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Our Conscious Journey

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We believe that travel can be a force for good. We see our hotels as a global network of inspiring, forward-thinking spaces that make a positive impact on their surroundings, connect travelers to local communities, and enact gentler ways to move in the world. We aspire to help our Community—our readers, travelers, hotels, and the people who make them—find more meaning from their travels and pave the way towards a more conscious future.

We created 10 Conscious Hotel Principles to measure our progress as we move towards more environmentally and socially conscious practices. 

This is called a “journey” because we know our work is far from done. These principles are here to guide our hotels as they push forward and help you discover inspiring places.

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Architecture

Honoring natural and cultural heritage during construction. Making intelligent use of renewable building materials, the natural environment, and existing architectural heritage to create spaces that are respectful, inspired, and welcoming.

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Waste

Using recycled materials when possible and thoughtfully disposing of waste. Minimizing waste across all levels—including construction, housekeeping, and food and beverage— through sourcing sustainable materials and mindfully disposing of what is no longer needed.

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Energy

Conserving energy through renewable sources and conservation practices. Lowering energy use through renewable sources and green solutions, such as solar panels, LED lighting, efficient appliances, and more.

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Water

Minimizing water waste and offering access to clean water. Conserving water through more efficient fixtures and features, such as water-saving taps and eco-friendly swimming pools, and offering guests and employees easy access to clean drinking water and reusable vessels.

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Products & Produce

Prioritizing local products and ingredients. Supporting the local community and reducing the carbon footprint by purchasing local food and beverage ingredients, textiles, handicrafts, and other products whenever possible.

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Culture

Adding value to the cultural conversation. Respectfully engaging with the local community to create spaces that act as cultural hubs for residents as well as travelers.

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Recreation

Promoting mindful and sustainable recreational activities for guests. Offering sustainable and enriching activities that encourage a deeper connection with the natural environment, the surrounding community, and local partners.

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Accessibility

Encouraging sustainable transportation methods. Promoting sustainable ways of getting to and from the hotel by offering environmentally-friendly means of transport or partnering with relevant companies to do so.

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Healthy Workplace

Offering a workplace where employees can thrive. Hiring locally to build a team that prioritizes gender and racial diversity. Fostering an environment where staff can excel through fair pay, access to education, career development, well-being practices, and an inclusive working environment.

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Communication

Communicating openly about the journey towards a more sustainable future. Sharing the journey towards more sustainable practices and offering clear and explicit communications to guests on ways to support the hotelsenvironmental efforts during their stay.

Our Conscious Eye On
Harmon Guest House

“We are deeply committed to being stewards of the land and the communities that surround us.”

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Our Conscious Eye On
Rockhouse Hotel

“When hotels see sustainability is in their best interest, there will be greater commitment.”

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Our Conscious Eye On
Runo Hotel Porvoo

“Our sustainability philosophy focuses on the preservation and respect of history and heritage.”

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Conscious Hotels

Sustainable Hotel Harmon Guest House 01

Harmon Guest House

“We are deeply committed to being stewards of the land and the communities that surround us.”

Sustainable Hotel Rockhouse 01 A

Rockhouse Hotel

“When hotels see sustainability is in their best interest, there will be greater commitment.”

Sustainable Hotel Runo Hotel Provoo 01

Runo Hotel Porvoo

“Our sustainability philosophy focuses on the preservation and respect of history and heritage.”

We collect stories that explore new ways to move in the world, from artists pushing boundaries to our own pledge to become better travelers. 

Conscious Future

BP The Good Traveler Header

Conscious Future

The Good Traveler

The good traveler is a considerate and respectful traveler who moves with the lightest of steps possible and equips both mind and body for their journeys. Here’s a mental packing list that we intend to keep working on, as best we can, one step at a time...

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Conscious Future

Slow Travel: How to Make Your Journey Matter

With more and more young people experiencing “burnout,” it’s no wonder movements like slow travel have been gaining traction over the years. Here, we give the lowdown on what slow travel actually is and how you can incorporate it into your travel behavior.

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01 Trippin Slow Travel

Conscious Future

Will Biomaterials Build Our Future?

We spoke with leading designers, architects, and innovators about some of the most inspiring biomaterials that we can already use to build and create today.

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Originals

Cretan Malia Portrait Overview

Originals

Agapi & Costantza Sbokou

By presenting their guests with a truer, more timeless Greece, these fearless sisters are creating an organic recipe for success.

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Design

The Design Diaries
Fernando Laposse

How do you balance the need for creativity with the ecological impact of production? You take humble natural materials and transform them into refined design pieces like London-based Mexican designer Fernando Laposse.

Read more

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Tools for the Road

  • 1

    Offset your carbon emissions Calculate the carbon footprint of your flight and make a donation via MyClimate. Calculate

  • 2

    Travel on two wheels Use Spinlister to rent bikes from owners all over the world, consume less, and save money. Rent a bike

  • 3

    Move like the locals Download HopStop to easily navigate a city’s public transit system, cutting down on emissions from taxis. Download

Tools for the Road

Greenbox1 Carbon
1

Offset your carbon emissions Calculate the carbon footprint of your flight and make a donation via MyClimate. Calculate

Greenbox2 Splinlister
2

Travel on two wheels Use Spinlister to rent bikes from owners all over the world, consume less, and save money. Rent a bike

Greenbox3 Hopstop
3

Move like the locals Download HopStop to easily navigate a city’s public transit system, cutting down on emissions from taxis. Download

Design

Archivist Arturobamboo 007

Design

Between the Sheets With Archivist

What do you do with 200 kilos of luxury hotel bed linen? Upcycle to create timeless, well-constructed shirts, of course. An interview with co-founder Johannes Offerhaus.

Read more

Conscious Future

The Best Ways to Approach Voluntourism

“Voluntourism” is considered the fastest growing trend in travel, but only 55% of nonprofits measure their overall impact. So, how can we be sure we’re enacting positive change?

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Trippin Voluntourism 001

Food

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Food

Why Farm-to-Table Has Gone Wild

The farm-to-table movement has been around longer than most of us think. It started as a counter cultural ethos in the 1960s to the ubiquity of canned goods in the postwar period.

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Conscious Future

Where To Go To Feel Good

As we strive to become more conscious travelers, we have many choices to make. One of the most essential being which destination to visit in the first place? Thankfully, help is at hand.

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Microsoftteams Image (18)

Conscious Future

DH Sustainability Page 01

Conscious Future

“The future of travel needs to be for all travelers. It needs to accessible, inclusive, and sustainable.”
Kesang Ball

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Conscious Future

This Sustainability Manager Is Optimistic

We interviewed Madeleine Dias de Rezende, Sustainable Development Manager at Zermatt’s Cervo Mountain Resort, about the hotel’s inspiring culinary program, her learnings, her challenges, and why she’s optimistic about the future.

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DH Sustainability Page 02

All Conscious Hotels

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All Conscious Hotels

All Conscious Stories

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All Conscious Stories

Our Intentions at Home

While we work to inspire our hotels to meet new standards, we are also auditing and improving our internal practices at Design Hotels. We have committed to creating new goals for responsible work travel, offering more robust employee education around sustainable practices, and giving our staff one day per year to participate in a social or environmental initiative.