Hotels have a carbon footprint the size of Big Foot’s. The good news? Many of them are working to reduce their impact. More thought is going into energy reduction, recycling and even the bath products. Here are a few eco-friendly toiletries (and the hotels that carry them) to try:
Le Labo at The Fairmont. This month, Fairmont hotels changed their bath products to a new line, New York boutique perfumer Le Labo, which focuses in imaginative blends and environmental consciousness. Fairmont wanted to be more in line with its company’s ethos — the chain’s 20-year-old Green Partnership Program makes minimizing environmental impact a big deal.
Fairmont picked Rose 31, Le Labo’s best-selling fragrance (from the centifolia rose — aka Provence rose — with warm, spicy, woodsy notes). The unisex scent exclusive to Fairmont is paraben-free, cruelty-free and uses only natural and organic extracts. Plus, the containers are made from 100 percent recycled water and soft drink bottles, and are recyclable and biodegradable.
red flower at The Mayflower Inn & Spa. The Five-Star hotel teamed up with Yael Alkalay, founder of red flower, to create a customized Mayflower-specific scent. Alkalay spent time at the hotel and in the region to get a lay of the land. Then, she blended two organic lines using local ingredients found 100 miles or less from the hotel.
The unisex scents developed were French lavender (robust and blended with peppermint) for the guestrooms, and Icelandic moonflower (a tropical bloom with hints of sandalwood, rose and clove) for use in the spa. The 16-ounce bottles are entirely biodegradable, and are refilled and left in the hotel’s guestrooms.
ProTerra at The Claremont Resort. The Claremont uses biodegradable, organic bath amenities, with subtle earth-tone cartons made from recycled materials. But The Claremont goes a step further and donates any leftover bath and shower products to Las Trampas, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults with developmental disabilities.
