XCARET, RIVIERA MAYA—Xcaret announced that Hotel Xcaret Arte, an exclusive award-winning all-inclusive luxury hotel located along the shores of the Mexican Caribbean, has been recognized as a winner in the 2023 Sustainable Luxury Awards. The hotel, which pays homage to Mexican art, invites guests to live art from its creation and immerse themselves in sensorial experiences in sophisticated spaces while promoting a sustainable lifestyle through the innovative All-Fun Inclusive concept. The full list of awards can be found on Sustainable Luxury Awards | Winners. “We are grateful and honored for receiving this prestigious award that recognizes, celebrates, and promotes the most sustainable luxury places...

MENDOZA, ARGENTINA—SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites in Mendoza has been awarded Silver Certification by the Hoteles Más Verdes program, a rigorous certification initiative from the Asociación de Hoteles de Turismo de la República Argentina (AHT) that recognizes hotels and tourism accommodations that demonstrate superior environmental performance and sustainable practices. Inspired by global sustainable tourism certification programs, the certification for the Hoteles Más Verdes award involves a comprehensive evaluation of a hotel’s management practices, environmental policies, and overall contribution to cultural and natural heritage preservation. This achievement underscores the hotel’s unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability, excellent design, and community...

GATLINBURG, TENN.—Running Rock Eco Resort, now under construction, will soon be a groundbreaking net-zero, eco-friendly, and nature-focused resort nestled in the Smoky Mountains. From its own mountaintop on a 260 acre property overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the resort offers more than a mile of mountaintop views, a mile long meandering stream, and a stunning 40-foot cascade. Opening in 2025, it promises an unmatched and sustainable experience of nature’s beauty tucked away among the best of the southern Appalachians. Running Rock Eco Resort is intentionally devoted to sustainability and reverence for its pristine tapestry of untouched nature. The owners, Jake...

BANGKOK—Six Senses, part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts luxury and lifestyle portfolio, has signed a hotel management agreement with Activos Turisticos de Mexico (ACTUR) for the development of Six Senses Xala, which is scheduled to open in 2026. Flanked by five miles of curving white-sand beach, the 3,000-acre terrain, located in the Costalegre or “Cheerful Coast” region of Jalisco, will offer both a sanctuary and a vibrant community among fragrant mango fields, coconut palms, pristine ocean, and the serene estuary waters of the Xola-Paramán. Secluded within this verdant landscape, yet just 10 minutes from the new Chalacatepec International Airport, Six...

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.—Shashi Hotel, a premier urban resort nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley in Mountain View, California by Shashi Group, announced that it has been awarded LEED Gold certification by USGBC. LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence. Through design, construction and operational practices that improve environmental and human health, LEED-certified buildings are helping to make the world more sustainable. “At Shashi Hotel, our goal has always been to provide guests with the best customer experience possible, while also solidifying ourselves as the most disruptive and empowering technologically driven lodging...

CEDAR CREEK, TEXAS—When the developers of the new eco-luxury hotel located about 20 minutes from downtown Austin describe their new property as being “heavenly,” they are not kidding. The hotel, which consists of 12 dome-style villas, a 200,000-gallon natural water pool, and restaurant is called “The Heavens.” Set to open in mid-2025, each villa is named after a constellation and features handcrafted stained-glass windows, bottle artwork on the ceiling representing the constellation, and reclaimed cedar wood furnishings. Developer Dan Mages says four of the villas are completed and the rough plumbing has been completed for the fifth one. “We call them...

DENVER—Populus, the country’s first carbon positive hotel opening in Denver in summer of 2024, has unveiled its nature-forward interior designs by Wildman Chalmers Design in partnership with Fowler + Fowler Architecture, D.P.C. Developed by Urban Villages, a leading real estate developer and environmental steward, and managed by Aparium Hotel Group, a pioneer in the lifestyle hotel industry, Populus’ interiors are designed to celebrate nature and pay homage to the Mountain West with a warm color scheme, natural materials, undulating forms, and an Aspen-tree inspired design that complements the building’s distinctive architecture by Studio Gang. The thought-provoking art collection, curated by artist and...

KANAI, MEXICO—The premiere of The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai introduces a completely new concept of laidback luxury to the Caribbean coastline, combining unparalleled dining and entertainment, services and amenities with the unique traditions and tastes of the famed locale. Created by Ian Schrager because of a partnership between Ian Schrager and Marriott International, the EDITION brand has become synonymous with individualized, customized, and one-of-a-kind hospitality experiences, and The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai is yet another example of Schrager’s visionary magic. Situated within a 620-acre nature reserve with two miles of pristine white-sand beachfront, the property rises from a...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Scandic has reached a sustainability milestone by recertifying all of its previously ecolabeled hotels according to the Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s new, tougher environmental requirements. More than 88 percent of Scandic’s hotels are ecolabeled and the company is continuing its efforts to ensure that all hotels are certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is the official environmental certification in the Nordic countries. It updates its requirements approximately every four years, and the most recent update in 2023 included higher environmental goals. To continue to be certified, Scandic’s ecolabeled hotels have now undergone a rigorous recertification process...

MONTEGROTTO TERME, ITALY—An eco-friendly approach to hospitality, in full respect of the region and its preexisting elements: the new Green Lodges of the Terme Preistoriche Resort & Spa in Montegrotto Terme, designed by Studio Apostoli, is meant to be a manifesto of zero-emission wellness hospitality. Seven suites are incorporated into four wooden stilted structures and interconnected through a raised system of ramps, walkways, and accessible terraces. They also include a historically preserved villa, the eighth and most extensive offering within this entrepreneurial endeavor. A total of 160 micro piles support the new constructions and outdoor spaces, preserving the roots...