Eco-conscious travellers check out a hotel’s sustainable credentials before they check in. So we’re here to help guide you through. Here are five of the world’s top green hotels.

1. Way cool – Icehotel 365, Lapland

Icehotel 365 is the world’s first permanent hotel built solely from ice. Opened in December 2016 in the village of Jukkasjarvi in Lapland, it features an undulating roof that is snow-covered in winter, topped by grass in summer and kept cool by power from a 700m2, 80kW solar panel park.

Construction of the buildings cost €10 million and used enough water to make 700 million snowballs. Icehotel 365’s interior includes 20 themed suites, a frozen art gallery and an ice staircase.

“Our goal was to build something sustainable, interesting and a new reason to visit us year-round.” – read our interview with Icehotel 365 founder Yngve Bergqvist in Hotel Management International.

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2. Boutique chic – The URBN hotel, China 

The multi-award-winning URBN Hotel Shanghai is China’s first carbon neutral hotel. The 26-room boutique hotel, occupying a converted warehouse, is made from recycled and locally sourced materials. Consequently, as a result of it’s environment efforts, the hotel won the ‘Hotel with Lowest Carbon Theme Design’ accolade.

3. Renewable retreat – The LeFay Resort, Italy 

Lefay Resorts is the first Italian tourism company to sign an agreement to neutralise CO2 emissions by purchasing Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) credits in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol.

The LeFay Resort in Lake Garda boasts some impressive green statistics. Renewable energy accounts for 100% of electrical energy, 85% of thermal energy, and 100% for room cooling and air cleaning. 

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4. Life’s a beach – Ramada Eco Beach Resort, Australia

This exclusive eco-tourism destination in Western Australia offers eco-conscious holidaymakers the chance to check and adjust their energy consumption during their stay. How? Guests get their own energy monitoring system during their stay.

The resort in Kimberley runs on solar power and has its own on site water recycling plant. Guests can choose from 25 ‘Eco Villas’. If that wasn’t enough, guests can also opt to take glamping to a new level in one of 30 safari-style ‘Eco Tents’.

5. Eco-tourism – Lindblad Expeditions

“There’s a psychographic phenomenon everyone in travel is talking about these days: the idea that what people really want is to accumulate great experiences, not things.” – Lindblad Expeditions CEO Sven Lindblad.

Since 1979, Lindblad Expeditions have been pioneering eco-tourism. In fact, the family-run adventure holiday company specialises in trips to some of the world’s last unspoiled natural wildernesses.

The expert’s view: Phin Foster, editor of Hotel Management International, talks sustainable luxury.

“Many high end hotel groups are already demonstrating that luxury doesn’t have to equal opulence. Their definition of luxury, ‘a pleasure obtained only rarely’, actually goes hand in hand with the sustainability ethos, then bringing benefits to guests, local communities, the environment and hotels’ bottom lines.”

Green hotels are making waves in both the travel and tourism industries. Jump on the bandwagon and enjoy an eco-friendly, guilt free stay.

What do you think of these top green hotels?

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Indulge in a guilt free stay at a green hotel