When architect and developer Bruce Becker set out to design a zero-emission hotel, he started by searching abandoned buildings. After all, construction accounts for 37% of global emissions, according to the United Nations. So by snatching up New Haven, Connecticut’s former Pirelli Tire building, which had been empty for nearly 20 years, he gave it a second life as the 165-room Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, which opened in 2022—and set a new bar for sustainable hospitality.
“We created Hotel Marcel as a blueprint to show other hoteliers and brands how the entire industry can quickly and cost-effectively eliminate 100% of fossil fuel emissions from hotel operations,” Becker told Hotels Above Par.
That includes its BLDG restaurant sourcing from pesticides-free suppliers within a 250-mile radius for its electric kitchen, where food scraps are composted into dog treats, plus a 1.5 megawatt-hour microgrid powering the property. Its latest amenity: a Climate Wake-Up Call. “We hope guests will…have an ‘awakening’ to the realities of this climate crisis and ultimately implement new sustainable practices—big or small—into their everyday lives,” he added.
Across the globe, Indonesia’s 36-room Bawah Reserve also built its “Earth first” mantra from the ground up, starting with a “strict requirement that no heavy machinery be used,” said Kristen Graff, the property’s global head of branding, marketing, and sales. “The construction process was designed to work in harmony with the existing landscape, using minimal land and creating structures that seamlessly integrate with the natural topography.”
Now, the Anambas archipelago resort is powered by a microgrid from its floating solar farm from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and its environmental responsibility can be seen from coral reef restoration and mangrove reforestation programs to the introduction of stingless Trigona bees to pollinate the local flora. “We believe that sustainability isn’t just a feature,” Graff said. “It’s a fundamental ethos that can transform every aspect of how a resort operates.”
While brands like Banyan Tree, 1 Hotels, Six Senses, Sensei, and &Beyond have made eco-conscious commitments across their operations, individual hotels are also getting creative. Canada’s 29-room Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland pioneered an ecological wastewater treatment system and operates as a community enterprise, while Santorini’s 53-room Canaves Epitome uses leading-edge techniques to turn its volcanic soil into a biodiverse microcosm of local plants.
Hotels are also getting guests involved. Virginia’s 105-room Tides Inn has launched a voluntourism program for Chesapeake Bay restoration projects, like planting trees and wetland grasses. California’s 143-room Rush Creek Lodge awards volunteers who help with Yosemite National Park clean-up through its Trash for Spa Treatment program.
While every initiative is a step forward, it will take a collective effort even to make a dent. Just last year, the hotel industry emitted 374 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere—the energy equivalent of powering 48.8 million homes annually.
Christopher Baran of family-run luxury resort Nemacolin in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands said cooperation is key to starting to cut back. First, that requires standardized sustainability by “adopting shared guidelines for energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, and responsible sourcing to drive collective progress. “He highlights Nemacolin’s initiatives like hydroponic greenhouses to grow ingredients for meals and spa treatments and creating an associate-only community of 38 homes to cut back on carbon footprints.
But no progress will be made without across-the-board investment in all aspects, especially in sustainable sourcing, renewable energy, waste reduction, eco-friendly guest engagement, and community investment, according to Baran. He added, “By joining forces, the hotel industry can lead the way in reducing its environmental impact and promoting sustainable travel.”
