10 New Hotels for the Future Forward Traveler

By Jude Vargas, edited by Raeann Mason on 7.23.21

With most of us spending the last year or more at home, we’ve definitely had a lot of time to think about what adventures we want to experience as the world slowly opens up again.

Now, let’s figure out which hotels should be on our radar for when we can finally hit the road. As Future Forward Travelers, our new check-boxes are whether or not a property has Mother Earth in mind, besides noteworthy design. When they started construction, did they consider how they would impact the surrounding environment? What daily responsible practices are they implementing? There are so many different ways in which a property can be mindful of the planet.

With these questions in mind, we’ve put together a list of 10 hotels worth knowing about, which have opened this year or about to open.

Six Senses — Ibiza, Spain

Located on the northern side of Ibiza, away from the intensity of Ibiza Town, this new edition of the Six Senses umbrella is just opening up. With 116 rooms, it offers a wide range of options to stay in. It’s the first sustainable BREEAM certified resort on the Balearic Islands and is working with the Ibiza Preservation Fund. They are also generating 10% of their energy needs with 298 solar panels and using modern geothermal cooling systems.

The Rooster — Antiparos, Greece

This gorgeous slow living boutique hotel is catching the eye of a lot of travelers from around the world. They have only 16 suites and villas plus their farmhouse on property, making your experience truly intimate. Most of the water used by The Rooster comes from the ground below them and they have their own biological cleaning system. Instead of plastic bottles, they are refilling glass and recycling. We love that!

They chose to source the majority of the materials for construction from nearby sources and used traditional, local building techniques to make the hotel as sustainable as possible. We also can’t wait to try their dishes using fresh ingredients from their organic farm too!

Maslina Resort — Hvar, Croatia

Maslina is Croatia’s newest resort that is showing up in the right way. It took the time to reforest trees and protect the indigenous species on the land. Maslina believes in being sustainably-forward — they used natural and local materials and even reused many of the site’s original materials. Their in-room guest amenities are locally designed and made without plastics! All of this without skimping on design and aesthetics. We just found another reason to visit Croatia!

Six Senses Botanique — Mantiqueira, Brazil

Six Senses has always been a forward thinking brand and with their new property in Brazil they go even further. With only 13 individual villas, this incredible property was constructed with indigenous materials. It used a modular approach to be more eco-friendly and minimize the environmental impact. With seven water springs found inside the property, Botanique is capable of bottling their own mineral water. They even have a water treatment station in order to return clean water back into nature. Again another property using less plastic!

Treeful Treehouse Sustainable Resort — Okinawa, Japan

Who hasn’t wanted to stay in a treehouse since they were a kid? Treeful Treehouse in Japan has made our childhood dreams possible with the kind of attention to detail that Japan is known for. Before construction they removed concrete in the area to allow nature to take over once again, restoring the natural landscape. They operate without the use of fossil fuels and are producing more electricity with solar energy than is actually used. Sign us up please!

The Pavilions — Anana Krabi, Thailand 

Thailand, one of those countries that sparked so many to become a backpacker during or after university. Now that most have graduated from that lifestyle and opt for less rugged accommodations, we can check out The Pavilions Anana Krabi when we want to reset and recharge. This property is committed to using regenerative practices: composting and water conservation, growing many of the ingredients used in their restaurant, running solar-powered long tail boats to guide folks through the local mangrove rivers and filling their 35 meter pool with mineral-rich local volcanic mountain water.

Xigera Safari Lodge — Botswana 

Going on a safari can change your relationship with nature and make you realize how important each species is for the animal kingdom’s ecosystem. You can do just that at Xigera Safari Lodge in Botswana, which has committed to projecting the ecology of the Delta and our oceans, partnering with GreenWave and Project Vesta. The lodge has also committed to using eco-friendly solutions when possible to minimize its carbon emissions. Plus they created a partnership with Wild Entrust Africa, a social enterprise and community outreach program with the local Habu community. We really appreciate properties that value community and make an effort to pay it forward.

Casa di Langa — Cerretto Langhe, Italy 

Italy is one of those countries we fall in love with again and again. Casa di Langa gives us yet another reason to open our hearts to Italy. The hotel uses 100% recycled water and with limited fresh water resources, we love this effort. It has geothermal heating throughout the property and also has eliminated the use of single-use plastics. Who wants to meet us here?

Patina Hotel — Maldives, Fari Islands

The newest hotel in the Maldives is definitely catching our attention. It checks all the boxes for what we want when making the long journey to these beautiful islands. It is leading the way for marine conservation in the area, while going a step forward by partnering with marine rehabilitation centers. They source and bottle their own drinking water, thus eliminating single use plastics one step further. Plus, they’ve made commitments towards a reliance on renewable energy.

Tree Houses — Dawson Lakes, West Virginia, USA

Tree Houses is set to open later this year in Dawson Lakes, West Virginia. The architects from Peter Pichler, a firm based in Milan, Italy, are designing the first luxury resort to meet the guidelines for the Living Building Challenge. The structures are to meet the net-zero energy and environmental impact guidelines of the challenge with each having an individual rainwater collection tank and geothermal heat pumps. Their aim is to get you reconnected with nature without forfeiting luxury. By the looks of the rendering, we think they might just achieve it.

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