magazine ranked the top 10 sustainable hotels.
10. Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa
Location: Singapore
Year opened: 1993
Company: Shangri-La Group
Head of Sustainability: Casey Ho
Shangri-La Group’s SANCTUARY programme aims to support biodiversity conservation, including protection of Singapore’s largest tree.
The tree is 27 metres tall and was believed to be planted in 1885, located near the entrance of the resort.
Its Letting Hope Shine initiative works with local schools to offer education and vocational training in key disciplines and has supported more than 40 internships since its inception in 2009.
The resort also works with a non-profit organisation that provides day care and support for families with children that are diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
9. Scandic Spectrum
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Year opened: 2022
Company: Scandic Hotels Group
Head of Strategy & Sustainability: Isabelle Blomqvist
A walkable distance from Copenhagen city centre, Scandic Spectrum is seven stories tall.
It has a double skin glass facade and contains two large atrium courtyards with green plants. Its wellness area is inspired by Scandinavian forests, fjords and mountains.
Scandic Spectrum has received the Nordic Swan Ecolabel for criteria like reduced energy and water consumption, environmentally friendly furniture and a reduced share of unsorted waste.
It has also achieved DGNB certification based on lifecycle assessment, performance orientation and a holistic approach to sustainability.
8. Banyan Tree Samui
Location: Lamai, Thailand
Year opened: 2010
Company: Banyan Tree Group
Group Director Sustainability & Impact: Mark Watson
Banyan Tree Samui has received awards for its sustainability initiatives including Gold Certification from the Green Hotel Awards.
It is eliminating single-use plastics from its operations and offers guests a nature walk and snorkelling class to learn about and appreciate the area’s natural resources.
In 2009 it established the Banyan Tree Global Foundation to safeguard the environment and uplift communities. Guests contribute US$2 per night to support endangered wildlife, preserve and regenerate coral reefs, rainforests and wetlands and build community infrastructures.
7. Club Med Finolhu Villas
Location: The Maldives
Year opened: 2015
Company: Fosun Tourism Group
Chair of the Board ESG Committee: Xu Xiaoliang
Around 6,000 square metres of solar photovoltaic panels generate 40% of electricity for the Club Med Finolhu Villas in the Maldives and drinkable water is produced in its own on-site bottling plant.
Beach and snorkelling clean ups are organised at the resort and waste collected is turned into artwork at its Clean Art Planet workshop.
Since 2015, Fosun Tourism Group says reclamation has more than doubled the size of the island including with double the trees planted.
6. ARIA Resort & Casino
Location: Las Vegas, US
Year opened: 2009
Company: MGM Resorts
Vice President of Sustainability: Michael Gulich
ARIA Resort & Casino has six LEED Gold building certifications and five Green Keys for its operational practices. It is the first in Nevada to receive a five Green Keys rating.
The facility sources some of its electricity from the 100 MW MGM Resorts Mega Solar Array just north of the Las Vegas Strip. The array can produce 90% of the daytime power needs of MGM Resorts’ entire Las Vegas portfolio.
It also has a combined heat and power central plant that generates 30% of the resort’s electricity needs and repurposes waste heat to warm water.
5. Marina Bay Sands
Location: Singapore
Year opened: 2010
Company: Las Vegas Sands
Chief Sustainability Officer: Katarina Tesarova
Since 2015, Marina Bay Sands says it has reduced its carbon footprint by 19% through the use of cutting-edge technologies.
The resort has 536 solar panels that generate more than 160,000 kWh of energy each year and has equipped a US$38.9m intelligent building management system that tracks more than 125,000 data points.
Marina Bay Sands has achieved a variety of certifications including ISO14001 and the Singapore Hotel Sustainability Award.
It has also collaborated with the WWF Singapore to raise awareness and create change in key biodiversity issues.
4. Six Senses Laamu
Location: Laamu, the Maldives
Year opened: 2011
Company: IHG Hotels & Resorts
Chief Sustainability Officer: Catherine Dolton
Six Senses Laamu was the first resort to open on the remote Laamu Atoll in the southern Maldives.
It is surrounded by six Marine Protected Areas and IHG aims to ensure the enjoyment of Laamu’s unique environment and culture for generations to come.
Its Sea Hub of Environmental Learning in Laamu (SHELL) aims to showcase its cutting-edge marine conservation and teach visitors about local marine life.
In 2024, it conducted 1,350 hours of scientific surveys and identified 1,268 sea turtles in the area. It also engaged 1,839 community members through its activities.
3. Alila Villas Uluwatu
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Year opened: 2009
Company: Hyatt Hotels
Director of Sustainability: Zach Austin Greer
Alila Villas Uluwatu offers a sustainability focussed tour of its property, allowing guests to see its operations first hand.
It uses an environmentally sustainable framework from architectural firm WOHA that prioritises sustainability through the use of recycled, organic and local materials.
Alila Villas Uluwatu is the first resort in Indonesia to receive the highest level of certification from EarthCheck and uses flat lava rocks on roofs to absorb heat and minimise energy consumption through air conditioning.
It has a long standing zero waste policy and uses compost from its organic waste matter to nurture gardens featuring a diverse ecosystem of plants.
Alila Villas Uluwatu has substituted plastic amenities with those made from biodegradable and compostable materials, and has an on-site laboratory that turns waste into high-value, reusable bioproducts like compost.
2. Hotel Marcel
Location: New Haven, US
Year opened: 2022
Company: Hilton
Global Head of Sustainability: Jean Garris Hand
Hotel Marcel is 100% electric and operates fossil fuel-free alongside LEED Platinum certification.
By the end of 2025, it expects to be the first net-zero hotel in the US.
More than 1,000 solar panels cover the hotel’s rooftop and parking lot canopies, producing more than 575,000 kWh each year. These are used alongside lithium-ion batteries that provide 1.5 MWh of storage.
Hotel Marcel procures locally sourced ingredients and sustainably produced items, then composts all food waste from both its restaurant and catering. It is the only Passive House Certified hotel in the US and the largest in the world, with a design that reduces energy use by as much as 80%.
The hotel partnered with experts to record a series of Climate Wake-Up Calls, each highlighting a fact about climate change and actions that Hotel Marcel is taking to address the crisis. Guests can schedule to be woken up with one of these or call its climate change hotline.
1. ITC Grand Chola
Location: Chennai, India
Year opened: 2012
Company: ITC Hotels
Chief Sustainability Officer: Madhulika Sharma
On top of LEED Platinum, the ITC Grand Chola has a LEED Zero Carbon achievement and LEED Zero Water certification, making it one of the most comprehensively certified large hotels.
It is also the first hotel in India to receive a five star GRIHA rating, scoring 91 points across criteria like site planning, resource efficiency and operations.
All of the hotel’s electrical needs are met through its own wind and solar farms with excess fed back to the grid. This includes a 12.6 MW wind installation alongside multi-glazed walls, roof insulation and HVAC control to use energy efficiently.
Nearly 100% of water used for irrigation, flushing and cooling towers is treated and reused and its efficiency measures means it uses between 35 to 50% less water than conventional luxury hotels.
The resort is constructed using 10% recycled materials and 40% materials sourced from within 800 km. It uses AAC blocks and composite wall assemblies alongside existing trees being transplanted rather than cut before construction.
