Saving the world looks different these days. It’s galloping out into Chile’s sierras on horseback with a gaucho, laying down tracks with indie darlings in a secret recording studio in Cabo, diving into bioluminescent waters in Cambodia, and many more thrilling pursuits beyond sorting rubbish into bins. How do you do your bit? By booking a B Corp hotel.
Signified by an encircled ‘B’ (which stands for ‘Benefit for all’), B Corp certification is awarded to companies with a proven record in high-standard environmental and social awareness, transparency and accountability — as it so happens, your very own travel club for hotel lovers has been approved. So, this Earth Day, we’ve picked our most sustainable and community-supporting hotels around the world to encourage you to make the planet a better place in as leisurely a way as possible.
THE GREEN GASTRONOMIST
RONCOLO 1888, ITALY
Wine hotels aren’t a radical idea in Italy; outside the cities, most stays are sit amid fields pinstriped with vines. Foodie hotspot Emilia-Romagna — a place where the waiter asked how many protected-ingredient designations you wanted on your region, and just kept on sprinkling (it has 48 in total, the most in Italy) — has made the prospect tastier with Roncolo 1888, the first official ‘wine and balsamic relais’ in the country.
Organic farming methods have been used on the hotel’s Venturini Baldini estate since the very beginning, but it was officially certified organic in 1994 and the estate achieved B Corp status in 2025. It’s home to the oldest vinegar cellar in the area, too, where traditional wooden barrels are used for aging; and you can drizzle treacly balsamico over olive oil tapped from centuries-old trees. Solar panels and water-waste systems are in place; and Roncolo is affiliated with the WWF protected-area scheme, with only 25% of its estate used for production and the rest left to run wild.
Green revolution The wines here are also treated with the reverence of a first-born son: forgotten and neglected local varietals of Lambrusco, Malbo Gentile and more have been resurrected in the vineyards.
THE WELLNESS WARRIOR
BINGHAM RIVERHOUSE, LONDON
You’ll immediately feel the femme-ergy at Bingham Riverhouse. Co-founder Sama Trinder has snatched all the hyphens for her extended job title — it’s officially CEO, but she’s also one of the UK’s few black, female hoteliers; hosts a successful members’ club that supports the local community in its thoughtful events; runs wellbeing retreats; and teaches yoga, reiki, meditation… If that’s not enough girl power, the hotel was formerly home to two ahead-of-their-time lesbian poets, too.
Tap into this energy and do some soul-searching at the hotel’s classes and retreats; contorting, meditating and consciously breathing for a mental boost. Your surroundings are a soft place to land, not least in the Earth-kind Naturalmat beds: low-waste menus use conscientiously sourced ingredients, while CBD cocktails make drinks in the garden feel even more chilled out. And the space just gets greener, with Bingham’s membership scheme tied to the One Tree Planted initiative.
Green revolution Bingham’s philanthropic outreach extends to Shepherd’s Star (which helps adults facing hardship in South London); The Poppy Factory (supporting veterans with health issues); and Choose Love (a store for essential refugee supplies).
THE CULTURAL DYNAMO
HOTEL EL GANZO, MEXICO
Immersion in the local — and international — arts scene comes easy at Hotel El Ganzo, the first to become a B Corp in Mexico. You’re thrown right into the warmth of San José del Cabo’s creative crucible; not just with daily live music and dance (by the pool, the fire pit, as you dine…), but by living in a space where inspiration can be captured and brought to fruition. Under a trapdoor in the restaurant there’s a recording studio, where Damien Rice, Kings of Convenience, Racheal Yamagata and other worldly talents have laid down tracks; walls bear the legacy of many artists in residence; and unique venues are decked out with bold installations or upcycled curiosities (with one built out of junked cranes).
Late founder Pablo Sanchez-Navarro envisioned a space where his friends could build an even bigger network of artists and musicians, and that community is still growing. A portion of profits from all stays goes to Kind Traveler’s Every Stay Gives Back initiative, which supports residents in the hotel’s La Playa neighbourhood; during Covid, owners launched the Ganzo Ayuda programme, which offered relief funds and supplies for staff and impoverished families; and the hotel works with Water Matters, which provides access to clean drinking water.
Green revolution For the staff — who are hired from the local community — there’s a Safety Financial Program, personalised career-development plans and free language classes. Sustainability measures here include some unique ideas too, such as diving competitions to pick up trash from the ocean.
THE NATURAL POWER-PLAYER
HOTEL AWA, CHILE
Welcome to Chilean Patagonia’s Lagos y Volcanes route, where lakes are aspiring oceans and volcanoes with glacial peaks dominate even a limitless blue sky. Hotel Awa brings a touch of humanity to this brilliantly blown-out-of-proportion landscape, with educational opportunities for local hires in guiding, hospitality and leadership; collaboration with government agencies to improve working conditions; and establishing links with schools and collectives. Spa healing harmonises body and mind, criollo-style cuisine comes largely from the on-site organic garden (and chicken coop), and hours are spent each day hiking or kayaking, riding and rafting the all-natural contours of national parks and reserves — in leave-no-trace style — with pit-stops at indigenous-craft workshops, such as junquillo basket-weaving and wool dyeing.
Awa’s strikingly Brutalist form fits into the landscape, taking the wild durability of its surroundings as design inspo, using volcanic stone and slate, and wood from native guaitecas trees in its build. Through the glass window walls in all rooms, the spa and restaurant, clear views of Lake Llanquihue and the Osorno Volcano command the kind of respect and awe for nature that Hotel Awa hopes you’ll leave with.
Green revolution You’re gently encouraged to learn here: guides show guests how best to be responsible tourists, sharing practices and highlighting initiatives; activists are hosted for talks; there are books and learning materials to browse and cards in rooms telling the stories behind artworks and crafts; and tours of the photovoltaic solar plant can be arranged on request.
THE RADICAL THINKER
MOB HOUSE, PARIS
Mob House is the fomenter of avant-garde dreamers and society shifters, conceived by daring designer Philippe Starck and ‘street philosopher’ and ‘movement alchemist’ Cyril Aouizerate, whose vegan Mob restaurant and co-operative caused a stir in Brooklyn. It’s a place where zeitgeist-shifting discussion flows freely and co-existing happens harmoniously through a co-working space and breezy bar terrace. Those are the goals, anyway, in this cool hangout close to Paris’s largest flea market in lesser-trodden St Ouen; as it happens, Mob House is also that rare Parisian hotel with a pool.
It’s a noble mission made real by its B Corp certification and by putting lofty ethics firmly into place: the restaurant’s menu is organic, largely plant-based and locally sourced where possible; and design is considered, using paint made from straw and clay, and untreated wood panels in rooms. Staff are hires from outside-the-boite orgs, such as non-profit design school Casa 93 and the cultural wing of Paris’s Bureau du Tibet; and Mob works with companies that share its values, from the Rwandan women’s collective who embroider staff uniforms to signature-scent-making French perfumier Soin de Soi.
Green revolution To further its aim of social cohesion, Mob’s calendar is filled with talks and screenings focused on humanity and the environment, alt wellness workshops and niche crafting events.
THE TRASH-TO-TREASURE MAKER
DESA POTATO HEAD BALI, INDONESIA
Reading the list of materials used to build colourful and cool Desa Potato Head Bali, you realise Oscar the Grouch was slacking in his upcycling skills. Driftwood has become decor, there’s a wall made of discarded windowframes, plastic bottles collected from Balinese beaches are repurposed as ceiling tiles and woven into rattan-style furnishings…the end result makes that trashcan look a touch perfunctory. Local culture is codified into the design too, with hand-fired temple bricks, teak furnishings and Javanese tiles, while large-scale art installations draw focus to the island’s social and environmental issues.
Guests are fully engaged, getting involved in beach and mangrove clean-ups and visiting the Waste Centre to watch the transformation process, while mixing up volunteer sessions at community food drives with soulful spa rituals, jamu– and incense-making classes, and jazz-tarot sessions. Pay close attention to the items in your room, too: tote bags are made using old bedspreads, coasters and tissue boxes from crushed oyster shells, and candles from discarded cooking oil.
Green revolution ‘Good times, do good’ is the hotel’s mantra — a gentle approach that’s proved powerful. Local culture comes to you through the house digital-streaming platform, plant-forward dishes (from the hotel’s community farm) inspire conscientious dining choices and there are collabs with ethical brands for sustainable souvenirs. But the hotel goes hard when it needs to, spearheading a community waste project where local businesses are held accountable for sorting their rubbish.
THE CHAMPION OF INDIGENOUS CULTURE
ANTIGUA CASONA SAN BLAS, PERU
Pachamama, the Andean earth goddess, would be pleased with Antigua Casona San Blas: she’d dig its vintage styling, authentic cuisine (hello, alpaca burgers and sweet-potato doughnuts) and generous Pisco selection. But more so because their interests align when it comes to keeping the Sacred Valley as green as possible and bringing about harmonious living. The hotel operates in all the Earth-kind ways (from solar heating to recycling to using biodegradable packaging), but also has powerful partnerships, donating a chunk of profits to Regenera to help offset carbon and to Valle Sagrado Verde’s reforestation efforts.
Respect for the local culture is evident everywhere: non-profit Xapiri Ground promotes indigenous artwork by curating the hotel’s collection, and photographer Tui Anandi has collaborated with the owners to document local tribes and ancient ruins. Wellbeing has a local flavour: guests can marinate in Andean herbs, be slathered in coconut oil or catch their breath in a hyperbaric chamber; yoga classes are also offered to the underprivileged kids and teens who attend Peruvian youth retreat Valley Camp. It’s definitely got Pachamama’s blessing, and ours.
Green revolution Arts and crafts workshops, live music and storytelling sessions add more cultural colour to your stay and you’ll get a taste for the locale with Café Orígenes Fairtrade coffee beans.
THE HYPERLOCAL PIONEER
THE PIG, UK
The Pig’s 25-mile menu, made using ingredients sourced as locally as possible (within 25 miles, as the name suggests), has passed into legend since the group’s first hotel opened in Hampshire back in 2011. There’s a charming authenticity to dining on the likes of carrot houmous and wild-garlic risotto when you can tour the polytunnels, beds and greenhouses the vegetables were grown in (there’s even a mushroom hut). It’s a feeling that envelops the whole property, thanks to the cosily lived-in look cultivated by founder Robin Hutson’s wife Judy, and the foragings and house infusions that make cocktails feel all the more wholesome.
Beyond the rural idyll of waking up to eggs fresh from the hen house, idle afternoons in England’s greenest and most pleasant parts, and massages that’ll leave you smelling like the wildflower patch, some serious thoughtfulness has gone into each of these stays — the effort to involve local makers and growers; the upcycling, beekeeping and composting; the force-for-good programmes. Each stay ‘adopts’ a school to teach kids about gardening, offers apprenticeships to aspiring chefs and hospitality workers, and there are unique charities chosen for each location — for example, the OG Pig helps to support the conservation efforts of the New Forest Trust.
Green revolution The Pig hasn’t just changed the hotel landscape by making urbanites’ bucolic reveries come true. It works with Hospitality Action to bolster small rural communities in sustainable style, and feed people far beyond its restaurant through work with Action Against Hunger.
THE MARINE DREAMER
SONG SAA PRIVATE ISLAND, CAMBODIA
At first glance, Song Saa Private Island looks like the kind of tropical paradise where your cares just float away — and in many ways, they will: it’s a haven of alfresco massages, creature-comfort-filled overwater villas, delicately spiced dishes, and bioluminescent nights in the Koh Rong islands. But there’s also a lot of heart here — the hotel cares so much for its environment and communities that it’s started its own foundation, dedicated to safeguarding marine life and coral reefs, providing medical care for islanders, waste management and educating children about sustainability.
In 10 years the foundation has planted more than 10,000 hectares of mangrove forest and protected 524 square kilometres of the Koh Rong Marine National Park, forming the kingdom’s first marine preserve. Plus, it has provided medical care to 4,899 patients and counting, delivered 485 workshops to educate local children on ocean stewardship, and processed 26,144 bags of rubbish. But holidays aren’t about doing the math — getting involved is as easy-breezy as the living here; whether you dip a toe into local culture at a ceremony conducted by Buddhist monks, see community outreach in action with a visit to Prek Svay village, or follow a nature-based treasure hunt leading to the hotel’s Discovery Centre.
Green revolution If you want to dive in much deeper (quite literally), or just want an excuse to spend four weeks or more in this heavenly place, sign up for the Ocean Stewardship Programme — you’ll work with sustainability professionals and resident scientists, joining in educational scuba dives, data collection and reef-preservation efforts.
THE SPIRIT GUIDE
EXPLORA TORRES DEL PAINE, CHILE
Chile is like geography for the gods: glaciers seem to speak their own language as they shift, grasslands are like the furred back of a slumbering beast; snaggletooth sierras burst into flame hues at sunset… However, Explora Torres del Paine has its Arc’teryx hiking boots firmly on the ground — mystical and self-governing as this realm is, it needs someone to cast a caring eye over it. The hotel group has taken stewardship of a 15,000-acre reserve, encompassing Magellan forest, granite steppes, natural hot springs and more, where guests can go wild on custom itineraries of guided hikes and rides with gauchos (stopping for barbecues and mugs of herbal drink yerba maté). With 97% of the reserve dedicated to conservation, the adventures are endless.
The lodge itself sits lightly on the banks of Lake Pehoé (teeming with spectacle itself), with award-winning architecture, crafted from local materials, that doesn’t require air-conditioning. Local culture is reflected in authentic cuisine (and wines), and the stables where you’ll saddle up in native style. But when there are flamboyances of flamingoes at Jara Lagoon, lenga forests roamed by pumas and guanacos, and the mighty Paine ‘horns’ to gasp up at, you’ll be free-range for most of the trip.
Green revolution To ensure funding in perpetuity, the reserve is run on an investment model, where shareholders can — gently — build lodgings on the 3% of land used for tourism and research. Explora’s alliance with The Nature Conservancy has helped build a network of visiting scientists focused on conserving the biosphere and restoring any damaged zones; and children from local schools are often invited here on field trips.
THE RESPECT-FOR-ALL-LIFE RETREAT
SIX SENSES VANA, INDIA
The news that the Six Senses group of hotels is a B Corp will come as no surprise to anyone who’s stayed at one. They aren’t shy about their efforts to make travel purposeful and socially aware (as well as drop-dead decadent). Each outpost has its own Earth Lab to inspire guests to go greener and an organic kitchen garden (or full-on farm); all profits from the sale of region-specific soft toys (iguanas in Fiji, turtles in the Seychelles, goats in Oman) goes towards community outreach and wildlife preservation; and all strive for freedom from plastic, low-impact building and other pillars of environmentalism.
It’s hard to highlight just one, but Indian hideaway Six Senses Vana’s holistic approach and dedication to spiritual wellbeing gives it the edge. It’s designed for longer-term stays, where guests are given a personalised nutrition and wellness screening, then aim to achieve set intentions through Ayurveda, Tibetan Medicine, detoxing, yoga and sleep tracking. Nature is treated just as kindly: monkeys aren’t shooed away, mango and lychee trees grow undisturbed, and when bees set up a hive in one of the guest rooms, it was simply closed off. Visits from local schoolkids instill these values in the next generation, and thoughtfully designed, LEED-certified architecture and art made using reclaimed rubbish make this feel like a true refuge for all living things.
Green revolution The hotel’s home of Dehradun is also where several revered animals live. Through the hotel’s partnership with youth-driven NGO Nature’s Buddy and the Hari Om Ashram, Vana has helped to rescue, protect and shelter thousands of elephants and cows.
Upcycle your holiday with more sustainable stays and read all about how Smith achieved B Corp status