Explore some of the world’s most sustainable hotels

In celebration of Earth Day 2024, we’re highlighting what some of the world’s most sustainable hotels are doing to protect our planet. These hotels are making an impact with their sustainability initiatives – but that doesn’t mean that your stay is any less luxurious. If you’re considering taking steps towards making your holidays greener, try booking with one of our eco-friendly hotel partners for a memorable stay that perfectly combines sustainability with comfort. 

Four Seasons Macao Cotai Strip

Apart from standout facilities like its outdoor pools, refined dining areas and cosy spa rooms, this elegant pastel-coloured property has also implemented several eco-conscious initiatives to address issues like energy, water use and waste production. Outside of guest rooms, the hotel has both a recycling and a compost program in place to reduce waste or divert it away from landfills, and water-efficient landscaping and electric vehicle charging stations for both staff and guests. The property also allows guests to take a hands-on approach on sustainability through offering community tours as an off-site activity, and also by featuring local creators’ products at its boutique. 

Alila Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

Boasting a bird’s eye view of the suburban district of Bangsar below, this hotel has been designed for sustainability from its sleek dark exterior which uses tinted windows to block heat, all the way down to the water in the guest rooms. To conserve water, the hotel uses rainwater for onsite plants and a reverse osmosis water treatment system to produce a clean drinking supply, packaged in reusable glass containers. Each room also contains a “giving bag”, which collects any gently used items donated by guests and distributes the items among local charities – reducing waste by encouraging people avoid discarding items that can still be reused. 

Hyatt Regency Amsterdam

With the hanging plants adorning the lobby and dining areas, fern-coated walls and the emerald décor, you can tell right away the emphasis this property places on being green. Apart from sourcing electrical energy from Dutch windmills, all amenities are organic, cruelty-free and sustainably sourced, the hotel’s glassware has been recycled from wine bottles, and there are even charging points for electric cars. Of special note is the hotel’s management of Christmas trees past their prime – instead of being disposed, the trees are upcycled into beer through a partnership with speciality botanical beer brewery Lowlander. Meanwhile, the hotel’s kitchen waste is repurposed into biogas and biodiesel, while its restaurants participate in Too Good to Go, a program where local residents can collect any extra food that would otherwise be discarded at the end of the day. In additional to these environmental measures, a cross-departmental team meets every month to brainstorm more sustainable initiatives . 

Novotel Melbourne South Wharf 

This property overlooks the bustling skyscraper-covered South Bank and offers guests elevated opportunities to dine, sip a coffee or kick back and relax. The hotel takes pride in its multiple green initiatives, including a scheme that eliminates single-use plastics in hotel kitchens, a compost system that’ll reduce the amount of food waste going to landfills, and a herb-and-vegetable rooftop garden – which not only supplies the kitchens with fresh produce year-round but can also regulate temperature, ultimately reducing the hotel’s energy use. The hotel also partners with winemaker De Bortoli Wines, whose commitment to environmentally friendly winemaking practices puts the green icing on the already-green cake. 

Rosewood Phnom Penh

This hotel in the heart of Phnom Penh’s business district has launched numerous sustainability programmes since its opening in 2018. Apart from hosting an art exhibition to raise funds and awareness for native endangered species and donating materials for the construction of school facilities, the resort has also organised plastic waste clean-ups along the Mekong and Tonle Sap riverbanks, and a programme to plant 2,000 mangrove trees in Koh Kong province. Within the property itself, single-use plastics have been eliminated and an indoor hydroponic garden supplies the resort’s restaurants with freshly harvested herbs and leafy vegetables year-round. Sourcing ingredients onsite not only ensures freshness and a controlled growing environment, but also helps the property reduce its carbon footprint by shortening the supply chain. 

Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai 

This beachside oasis takes its commitment to sustainability directly to the ocean – in 2022, the hotel collaborated with a local dive shop and non-profit on a plan to create a fan-shaped artificial reef and monitor the eventual growth of new coral in hopes of supporting the coast’s marine ecosystem. The hotel also manages a hydroponic farm, from which fresh and organic produce is harvested for use at its Mediterranean eatery The Bay. Compared to traditional farms, hydroponic farms use water more efficiently, yield more in a similar amount of space, conserve soil and can be cultivated year-round – which all contribute to the resort’s commitment to the environment.