By Nicole Di Tomasso
The hospitality industry, traditionally associated with high energy consumption, water usage and waste generation, is now embracing practices that reduce its environmental footprint. From energy-efficient architecture to sustainable sourcing of materials, hotels are re-inventing themselves as green havens for the eco-conscious traveller.
According to Booking.com’s 2024 Sustainable Travel Report, 83 per cent of global travellers confirmed that sustainable travel is important to them, but new insights show a sense of weariness could be emerging globally, fuelled by the ongoing challenges that travellers experience to make more sustainable travel choices. However, a reassuring 75 per cent of global travellers say they want to travel more sustainably over the next 12 months, and 43 per cent would feel guilty when they make less sustainable travel choices.
Here, Hotelier uncovers some green design trends in four key areas hoteliers can invest in to gain a competitive advantage and progress toward a more sustainable travel industry.
Materials and Fabrics
“Materials have come a long way in the last decade,” says Adèle Rankin, managing principal Vancouver studio & global lead, CHIL Interior Design. “Recycled content, re-sourced material and the story about how materials are collected and waste produced has become a huge marketing effort on the manufacturer’s part to educate designers in particular. Previously, it was a decision between durability and environmentally-friendly. You often didn’t get both of those things together, which can be difficult for hotels because durability has to be top of mind.”
She says CHIL Interior Design is currently working on three new projects. Element Vancouver Metrotown, which the company originally designed about 10 years ago, is now undergoing renovations and will be completed by the end of the year. Element Vancouver Downtown and Moxy Downtown Vancouver are two new hotels the company is working on and are expected to be completed in 2026/2027.
“Element, for example, has strong environmental mandates,” says Rankin. “Wall coverings are used a lot throughout hotels. They protect the walls and provide various design features. Unfortunately, the protection often comes by using vinyl, which can be a non-environmentally friendly product. So, one of the discussions we had recently was ensuring we selected a fabric, paper or recycled product. It was a good reminder for us because at that moment in the design process, there’s an aesthetic push before any materials are selected. The expectations of our clients and the brands are top of mind, as well as our own internal mandates to ensure we select the best materials to support the right choice for wellness and the enviornment.”
Generally speaking, Rankin says there are several green alternatives. “When we look at flooring, for instance, we’ll look at wool carpets as opposed to nylon carpets. We’ll look at 100 per cent wood flooring as opposed to an engineered or vinyl flooring. Sometimes these aspects come with an elevated price point, so we also look at the composition of the materials. For example, we look at whether a fabric has a recycled portion or whether it has a natural dye versus a chemical dye.”
For hotels that might not be able to make large investments in green design, small-scale offerings can still make a large impact. “Some travellers won’t stay in hotel rooms if they have carpeted floors. They might not find that healthy, the off-gassing isn’t good, or might have allergies to the makeup of the carpet,” says Rankin. “If you can’t do a whole hotel, then maybe there’s a select grouping of hotel guestrooms that accommodate that viewpoint so at least the offering is there.”
Biophilic Design
Biophilic design emphasizes the connection between humans and nature. This approach integrates natural elements into the built environment, creating spaces that promote well-being and environmental stewardship.
Vertical gardens, green roofs and indoor plants are a few popular features in biophilic design. These elements not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of a hotel, but also improve air quality and provide natural insulation.
“The biophilic movement is exciting because it can go beyond the insertion of plants. It has evolved into an understanding of what nature does right and how we can replicate that within design,” says Rankin. “Wellness is knit into this movement. Design can allow guests to feel a sense of wellness, not only through tactile bits but also through lighting and comfortability in a space. Some of these things can be taken from the way a leaf unfurls or the bloom of a plant.”
1 Hotel Toronto, designed by New York-based Rockwell Group, is anchored by efforts to lessen its environmental impact. According to Rockwell Group, “the design concept for 1 Hotel Toronto re-frames the city, turning its urbanism inside out, asking, ‘What if a luxury hotel was an inviting portal to the natural world, instead of a flight from it?’”
The hotel entry/lobby, for example, is framed with a mix of granite and limestone boulders, maple trees, local plants, warm wood and a trailing green canopy. Inside, guests encounter 15-inch high ceilings and re-claimed elm-wood flooring and shelving sourced from a dismantled barn in Ontario. The space also features a living green wall, found objects, local stone and re-claimed furnishings from materials such as elm wood and teak root.
“The biophilic approach can permeate everything and many of our clients and hotel brands are keen to explore it,” says Rankin. “Together, we’ll be able to evolve it.”
Lighting and Appliances
“Staying away from fluorescent lighting and implementing LEDs instead has become par for the course now. Lighting a space unnecessarily when it’s not active has led to a rise of lights on sensors,” says Rankin. “Lighting also plays a role in supporting health and making sure guests feel comfortable and welcome in a hotel. It’s about finding key elements that say ‘stay a while,’” adding that design choices could include embedded/atmospheric lighting, layered lighting and Circadian rhythm lighting, which can impact a guest’s internal clock that regulates the timing of biological processes and daily behaviour.
“Maximizing access to daylight through large windows, especially in the guestroom, happens during architectural planning. As interior designers, we make sure not to block that window and allow for floor to ceiling exposure. We want guests to feel the natural light from the moment they walk in. There’s also a gravitational pull for the guests to get to the window and open up the space,” continues Rankin.
“Guests can also feel that through more traditional spaces, such as ballrooms, which used to be darker spaces with windows covered with big drapes. Now, we’re finding that people are more excited about a room that has the ability to have natural light coming through, especially when you’re in a conference room all day long.”
Water Conservation
With regard to water conservation, Rankin says dual-flush toilets and regulated faucets and showers have become a starting point in design.
“Outside of that, the big push has been more to do with the water provided for guests. Hotels are removing plastic water bottles in guestrooms and installing corridor hydration stations instead. For luxury hotel brands, a re-fill station might be included in the guestroom.”
At Le Westin Tremblant in Quebec, for example, the hotel recently debuted its new WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio as part of its $18-million transformation project. In this space, guests are encouraged to bring re-usable water bottles to enjoy The Well, Westin’s hydration concept.
Additionally, designers and developers are increasingly recognizing the role of sustainable water features both inside and outside hotels.
California-based Outside the Lines (OTL) has worked with several companies, including St. Regis and Hyatt, to design and install water features. While many people enjoy the aesthetic appeal of water features, some question their sustainability. However, OTL has incorporated a number of sustainable design and operation methods into their projects.
“The biggest misconception about water features is that they waste water. With proper design, construction and maintenance, splash can be eliminated and leaks can be prevented. Evaporative loss is relatively small,” says Wickham Zimmerman, CEO of OTL, adding the systems can be designed to use alternative sources of make-up water, including a hotel’s air-conditioning condensate, rainwater capture systems or re-claimed water.
Zimmerman continues, “Another misconception is that water features are a luxury and don’t necessarily provide a direct benefit or ROI to a property. However, we’ve done a few case studies which have shown a direct ROI depending on the hotel and the guest they’re trying to attract.”
Furthermore, indoor water features can positively affect the guest experience. “In a lobby area, for example, operators might want a fountain or water feature to control humidity,” says Zimmerman. “Most people think adding water inside a building will add humidity, but it can actually lower air-conditioning demands.”
With regard to architectural design, Zimmerman says “locally sourced re-claimed or recycled materials can work well to build water features, such as natural stone finishes or concrete made with recycled aggregates. Buying local materials also supports the local economy, is often less expensive, minimizes shipping and handling costs and saves time.”
As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, eco-friendly hotel design will continue to evolve with innovation and collaboration, says Rankin.
“Design and operations go hand in hand,” she says. “The big impacts operators can make have to be supported by good design solutions. It’s important for hotel ownership groups to keep an open mind around ways that more environmental choices can be made and discuss those with design teams. If it feels like something they can’t afford, we can always talk about the pluses and minuses in other areas.”
