The World's Most Luxurious Eco-Hotels

  • March 20, 2019
The World's Most Luxurious Eco-Hotels

Unique and stand-out sustainability initiatives are being taken by some of the world's most luxurious hotels.

The Setai, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Located ocean-side in the heart of South Beach, The Setai offers an Asian-inspired sanctuary most visitors cannot get anywhere else in the city – a contradiction to the bustling outside landscape. Housed in a restored 1936 landmark building within the Art Deco District, The Setai offers discreet service, luxurious accommodations, private beach, three varying temperature pools, exceptional dining experiences and The Spa by THEMAE.

  • Recycled glass pools — three infinity azure pools made from 99 percent recycled glass, each heated to different temperatures. Manufactured in Spain, the swimming pool tiles are made from the food and beverage industry bottles once used for holding wine, juice, fruits and vegetables
  • Car charging stations — With one million electric vehicles on US streets today, and seeing a growing demand for this service, The Setai, Miami Beach has installed Leviton charging stations located in its private garage.
  • On property recycling — going beyond using products that have been made from recycled materials like pool tiles and paper towels, The Setai, Miami Beach works with Hauler to sort and recycle materials used on property. This includes glass, paper, cardboard, plastic and metals. 
CHewton Glen bathtub

Chewton Glen, New Forest, Hampshire, UK

A true English original, Chewton Glen is a luxury five-star country house hotel & spa located in the heart of the tranquil New Forest countryside and just minutes from the coast. Set within 130 acres of exquisitely landscaped gardens and woodland, the hotel has a locally championing cookery school spearheaded by TV favourite James Martin with recipes using ingredients from The Kitchen’s own gardens.

  • Eco Conscious Treehouse Suites — suites have rainwater harvesting, air-source heat pumps, solar panels, and low-energy lighting.
  • Bees — 70 bee hives on site create Chewton Glen’s signature honey which is managed with no pesticide and herbicides, and high amounts of flowers to create high pollen count.
  • Hedgehogs & Owls — Chewton Glen are undertaking a project to increase the population of owls at the hotel by building new owl nesting boxes, and also built habitats for hedgehogs.
  • The Bug Hotel —  a giant area to encourage bugs for the birds to eat by process of monolithing or vetranisation, where they remove the dead top of a tree and then leave the stem to decay where it becomes full of bugs which the birds eat.
  • Earth Hour - during Earth Hour on 30th March at 8.30pm, the lights will be switched off and guests can experience a unique dinner lit by candelabra. The menu features estate foraged honey, on-site grown apples and sustainable trout.
  • Foraging — Jennifer Williams forages the Estate every day and uses her finds in the Jams, Jellies, syrups and chutneys she makes for the hotel. 
Four Seasons Lanai

Four Seasons Resort Lanai, Lanai, Hawaii

A secluded, oceanfront retreat on Hawaii's last unspoiled island, the luxuriously re-imagined Four Seasons Resort Lanai offers guests a sophisticated, yet relaxed escape on their own 90,000-acre secluded Hawaiian island just nine miles from Maui. 

  • Learn from the locals — The ancient Hawaiians lived sustainably with their practices influenced by their natural environment, using resources found on the island: stone, wood, bone, fibers/plants, shells and feathers. Guests can discover these ancient local eco-crafts including lei making, ‘the kapala (bamboo stamping on cards), hau cordage (twining of pieces of fiber to make a necklace with a native kūpe‘e shell), and more. 
Gurney's lighthouse

Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina, Montauk New York, USA 

Opening in May 2019, situated on scenic Lake Montauk, Gurney's Star Island Resort & Marina is The Hamptons’ premier hotel destination for summer getaways, seasonal boaters, and private events. Enjoy the 107 luxury waterfront hotel rooms, suites, or villas; 15 acres of grounds with outdoor amenities, and an array of restaurants, bars and meeting rooms for personalised and intimate events centred around the water.

  • Clam friendly marina — specialist units around Lake Montauk to restore Long Island’s shellfish populations by providing increased water flow. This ensures a constant food supply to promote accelerated growth. Clams particularly benefit from this, as they have incredible water filtering capacity, and as a result will remain in the lake through the summer and early fall growing seasons. 
Mulia spa

The Mulia, Bali, Indonesia 

Located beachfront on the pristine white sand Nusa Dua beach, The Mulia, Mulia Resort & Villas is home to three ultra-luxurious properties that offer breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean to create a relaxing haven with lavish amenities and incredible service. Guests can dine at 10 restaurants, from Mediterranean and Pan Asian to Japanese Cuisine and French. 

  • Eco-friendly cocktails — using locally sourced ingredients and ensuring they are zero waste, the new cocktail menu at The Mulia is eco-friendly. For instance, when using the juice of an orange, they use the rind as marmalade for breakfast service.
  • Homemade plant oils for spa treatments — all treatments in the 20-treatment spa begin with a massage using on-site harvested frangipani oil.