The number of green travel initiatives grows every year.
As a hardcore environmentalist and travel writer, I’m often conflicted. Travel introduces us to new cultures and lifestyles, bridging the human experience and bringing humanity closer. It’s very obviously a good thing.
But travel is a relatively new hobby—one that’s increasingly reliant on planes.
Unfortunately, flights produce a lot of CO2 emissions. A flight from San Francisco to London, for example, produces more emissions than driving a family car for a whole year.
And that’s only talking about transportation—nonetheless other environmental dangers, from constructing rainforest hotels to dumping semi-treated water from cruise liners straight into the ocean. (Yeah, that’s where it goes… sometimes as close as three miles to our US shores.)
So it’s a pretty pressing matter… one that doesn’t really have a straightforward solution in sight.
That being said, I’m an environmental optimist. Around the world, more funds and manpower are being invested into environmentally sustainable research and development.
In other words, don’t let dystopic media get you down.
Let’s focus on beautiful resorts that are carbon-neutral instead. After all, a stay at one of these locations can literally save the world.
A new era in luxury resorts
Let’s cover the basics before we explore the world’s finest carbon-neutral hotels.
First up—what is carbon neutrality? This fancy term simply refers to balancing the emission of CO2 (bad) with the absorption of CO2 (good).
Plants, soil, and seawater are natural CO2 absorbers—it’s really that easy.
To achieve carbon neutrality, most companies rely on minimizing emissions while also supporting CO2 absorption. They do that by investing directly in projects that support CO2 absorbers, whether planting trees or restoring lost coral reefs.
Sounds simple, right? In reality, achieving carbon neutrality usually takes years of concentrated effort and
If you’re seeing any claims of carbon neutrality, be suspicious—at least, until you know which group is verifying a company’s carbon neutrality. The hotels and resorts listed below have been verified by third-party groups or will be in the coming years.
These include the ISO 14064-1 Guide, DEKRA, PAS 2060 from BSI Group, and CarbonNeutral. These companies specialize in sustainability, offering resources, consultations, and verifications for a range of companies.
In other words, they’re the fact-checkers when it comes to sustainability claims.
Here are the hotels and resorts that they’ve verified, along with a few up-and-coming resorts that are working hard to earn their certification.
Fully carbon-neutral resorts
Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort, Aruba
Certified by CarbonNeutral
Enter the world’s only bona fide carbon neutral hotel-resort.
Bucuti has been around for almost forty years and, during that time, has expanded its eco-friendly reach. Since 2018, it has offered a fully carbon-neutral stay—one that is entirely offset by hotel practices and carbon absorption projects.
In fact, Bucuti’s owner, Ewald Biemans, has done such a standup job for eco-friendly tourism initiatives that he was invited to sign a landmark declaration at an event for the United Nations World Tourism Organization, which is looking to increase pledges from hotels to go carbon-neutral.
Biohotel Sturm, Austria
Runs according to the Kyoto Protocol
Austria’s Biohotel Sturm wellness retreat isn’t quite on par with the Bucuti Hotel because it hasn’t been certified by CarbonNeutral.
Still, this hotel follows the UN’s Kyoto Protocol, which was replaced with the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. (You can call the program by either name.)
This agreement involves carbon credit trading, allowing Biohotel Sturm to offset its emissions. However, the hotel also focuses on hyper-local solutions, from its organic menus to its hygiene products. This local approach is increasingly popular for eco-hotels around the world.
Hopeful carbon-neutral resorts
Alohilani Resort, Waikiki Beach
*Seeking certification by PAS 2060 and DEKRA
Since 2022, Alohilani has been looking to nab its carbon-neutral certifications—which it hasn’t quite done yet.
Still, there are quite a few sustainability measures in place. These revolve around energy efficiency and sustainability, water conservation and reduction, and participation in a variety of environmental initiatives.
If you’re happy with their long list of projects, then feel free to enjoy Alohilani. However, if you want proof that they’re fully carbon-neutral, you’ll need to wait a few more years.
Kasbah du Toubkal, Morocco
*Partners with the High Atlas Foundation
This high-mountain retreat puts a strong focus on simplicity and the natural world. You’ll be able to feel that in the textiles and design throughout the grounds.
Uniquely, to offset its environmental impact, the Kasbah hasn’t sought to go carbon neutral.
According to the website, that might not be possible given most guests fly to reach Morocco. And as we’ve pointed out above, flights are the most impactful part of traveling from an environmental perspective. (I respect the honesty here.)
The Kasbah du Toubkal has taken another approach to sustainability by working closely with the High Atlas Foundation to preserve forests in Morocco and plant more native species.
From what I can tell, the Kasbah du Toubkal has directly funded and supported this initiative with great results for many years now.
Sani Resort, Greece
*Seeking certification from ISO 14064-1
Last year, Sani Resort took home the award for the World’s Leading Luxury Green Resort and for the World’s Leading Sustainable Resort.
That being said, Sani isn’t carbon neutral—like Alohilani, it’s awaiting official certification.
So if you see claims that this resort has been carbon neutral since 2020, know that this is based on Sani Resort having contributed enough to CO2 absorption projects to offset its emissions that year.
But as we’ve seen throughout this article, that isn’t quite the same as landing an official certification from a third-party group. It’s a lot more rigorous and involved than many think. Still, I think Sani Resort deserves major kudos (and your hard-earned money) for its dedication to our planet.