True Blue Bay, Grenada
This family-owned resort has installed solar water heaters in all guest rooms and the restaurant kitchen, and solar panels provide 30% of electricity when the hotel is full. Rain water is collected for use in the dry season. A biogas generator converts organic garden and restaurant waste to methane, which partially fuels the resort’s bakery. As a hub of community engagement, the resort also created and hosts the annual Grenada Chocolate Festival, held in May, which supports local cocoa farmers.
More information: truebluebay.com
Southall Farm & Inn, Tennessee, USA
This luxury 60-room inn in Franklin features geothermal power, all-natural construction materials and a system of sensors that adjusts heating and cooling according to the sun’s position. The 130-hectare working farm uses regenerative practices, and native plants are pollinated by four million honeybees on site.
More information: southalltn.com
Bucuti & Tara, Aruba
This is the only hotel to date to win a UN Global Climate Action Award. Beyond solar panels, land rewilding and minimising waste, its fitness centre features electricity-generating treadmills and bicycles, and fossil-fuel use should be fully phased out in 2024.
More information: bucuti.com
Skwachàys Lodge, Vancouver, Canada
This boutique hotel is run as a social enterprise, with the building providing housing and studio space for 24 indigenous artists and a street-level gallery selling their work.
More information: skwachays.com
Travelers Hotel, Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
This former stop for railroad workers was revived by a local non-profit, creating an airy and artistic space that feels both modern and connected to its Mississippi Delta roots. Rooms have no TVs, encouraging guests to experience the active local music scene or to chat in the lobby, which serves as a community hub.
More information: stayattravelers.com
Hotel Marcel, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
This 100% electric, fossil-fuel-free property has heat pumps, induction stoves in the kitchen, and elevators that generate power when braking. Already LEED Platinum certified, it aims to be the USA’s first Passive House-certified hotel and the nation’s first Net Zero hotel by the end of 2025.
More information: hotelmarcel.com
Hotel Christopher, Saint-Barthélemy
The Hotel Christopher is the first (and remains the only) hotel on St. Barth recognised with the Green Globe Environmental Certification. It’s the only hotel on the island with a self-sufficient water treatment and desalination plant, where water is purified for hotel and restaurant guests, and bottled in glass – eliminating the wasteful use of plastic water bottles as well as the emissions associated with shipping them to the island.
More information: hotelchristopher.com
El Pretexto, Puerto Rico
Far removed from the beaches and bustle of old San Juan, El Pretexto is the first culinary farm stay in Puerto Rico. Created by a local woman, Crystal Díaz, the property employs only local residents, and offers three private, wooden lodges, and a range of culinary experiences. Dinners are served on a communal table with panoramic views of the Cordillera Central, the mountain range crossing Puerto Rico from west to east.
More information: elpretextopr.com
