The Sustainability Leaders collection has been unveiled by The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), a group of more than 400 independent luxury hotels in over 80 countries. The series was developed to honor Leading Hotels that are dedicated to protecting the environment, the treasured values, and cultural history of their destinations, from cutting-edge urban towers to tented jungle sanctuaries.
More than 50 Leading Hotels are currently acknowledged as Sustainability Leaders due to their strong linkages to their local communities and environment. The designation denotes that the hotel has attained a sustainable accreditation in accordance with the industry criteria set out by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Since 2010, LHW has been a member of the GSTC, the leading international body for establishing and administering standards for environmentally friendly travel.
The Leading Hotels of the World’s Lauren Alba remarked, “We are thrilled to introduce our Sustainability Leaders Collection to celebrate our member hotels who have gone above and beyond to protect their piece of the planet.” The innovative collection “is driving our industry into a better future by giving curious travelers the opportunity to positively impact the world through their stays.”
A Leading Hotel with the Sustainability Leaders designation has undergone a rigorous evaluation and been certified to at least one, or more, GSTC-Recognized Standards. In order to provide its hotels with the resources and tools they need to progress their sustainability plans, LHW has worked with Vireo Srl (a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body) as well as Green Globe, Green Key Global, and Travelife (all of which employ a GSTC-recognized standard).
All sustainability leaders actively maintain a sustainability management strategy, and they show their dedication to these three pillars by their actions and impact:
Environment: Leaders in sustainability are dedicated to resource conservation, investing in renewable energy sources, and protecting natural environments. They actively reduce resource use while pursuing opportunities for waste, water, and material recycling and reuse. They make use of geothermal, solar, and wind energy by taking advantage of their geographic location. Sustainability Leaders are proactive guardians of biodiversity who preserve their surrounds’ ecosystems by cultivating native plant species and creating wildlife corridors.
Community: Through health and education initiatives, sustainability leaders foster connections, support economic development, and improve local communities. They promote individual development within their teams and guarantee equal work chances for residents at all levels of hierarchy. They encourage visitors to do the same by making purchases from regional farmers and craftspeople. To improve local lives, sustainability leaders have started significant social projects with a focus on health, education, and climate change.
Culture: Through philanthropy and education, sustainability leaders preserve and honor the regional history and traditions of their travel destination. For visitors, they offer authentic and informative opportunities to immerse themselves in regional gastronomic, artistic, and spiritual traditions. They respect the past of the place they are visiting and are dedicated to preserving monuments and other structures with historical, archaeological, and religious value.
Source- Travel daily