West London’s room2 is the world’s first net-zero hometel. The
brainchild of eco-driven founder Robert Godwin, the accommodation
is on track to be 89 per cent more energy efficient than the
average UK hotel. Highlights include solar panels, ground-source
heat pumps and a rooftop terrace that’s home to wildflowers and
75,000 bees. But it doesn’t stop there. Interiors are just as
green, with reclaimed terracotta-coloured tiled floors and exposed
concrete slabs for ceilings. Bedrooms, meanwhile, feature
hand-crafted furnishings by local artisans: think floor-length
mirrors and statement wallpapers. We love the huge walk-in showers,
which, while being cleverly designed to use 40 per cent less water
than your shower at home, are no less powerful for it.

Hotel BOAT&CO serves as a great reminder not to judge a book
by its cover. Despite its factory-like facade, this eco-oasis has
been turning the heads of Amsterdam’s cool kids since it first opened its doors
back in 2019. Sitting pretty in the emerging Western Docklands
area, the property weaved sustainable practices into its every
aspect from the get-go, including a thermal energy storage system
and construction materials that produce zero waste. Its
water-facing rooms marry a contemporary design with inspiration
taken from the 1950s – think upholstered furnishings and natural
woods.

Typically, it’s the newbie hotels that deliver the goods when it
comes to sustainability, but not in the case of California’s Two
Bunch Palms. Born in 1940 and nestled on the outskirts of Joshua Tree National Park, this spa hotel
underwent a major eco-refurb back in 2014, which saw the addition
of a three-acre solar farm that saves 20-million gallons of water
per year, a mindfulness camp that hosts chakra-balancing massages
and revamped rooms decked out in organic earth-tone fabrics.
Hungry? The hotel’s farm-to-fork restaurant is on hand, serving up
vibrant, seasonal dishes worth writing home about. Don’t miss:
Downtown Palm Springs is only a 25-minute drive away, offering
myriad tempting shopping and dining options.

Sweden, famed for its seemingly endless greenery (22.5 million
hectares of forest, to be precise), welcomed this 20-storey wooden
skyscraper late last year. Brought to us by the forward-thinking
architecture firm White Arkitekter, the Elite group’s The Wood
Hotel was actually the result of a competition that invited
entrants to design a cutting-edge hotel for Skellefteå. Running on
100 per cent renewable energy and promising to offset some 9,000
tonnes of carbon, the timber-clad infrastructure is an example of
what utilising natural resources could look like in the future.
Inside, the decor mirrors the property’s message of simplicity,
with soft grey armchairs and matte black torchiere lamps. Come
nightfall, settle in for a sauna or head to the rooftop terrace for
a cocktail.

Go entirely off-grid at Kenya’s Campi ya Kanzi. Flanked by Tsavo
West National Park and the mighty Kilimanjaro, the accommodation is
situated in the heart of the breathtaking Chyulu Hills, and is
justifiably proud of its carbon-negative and zero-emission
credentials. Truth be told, as much as the safari base’s rooms –
kitted out with four-poster beds and bamboo coffee tables – are
spectacular, it’s the 360-degree views that we’re most excited
about. Don’t be surprised if a giraffe or hippo wanders past your
window during your stay. Animal lover? Head to the camp’s website
and check out the live wilderness cam.

Okay, so this place doesn’t open until 2023, but it would be
rude not to get a countdown underway for the world’s first
energy-positive (producing more energy than it consumes) hotel.
Situated in the Norwegian Arctic Circle, Svart will stand on wooden
piles on the waters of the Holandsfjorden fjord, at the foot of the
Svartisen glacier. Promising to be much more than just a place to
bed down, the hotel is set to flaunt a farm-to-table restaurant, an
indoor-outdoor wellness hub and a sound-healing studio. Other
activities on offer include ice climbing, fishing and foraging,
plus yoga classes beneath the starry sky.

The grandfather of the natural world, aka David Attenborough,
once referred to Lord Howe Island as “a setting so extraordinary
it’s almost unbelievable”. We couldn’t have said it better
ourselves. Located on the western side of this petite paradise is
Australia’s first carbon-neutral hotel,
Pinetrees Lodge. It would be an understatement to describe this
place as high-achieving: it has played an integral part in the
Sallywood Swamp Forest Restoration Project, protecting the
surrounding critically endangered landscape. The set-up itself is
an intimate affair, with 32 rooms framed by the island’s famous
turquoise lagoon. Dine on expertly prepared seafood at the
Boatshed, a local gathering spot since the 1870s, while watching
the blood-orange sunset put on its daily show.