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By establishing sustainable hotels and implementing comprehensive human-resources programs for employees, these Global Vision Awards honorees are enhancing the hospitality sector.
The Global Vision Awards aim to recognize and celebrate organizations, individuals, destinations, and companies making significant contributions to developing more sustainable and responsible travel offerings. These honorees are exemplifying thought leadership and inventive problem-solving while undertaking measurable actions to safeguard communities and environments worldwide. Furthermore, they are encouraging industry counterparts and travelers to contribute to these efforts.
A hotel can serve as more than just a place to sleep or an entry point to a destination; it can function as a significant local employer and a catalyst for change, positively affecting both society and the broader hospitality realm. A 2019 report from Booking.com indicated that 55 percent of travelers express a desire to make more sustainable choices while traveling, making it evident that numerous hotels are adopting environmentally friendly practices and instituting substantial employee wellness programs. However, the establishments recognized in this Global Vision Awards category are particularly innovative, boasting longstanding commitments to using environmentally responsible materials, eliminating single-use plastics, and nurturing the landscapes and communities surrounding them. — T+L Editors
1. Desa Potato Head
The Asia-based hospitality group Potato Head is rooted in profound respect for nature and traditional craftsmanship—principles inherent to the vision of its Jakarta-born founder, Ronald Akili. In practice, supplies at Desa Potato Head, the company’s flagship hub of bars and hotels in Seminyak, Bali, are packaged not in plastic but in banana leaves, in accordance with Balinese custom. During the construction of Katamama, an all-suites boutique, Indonesian architect Andra Matin collaborated with Balinese artisans who have been crafting bricks for local temples for generations. Additionally, for Potato Head Studios, the newest establishment at Desa, designer Faye Toogood utilized sustainable local rattan, harvested from native palm trees that have been utilized in Bali for centuries.
2. Inkaterra
Jose Koechlin, founder of the Inkaterra hotel collection, frequently emphasizes that the natural environment surrounding his properties is their most valuable asset. Accordingly, he has prioritized conservation and sustainability as core elements of his business model. Since establishing the company in 1975, which is now recognized as the first carbon-neutral business in Peru, he has developed a portfolio of seven exquisite hotels nestled within the Peruvian Amazon and high in the Andes Mountains. Each location incorporates a comprehensive strategy for environmental exploration and stewardship.
Initially, Koechlin is investing significantly in scientific endeavors: all hotels feature at least one facility dedicated to conservation and biological studies. Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, an eco-lodge situated in Puerto Maldonado, boasts a butterfly conservatory, while Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo has a rehabilitation center geared toward the research and protection of the spectacled bear, the only native bear species to South America. Within the Tambopata National Reserve, the Inkaterra Guides Field Station, an eco-lodge that also serves as a training facility for the organization’s guides, has established a GreenLab—the Amazon’s premier molecular biology and genetics laboratory—welcoming researchers focused on local ecology and conservation efforts to protect the myriad of endemic species within the rainforest.
Koechlin and his dedicated team of naturalists have also partnered with scientists to catalog the flora and fauna surrounding Inkaterra properties. Their efforts have led to the discovery of 29 previously undocumented plant and animal species, including a subtropical rusty-red amphibian known as Koechlin’s tree frog, named in acknowledgement of the hotelier’s contributions.
3. The Breakers
Visitors to this Palm Beach, Florida hotel will recognize amenities such as the therapeutic sand-quartz massage bed and chromotherapy tub at the spa, yet they likely may not perceive the comprehensive human-resources framework aimed at promoting employee well-being.
Every one of the 2,200 employees, extending from front-desk personnel to management, is afforded access to complimentary nutrition and fitness guidance from an in-house advisor. During the growing season (approximately November to mid-May), this 124-year-old hotel organizes a weekly, affordable farmers’ market, ensuring employees have convenient access to nutritious foods. Medical professionals are available for free consultations around the clock via a telemedicine service, and the hotel enhances standard 401(k) savings plans by offering complimentary financial counseling. To support staff engagement in community initiatives, the Breakers provide each employee with up to 16 hours of paid leave annually for participation in community service projects. In 2019, employees contributed nearly 24,000 hours to local and national charitable organizations, with significant beneficiaries including Habitat for Humanity, the Palm Beach County Food Bank, and a homeless outreach service named St. Ann Place. This holistic approach has fostered a workforce that exhibits a palpable sense of pride in their interactions with guests.
4. Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort
Indulge in cocktails at sunset on the beach and enjoy couples massages in ocean-view cabanas at luxury Caribbean resorts. However, what distinguishes this property in Aruba is its recognition as the region’s first certified carbon-neutral resort, a distinction derived from the unwavering dedication of Austrian founder-owner Ewald Biemans to restore and protect the Eden he encountered half a century ago. Environmental mindfulness significantly influenced Bucuti & Tara’s architectural design, including recycled tire flooring in the fitness center and laundry bags fabricated from upcycled linens, along with solar panels that provide approximately 15 percent of the resort’s energy requirements. The resort’s gardens utilize treated greywater sourced from sinks, showers, and laundry for irrigation, and the fitness facility uniquely harnesses guest energy: as patrons work out, the machines collectively generate electricity for the resort.
5. Villa Copenhagen
While adaptive reuse is not a novel concept, few hotels harmoniously integrate luxury and sustainability as effectively as the 390-room Villa Copenhagen— poised to open in the spring within a neo-Baroque post office in the center of Denmark’s capital. Uniquely for the industry, this property, managed by Peter Høgh Pedersen under Preferred Hotels & Resorts, has committed to adhering to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals—comprising a comprehensive set of 17 principles aimed at fostering a more equitable future. Villa Copenhagen’s philosophy, termed “conscious luxury,” encompasses material comfort and aesthetic appeal, while also requiring equitable labor practices and establishing community spaces. This approach emphasizes local sourcing and waste reduction, exemplified by the selection of conference room chairs crafted from ocean-salvaged plastic. The property’s Earth Suite—designed by a local firm—features bricks and wood salvaged from the original post office, textiles crafted from recycled plastics, and furnishings produced by eco-conscious Danish manufacturer Mater.
