Top 10: Sustainable Hotels

By Jasmin Jessen

August 20, 2025

According to the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the hotel industry contributes roughly 1% of global carbon emissions. The alliance says hotels need to reduce their absolute carbon emissions by 66% by 2030 and reach a 90% reduction by 2050. There were approximately 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals in 2024 according to the UN Tourism’s World Tourism Barometer. Many of these people will stay in hotels, whether for business travel or holidays.

The top sustainable hotels from brands like ITC Hotels, Hilton and Hyatt Hotels are based in locations including Chennai, India and Bali, Indonesia.

## 10. Shangri‑La Rasa Sentosa
Location: Singapore
Year opened: 1993
Company: Shangri‑La Group
Head of Sustainability: Casey Ho

Shangri‑La Group’s SANCTUARY programme aims to support biodiversity conservation, including protection of Singapore’s largest tree, a 27‑metre tall tree planted in 1885 near the resort entrance. The Letting Hope Shine initiative works with local schools to offer education and vocational training, supporting more than 40 internships since 2009. The resort also partners with a non‑profit that provides day‑care and support for families with children diagnosed with cancer and other life‑threatening illnesses.

## 9. Scandic Spectrum
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Year opened: 2022
Company: Scandic Hotels Group
Head of Strategy & Sustainability: Isabelle Blomqvist

Scandic Spectrum is less than one kilometre from Copenhagen Central Station. The seven‑story hotel has a double‑skin glass façade, two large atrium courtyards with green plants, and a wellness area inspired by Scandinavian forests, fjords and mountains. It has received the Nordic Swan Ecolabel for reduced energy and water consumption, environmentally friendly furniture and reduced unsorted waste. It also achieved DGNB certification based on lifecycle assessment, performance orientation and a holistic approach to sustainability.

## 8. Banyan Tree Samui
Location: Lamai, Thailand
Year opened: 2010
Company: Banyan Tree Group
Group Director Sustainability & Impact: Mark Watson

Banyan Tree Samui has received awards for its sustainability initiatives including Gold Certification from the Green Hotel Awards. It is eliminating single‑use plastics and offers guests nature walks and snorkelling classes to learn about and appreciate the area’s natural resources. In 2009 it established the Banyan Tree Global Foundation to safeguard the environment and uplift communities. Guests contribute US$2 per night to support endangered wildlife, preserve and regenerate coral reefs, rainforests and wetlands and build community infrastructures.

## 7. Club Med Finolhu Villas
Location: The Maldives
Year opened: 2015
Company: Fosun Tourism Group
Chair of the Board ESG Committee: Xu Xiaoliang

The Club Med Finolhu Villas sit on a private island in the Maldives. Around 6,000 square metres of solar photovoltaic panels generate 40% of electricity for the resort, and drinkable water is produced in its own on‑site bottling plant. Beach and snorkelling clean‑ups are organised at the resort and waste collected is turned into artwork at its Clean Art Planet workshop. Since 2015, Fosun Tourism Group says reclamation has more than doubled the size of the island, including double the trees planted.

## 6. ARIA Resort & Casino
Location: Las Vegas, US
Year opened: 2009
Company: MGM Resorts
Vice President of Sustainability: Michael Gulich

ARIA Resort & Casino holds six LEED Gold building certifications and five Green Keys for its operational practices. It is the first in Nevada to receive a five Green Keys rating. The facility sources some of its electricity from the 100 MW MGM Resorts Mega Solar Array just north of the Las Vegas Strip, which can produce 90% of the daytime power needs of MGM Resorts’ entire Las Vegas portfolio. It also has a combined heat and power central plant that generates 30% of the resort’s electricity needs and repurposes waste heat to warm water.

## 5. Marina Bay Sands
Location: Singapore
Year opened: 2010
Company: Las Vegas Sands
Chief Sustainability Officer: Katarina Tesarova

Marina Bay Sands opened in 2010. Since 2015, the resort has reduced its carbon footprint by 19% through cutting‑edge technologies. It has 536 solar panels that generate more than 160,000 kWh of energy each year and an intelligent building management system that tracks more than 125,000 data points. Marina Bay Sands has achieved ISO 14001 and the Singapore Hotel Sustainability Award, and has collaborated with WWF Singapore to raise awareness and create change in key biodiversity issues.

## 4. Six Senses Laamu
Location: Laamu, the Maldives
Year opened: 2011
Company: IHG Hotels & Resorts
Chief Sustainability Officer: Catherine Dolton

Six Senses Laamu was the first resort to open on the remote Laamu Atoll in the southern Maldives. It is surrounded by six Marine Protected Areas and IHG aims to ensure the enjoyment of Laamu’s unique environment and culture for generations to come. Its Sea Hub of Environmental Learning in Laamu (SHELL) showcases cutting‑edge marine conservation and teaches visitors about local marine life. In 2024 it conducted 1,350 hours of scientific surveys, identified 1,268 sea turtles, and engaged 1,839 community members.

## 3. Alila Villas Uluwatu
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Year opened: 2009
Company: Hyatt Hotels
Director of Sustainability: Zach Austin Greer

Alila Villas Uluwatu is the first resort in Indonesia to receive the highest level of certification from EarthCheck. It uses flat lava rocks on roofs to absorb heat and minimise energy consumption through air conditioning. The resort has a long‑standing zero‑waste policy, composts organic waste to nurture gardens featuring diverse ecosystems, substitutes plastic amenities with biodegradable and compostable materials, and operates an on‑site laboratory that turns waste into high‑value, reusable bioproducts.

## 2. Hotel Marcel
Location: New Haven, US
Year opened: 2022
Company: Hilton
Global Head of Sustainability: Jean Garris Hand

Hotel Marcel is 100% electric, operates fossil‑fuel‑free, and holds LEED Platinum certification. By the end of 2025 it expects to be the first net‑zero hotel in the US. More than 1,000 solar panels cover the hotel’s rooftop and parking‑lot canopies, producing more than 575,000 kWh each year. The hotel uses lithium‑ion batteries that provide 1.5 MWh of storage, procures locally sourced ingredients, and composts all food waste. It is the only Passive House Certified hotel in the US and the largest in the world, reducing energy use by up to 80%. The hotel partnered with experts to record Climate Wake‑Up Calls, allowing guests to be woken up with climate‑action messages or call a climate‑change hotline.

## 1. ITC Grand Chola
Location: Chennai, India
Year opened: 2012
Company: ITC Hotels
Chief Sustainability Officer: Madhulika Sharma

The ITC Grand Chola hotel has 522 rooms and 78 serviced apartments. It holds LEED Platinum, LEED Zero Carbon and LEED Zero Water certifications, making it one of the most comprehensively certified large hotels. It is the first hotel in India to receive a five‑star GRIHA rating, scoring 91 points across criteria such as site planning, resource efficiency and operations. All electrical needs are met through its own wind and solar farms, including a 12.6 MW wind installation. Nearly 100% of water used for irrigation, flushing and cooling towers is treated and reused, reducing water use by 35–50% compared to conventional luxury hotels. The resort uses 10% recycled materials and 40% locally sourced materials, and transplants existing trees rather than cutting them during construction.

Top 10: Sustainable Hotels

Sustainability Magazine ranks the world’s most sustainable hotels, highlighting eco‑initiatives, certifications, and carbon‑reduction targets across 10 properties from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The article cites global hotel emissions, UN tourism arrivals, and the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s reduction goals while detailing each hotel’s sustainability leadership, renewable energy use, waste management, and community engagement.