Published on : Monday, June 3, 2019
Making choices about how, when, and where you go on holiday can make a significant difference. So, this Earth Day, Expedia analysed its global bank of over eight million traveller reviews from 2018 to find the key hot spots for eco-travellers.
Delving deep into sentiment, the global data showed the 10 best sustainable hotel choices around the world as reviewed by Expedia travellers*. From boutiques with beehives and resorts with rainwater recycling, to grand urban retreats with solar cell power, many of these amazing places show that luxury and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.
Sherwood, a self-described community hotel, situated on three acres of rolling alpine hillside, overlooking Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown was one of only two hotels in the Southern Hemisphere to feature.
The 80-room hotel features an award-winning restaurant (one of only two hotel restaurants to be listed in NZ’s top 100), bar and music venue, yoga studio, film production and co-working facilities and is complemented by a large kitchen garden managed under organic principles.
So just how did the unlikely hi-jack of a mid-eighties, mock-Tudor motor-inn by a group of friends result in one of the world’s most sustainable hotels?
Sherwood founder / director Adam Smith states, “We believe kaitiakitanga (the Māori philosophy of environmental guardianship) – and a simple respect for nature, lie at the heart of any sustainable practice. This philosophy has underpinned every choice we’ve made – from the approach taken to the hotel’s refurbishment, to key operational decisions such as where we draw our energy from and how we treat our waste.”
“Our natural environment and landscape are the reason the vast majority of people choose to live and travel here so for us it’s just common sense that we operate our business in a way that will protect and enhance it for generations to come.”
This has been overlaid with the business’s parallel value of manaakitanga, showing respect and generosity towards others, which underpins all true hospitality.
Fellow director and co-founder Sam Chapman states, “our business is nothing without people, so operating a business that shows genuine respect for our guests, our community and our staff is fundamental to our ongoing success”.
“Whilst we had never operated a hotel before, we drew on a single human insight from our own personal experience travelling, to inform Sherwood. This being; nobody wants to feel like a tourist when they travel.”
“The simplest way to ensure we were offering our guests a truly authentic experience was through building community. By making Sherwood a hub for the local community our guests are able to participate and in doing so, gain a deeper understanding of place and culture through our food, music and educational programming.”
The Sherwood staff have been provided a real boost with the award. “This is a great result for the team who have been instrumental in driving the sustainability programme over the last five years and we are always seeking incremental improvements” says Operations Manager Liane Leesment.
“We’ve always believed that a good idea can come from anyone on the team, and many of the initiatives have come from the housekeepers, receptionists, waiters and chefs solving problems at the front line.”
SHERWOOD’S 10 MOST IMPACTFUL SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES
Source:- Tourism New Zealand
Tags: Tourism New Zealand