Eco-Friendly Hotels

Eco-Friendly Hotels

Do you like to stay at eco-friendly hotels when you travel? Many people do. Which is why we’ve put together a list of some of the greenest hotels in the world. Most of these sustainable hotels are within a short cab or car ride of major airports, so you unwind quickly after your flight.

These earth-friendly hotels run the gamut from small, budget-friendly accommodations to expansive green resorts.

Some of them are part of a hotel chain and others are a single entity.

While they may differ in services or amenities offered, they all do a great job of providing eco-conscious travelers with a green option.

Green Hotels

Q Hotel & Spa- Kansas City

Formerly the Quarterage Hotel, Q Hotel & Spa is Kansas City’s first green hotel.

It was recently renovated with tons of eco features, and each room is designed with sustainability in mind.

The hotel uses energy-efficient water and electrical systems and has in-room recycling programs in place.

Whitepod Eco-Retreat- Valiais, Switzerland

This incredibly-romantic resort is an odd sight at first. It consists of a collection of little geodesic domes popping out of the side of a mountain in the snow-covered Alps.

Centered around a main chalet, each guest tent has a stove to provide heat and beds that are dressed in modest, but cozy linens and blankets.

Travelodge- Uxbridge, United Kingdom

Created from 86 shipping containers, this modular hotel is indistinguishable from other Travelodge properties, but its unique construction has saved the company an enormous amount of money, time, and materials.

The hotel features 120 basic guestrooms, and a traditional exterior. But, it’s far from your average hotel.

De Vrouwe van Stavoren Hotel – Stavoren, Netherlands

Four salvaged wine casks from Switzerland have made their final resting place as guestrooms at the De Vrouwe van Stavoren Hotel.

The converted casks were once filled with 14,500 liters of Beaujolais wine from a French Chateau.

Now, they’re part of a fabulous sustainable hotel.

Venice Beach Eco Cottages – Los Angeles, California, United States

Venice Beach Eco Cottages consists of a trio of 450-square-foot bungalows with green features in every corner.

The 1922’s cottages feature Trex decking made from recycled sawdust and plastic, original 1920’s Douglas Fir flooring, a hot tub made from recycled plastic milk jugs, low VOC paint, and a hot tub made from recycled plastic milk jugs – all within a 4-block walk of the ocean!

Orchard Garden Hotel – San Francisco, California, United States

The Orchard Garden Hotel is a LEED Certified boutique hotel set in one of the U.S.’s most walkable cities.

Individual key cards allow guests to control the climate and lighting in their room, and the hotel continually strives to best their own efforts in sustainability by serving organic wines in their restaurant and planting a tree for every guest that leaves feedback about their hotel experience.

Hilton Vancouver – Vancouver, Canada

The Hilton Vancouver miraculously manages to recycle 75% of its consumer waste, and its green efforts don’t stop there.

Hilton Vancouver is a LEED Certified hotel, the first major hotel to earn that designation in Canada.

Hilton Vancouver houses an eco-friendly restaurant and an alternative refueling station for environmentally conscious cars.

Hotelito Desconocido – Jalisco, Mexico

Hotelito Desconocido uses solar power and candles for lighting instead of electricity.

Accommodations are bamboo, palm leaf, and clay huts that strike a beautiful balance between a luxury guest experience and natural, earth-friendly living.

The resort sits in a protected wetland estuary overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and the nature preserve is listed as a bird paradise aquifer by UNESCO.

Ranweli Holiday Village – Sri Lanka

Located on the west coast of Sri Lanka, Ranweli Holiday Village sits on land that originally served as a coconut plantation.

Surrounded by mangroves and screw pines, this meditative retreat is perfect for a enjoying a variety of activities like hiking, yoga, or just relaxing.

Ranweli Holiday Village is built from 100% local materials, and features 71 sea view bungalows, 12 river view rooms, and one cottage.

Green Hotel Chains

Vagabond Inn

Vagabond Inns were recently rated as the “most energy and carbon-efficient hotel chain in the U.S.” by eco-minded tech company, Brighter Planet.

These budget hotels can easily be found across the nation, and generally have much smaller carbon footprints than most standard hotels.

Best Western

Best Western’s cheap hotel rooms green their day-to-day business practices by utilizing in-room recycling bins, encouraging guests to reuse linens, installing solar panels on hotel buildings, and switching to low-flow shower-heads.

Every Best Western property in North America has eco-friendly procedures in place, as required by Best Western corporate offices.

Marriott

The Marriott hotel brand focuses on integrating environmental sustainability in their hotels worldwide, from architecture and construction to housekeeping and maintenance.

When you’re searching for cheap green hotels, keep Marriott’s “Courtyard” hotels in mind, which are reasonably priced and often up to $100 less per night than other hotel rooms.

When you want to be eco-minded traveler, there are plenty of fantastic sustainable accommodations around the world to choose from.

Opt for these if you like to take care of your own needs s well as those of the planet.