Our top 10 eco-hotels and lodges for their housekeeping practices

How do you know if the perfect hotel you’ve found is really doing everything they say they are to be sustainable and environmentally conscious, or are they just ‘green washing’?

As attitudes change, businesses will always try to follow the trends, and hotels are no different.

There are so many different ratings and awards available for hotels and lodges that claim to be focused on being environmentally conscious that it can be very confusing, if not misleading!

Worse, some of the ratings are based on how much money a location can spend on the award itself, rather than purely on what they are achieving.

So, how do you make sure that the hotel you are going to visit is setting up long-term sustainability projects, and not just waiting to jump onto the next bandwagon?

This situation has become so complicated that Rebecca and Lionel of Kiwano Hotels decided they would create their own, called the “leaf status”.

There are 4 levels of leaf-ratings, from 1-leaf up to gold status.

Rebecca and Lionel know each location inside out. From how they deal with waste to how they get their power, source their food, and regenerate the environment that surrounds them.

Having researched each property and interviewed the owners or managers too, they then rate each location based on 9 categories:

• Architecture
• Conservation
• Energy
• Engage Guests
• Food
• Housekeeping
• Waste
• Water

The final category is Community, which looks at everything else the property, and its owners, are doing to help the community they live within.

Over these 10 articles, we are going to run down the top 10 locations in each category, whether they be a hotel, lodge, or self-catering, before giving you our top 10 eco locations you should visit if you want to make a positive difference whilst you explore the world.

This article is the 5th one in the series and will look at the resorts and hotels housekeeping practices.

A location's approach to its housekeeping practices can say a lot about their overall attitude to sustainability.

Have they removed all those wasteful plastic toiletries?

Have they eliminated unnecessary washing and are they recycling all the soap that gets left behind?

Are they using biodegradable mattresses?

Are the cleaning products they use chemical free, organic, and biodegradable?

All the toiletries in Ravana Garden are provided in refillable ceramic containers, removing the need for single-use plastic.

The toiletries themselves are natural and biodegradable.

The company that provides the toiletries, Amami, also provide biodegradable cleaning products for the hotel too.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here.

All of the cleaning products used at Boulder Bay Eco Resort are natural, chemical-free, biodegradable and vegan, from Conscious Living in Thailand.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here:

https://boulderasia.com/sustainability/

Like Ravana Garden, all the toiletries are provided in refillable ceramic containers, removing the need for single-use plastic.

All the laundry at Gal Oya Lodge is washed in house using water from the lodge’s own bore well and linen is washed every other to save water.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here:

https://www.galoyalodge.com/

The Pavilions Himalayas have their own signature toiletries which are all made from natural Nepalese ingredients and offered in refillable bottles.

They also create their own biodegradable paper soaps.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here:

https://www.pavilionshotels.com/himalayas/thefarm/community/

All the cleaning products used at the Creativhotel are 100% chemical free and organic, from the German brand ‘Frosch’ which is Cradle to Cradle Certified. All paper towels and toilet paper are made from recycled paper and they only have big refillable soap dispensers.

By only using one supplier to provide all of these products they are able to reduce delivery routes and packaging.

Guests can only get bathrobes, shower sandals and towels for the spa at reception on request to reduce cleaning resources, as well as water and energy consumption.

If guests stay for a long period, bedlinen is only changed once a week.

The mattresses in the ‘Regrowing Rooms’ are made from algae and coconuts!

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here:

https://www.hotel-luise.de/en/hotel#sustainability

These 2 sister resorts are constantly striving to provide high-quality, locally-sourced and eco-friendly products and are continually searching for more. The hotel provides:

• Slippers made from natural fibres 100% linen & paper soles which are biodegradable.
• Hilana bathrobes which are made from 57% recycled cotton, hypoallergenic, fast-drying, Fairtrade and chemical-free
• Bamboo toothbrushes with charcoal bristles that are natural and biodegradable

All the cleaning products they use are biodegradable with recyclable packaging. The luxurious toiletries from Osme are all eco-friendly, certified organic by ECOCERT and in line with de Cosmebio standards (no GMOs, parabens, phenoxyethanol, nanoparticles, silicone, PEG, synthetic perfumes or dyes, animal products and artificial colourings).

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here:

https://tierrahotels.com/the-tierra-experience/our-sustainability-programs/

The Eco-Villa use all-natural cleaning products from from PureBiotics.

The shampoo, conditioner and soap for guests are from a local all-natural company called Linden leaves.

They are provided in reusable containers and refilled from the local company to reduce plastic waste. They also make their own essential oil room sprays.

All their linen supplies and laundry service are purchased by a local business called Apparelmaster in Christchurch.

Apparelmaster have done a lot in terms of their own sustainability practices and they are active contributors to Fiordland Wapiti Foundation who are involved in all sorts of projects related to the preservation of the wapiti type feral deer herd and other wildlife in the Fiordland National Park.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here:

https://www.ecovilla.co.nz/

The hotel uses biodegradable shampoo and conditioner from Bioland Organics and bars of castile (olive oil based) soap made in Panama, with any unused soap being repurposed for employee usage.

Sheets are generally changed once a week for longer stays and towels are only changed if they are found soaking wet on the floor.

All wash loads are done at full capacity. The laundry detergent and dishwashing soaps are biodegradable.

For cleaning vinegar and alcohol are used where possible instead of bleach.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here:

https://www.tranquilobay.com/sustainabilitypractice/

The lodge ensures that chemical substitutions are made where possible, for example the use of vinegar to clean surfaces and toilets.

Mild chlorine is only used to comply with environment health requirements.

Cleaning cloths are created reusing old bed linen which is sourced from India and 100% cotton.

No artificial perfumes are used, relying on locally sourced citronella and other essential oils where needed.

Guest toiletries such as herbal soap are all made locally for the lodge, presented in refillable containers and are environmentally benign.

In 2018 the lodge replaced its mattresses with traditional cotton fibre ‘dasnas’ made by local artisans.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here:

https://tigermountainpokhara.com/extra_information.php

Our "Climate Heroes" initiative continues to go from strength to strength.

Every booking we make includes a carbon hero contribution, which goes to support a range of environmental initiatives all around the world.

This means that when you book with us, you’ll be helping the planet, so you can feel even better about going on holiday.

30 times better in fact! As our Climate Hero projects are up to 30 times more effective than most tree planting projects.

Find out more on our website:

https://lisetteandliam.notjusttravel.com/travel-that-gives-back

Congratulations to Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, Nepal. This eco-lodge is another worthy winner.

In our next blog, we'll look at how Hotels and Lodges minimise waste and maximise recycling.

To find out more, then please get in touch:

• lisette.julio-quinn@notjusttravel.com
• 07505 999 773
• lisetteandliam.notjusttravel.com

You can find all our blog posts about ecotourism on our website here.

https://lisetteandliam.notjusttravel.com/blog/inspiration?tag=140

Thank you to Rebecca Woolford and Kiwano Hotels.

https://kiwanohotels.com/