When contemplating the many threats facing the environment, it’s easy to feel pessimistic. However, Earth Day (April 22) offers the opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the tremendous efforts made in many sectors, including luxury hospitality.
The seven properties mentioned below, along with those on Forbes Travel Guide’s VERIFIED Responsible Hospitality list, showcase a commitment to a fundamental principle of hospitality: creating an environment that prioritizes the well-being of employees, guests and their communities.
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
At Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Earth Day provides an opportunity for the community to come together. With this being the resort’s second year hosting the Earth Day Expo, guests can expect organizations such as the Hawai’i Nature Center, the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project and the Pacific Whale Foundation to provide interactive activities for both visitors and residents.
However, as its VERIFIED Responsible Hospitality badge attests, the hotel extends its commitment to the environment beyond one day; it encompasses ongoing programs throughout the year. Previous partnerships include the Keālia Pond Restoration Project with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Ocean Friendly Restaurant certifications in collaboration with the Surfrider Foundation; a reef-safe sunscreen initiative with Project Reef; and a composting program that was launched in 2024 with West Maui Green Cycle.
Ashford Castle
The Five-Star Ashford Castle has been a steward of its 350-acre estate throughout its 800-year history, and the Ireland hotel’s initiatives ensure that the expansive grounds can be enjoyed for another eight centuries.
In 2021, Alex Lavarde, the property’s head gardener, spearheaded the Ashford estate garden project, planting more than 70 fruit, vegetable and edible flower beds; a truffle grove; beehives; and fruit trees, including a 300-tree apple orchard, using sustainable, “no dig” and biodynamic farming methods with the goal of becoming a fully self-sufficient site.
Thanks to a partnership with Winnow, an AI-powered food waste reduction system, uneaten food shrunk by 69% last year. The talented culinary team from the onsite George V Dining Room has also contributed, creatively transforming leftover fruits and vegetables into savory stocks, flavorful pestos, syrups and marinades.
Six Senses Kaplankaya
Sustainability is built into Four-Star Six Senses Kaplankaya’s very foundation. The Bodrum, Turkey, retreat is integrated into the stunning landscape’s natural rock formations, with green roofs and living green walls.
The hotel’s eco-conscious ethos focuses on preserving the land, beaches and local traditions. A significant portion of its produce is either grown onsite or sourced from nearby farms, which helps lessen the resources needed for packaging and transportation. The grounds are also nourished with a robust composting program and treated wastewater.
In guest rooms and the lush, Four-Star spa, elegant marble toiletry dispensers replace plastic containers. Young guests are encouraged to learn about upcycling, recycling and gardening to help create a brighter future as well.
Mandarin Oriental, Munich
Many factors shape an environment. The Four-Star Mandarin Oriental, Munich, another VERIFIED Responsible Hospitality badge holder, promotes a comprehensive culture of responsibility through initiatives that benefit both the environment and the community surrounding it.
These ecological efforts include collaborating closely with regional suppliers to source ingredients for the hotel’s dining venues, as well as partnering with a local beekeeper for honey, beeswax candles and soap. The hotel has also implemented an innovative Cool Flow System to regulate the building’s temperature. The Munich property has eliminated 99% of single-use plastics by using recyclable glass bottles, and it has removed all single-use amenities, such as cotton swabs, combs and razors.
Mandarin Oriental, Munich staff members give back to the community, too, by hosting a running club, volunteering at an orphanage’s summer party and supporting elderly residents through a partnership with Lichtblick Seniorenhilfe e.V., a charitable organization committed to improving the quality of life for seniors facing financial difficulties.
Atlantis, The Royal and Atlantis, The Palm
There’s strength in numbers, which is why Five-Star Atlantis, The Royal and Four-Star Atlantis, The Palm, teamed up in 2021 to launch the Atlantis Atlas Project. In the five years since the Dubai resorts’ joint sustainability initiative debut, the properties have seen some extraordinary successes, which helped the forward-thinking Atlantis, The Royal earn Forbes Travel Guide’s inaugural Responsible Hospitality award in 2023.
Beyond efforts like the installment of an onsite bottling plant and ensuring that more than 100 locally sourced dishes can be found at resort restaurants, the Atlantis Atlas Project focuses on conservation and animal welfare. This critical pillar of the project centers around key groups of wildlife — sharks, rays, dolphins and corals — and the two primary threats to their existence: unsustainable seafood and plastic pollution. Atlantis Dubai contributes one dollar from every marine animal experience to conservation and, in the process, has raised more than $500,000 to support 30 projects.
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet
At Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, sustainability is seamlessly integrated into the guest experience.
The hotel’s signature dining venue, Avlu Restaurant, features dishes inspired by environmental responsibility. An analysis of the seasonal menu revealed that 99% of ingredients are locally sourced, with 60% of the supplier network composed of small producers, social enterprises and women’s cooperatives.
Additionally, Four Seasons guests enjoy water filtered served in glass bottles, reducing landfill waste; food waste is donated to local animal shelters; guest rooms come equipped with energy-efficient controls; and electric vehicles are used for all transportation needs.
