Close
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 hotels’ environmental efforts during their stay.
Conscious Future
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...
Conscious Future
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.
Conscious Future
Originals
By presenting their guests with a truer, more timeless Greece, these fearless sisters are creating an organic recipe for success.
Design
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.
Offset your carbon emissions Calculate the carbon footprint of your flight and make a donation via MyClimate. Calculate
Travel on two wheels Use Spinlister to rent bikes from owners all over the world, consume less, and save money. Rent a bike
Move like the locals Download HopStop to easily navigate a city’s public transit system, cutting down on emissions from taxis. Download
Design
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.
Conscious Future
“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?
Food
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.
Conscious Future
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.
Conscious Future
Conscious Future
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.
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.
Exclusive Community Deal
