Check into these properties for innovative ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, recycle waste, plant trees and more.
Despite the many benefits of travel, there's no denying it has adverse impacts as well, including on the environment. From the greenhouse gases emitted by heating and cooling hundreds of rooms to the countless tiny plastic shampoo bottles that end up in landfills, hotels are a major player in the travel industry's environmental footprint.
But just as travelers are becoming increasingly aware of their adverse impacts, so are hotels. Many properties have taken small steps to reduce their impact, like installing smart thermostats or switching to large, refillable shampoo bottles. Every little bit counts, of course, but some properties are going even further.
Here are 15 hotels leading the way in eco-consciousness — and the best part? You can book a stay at one of these fantastic properties using points.
Related: The destinations doing sustainable tourism right
Named after a local species of mountain goat, this ski hotel is nestled in the car-free, sustainability-minded village of Saas-Fee in the Swiss Alps. It shrinks its carbon footprint by participating in Saas-Fee's local geothermal heating network and sourcing over 85% of its food and wine from nearby producers.
The Capra is bookable with points through World of Hyatt's partnership with Mr & Mrs Smith. Nightly rates start at $507 or 40,000 Hyatt points and typically include shuttle transfers from the bus station or the parking lot at the village entrance.
Centrally located on Pennsylvania Avenue across from Freedom Plaza, JW Marriott Washington D.C. is equipped with solar panels that generate roughly 20% of its annual energy needs — saving 800,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, 10,000 therms of natural gas and 750 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Plus, its in-house restaurant practices "menu engineering" to reduce carbon emissions and food waste, composts its scraps and recycles 100% of its cooking oil into biofuel.
Rates start around $200 or 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, or you could redeem a 50,000-point free night certificate.
Related: The best Washington, DC, hotels to stay in when visiting the US capital
This luxurious retreat is perfect for nature lovers, and not just because it's in the heart of Costa Rica's rainforest. Tabacon Thermal Resort also holds a prestigious five-leaf sustainability rating from the Costa Rican Tourism Board.
The property uses hydroelectric and solar power to supply 75% of its electricity needs. It also contributes to reforestation programs and wildlife monitoring to safeguard its nearly 600 acres of land, and the many rare species that live there.
Rates start around $400 per night; a standard room reward will set you back 105,000 Hilton Honors points.
Related: How to visit Costa Rica with points and miles
Fifty years after this brutalist building was designed by Czech architect Karel Filsak, it was turned into a hotel and retrofitted with enough eco-friendly features to earn it a Michelin Green Key. Upgrades include green roofs and vertical gardens (irrigated by a rainwater-capture system) as well as rooftop beehives, joining citywide initiatives to reduce heat by cultivating a microclimate.
Between geothermal boreholes and heat recovered from hotel operations, such as kitchen appliances and air conditioning, Fairmont Golden Prague boasts 98% sustainable cooling and 47% sustainable heating.
This ALL Accor property is bookable starting from $337 or about 16,000 points per night.
Before laying the first stilt, this overwater bungalow resort commissioned five independent environmental assessments to minimize its impact on the surrounding land and water.
Now, the off-grid, 100% solar-powered resort is taking it a step further by installing new coral habitat and planting coral frags from heat-resistant strains — and guests can actively participate through guided snorkel and dive excursions. The project's final phase, planned for 2027, will introduce "the world's first net nature positive floating villas" designed to "leave the surrounding ocean healthier, more biodiverse, and more resilient than before."
Nayara Bocas del Toro is a member of the new (and surprisingly valuable) Amex transfer partner Leading Hotels of the World. You can book an overwater villa for $2,432 or 26,188 Leaders Club points (105,000 Amex points) per night for a stellar value of 2.3 cents apiece.
Opened in 2025 inside the new LEED-certified Umekita Park, Waldorf Astoria Osaka has all the opulence guests have come to expect from Hilton's flagship luxury brand, plus some green touches.
At the in-house teppanyaki restaurant, Michelin-starred Chef Junichi Yoshida sources ingredients from local producers, including sustainably harvested salmon and prawns from a network of Japanese fishermen. You'll find no single-use plastics on the property; in lieu of plastic bags, staffers wrap guest laundry in traditional (and compostable) unryu paper, made from mulberry fibers.
Rates start around $510 or 120,000 Honors points per night, making this a great place to redeem your Hilton free night certificates.
Related: How to travel to Japan with points and miles
The 72-room Como Parrot Cay sits on a private island, much of it a nature preserve. The hotel's Marine Conservation Trust helps steward this with projects like tracking whitetip sharks (guests can "adopt" one to follow their movements) and mapping the undersea acoustic landscape.
On land, a state-of-the-art compost machine turns the resort's food scraps into high-quality mulch, which goes back to the onsite gardens to nourish produce destined for the kitchen. The resort uses glass bottles instead of plastic, then recycles all of its glass waste into products like paving stones. It also aims to shrink its shipping footprint — a natural challenge for island locales — by buying local first and, for things that must be imported, prioritizing suppliers that adhere to its sustainable purchasing policy.
Como Parrot Cay is a member of Chase's The Edit and Points Boost, so eligible cardholders can stretch their Chase Ultimate Rewards further here. For example, you could redeem points for this two-night stay for a solid value of 1.65 cent apiece.
Deep in Italy's UNESCO World Heritage-inscribed Piedmont wine hills lies a carbon-neutral resort with as much character as it has eco-friendly features.
Casa di Langa is built partly into the hillside so that the ground helps regulate indoor temperatures, while geothermal piping supplies the remainder of its heating and cooling needs. The all-electric resort (down to the last tractor) gets around 20% of its power from photovoltaic panels and the rest from certified renewable sources.
Casa di Langa is open seasonally from late March or early April to mid-January. Rates start from around $500 or 100,000 points per night.
Related: Best ways to visit Italy on points and miles
Built from recycled steel by former Quito mayor Roque Sevilla, Mashpi Lodge filters its own water and makes its own hydroelectricity in the foothills of Ecuador's Andes. It offsets its remaining carbon emissions with the plants growing on its 6,000-acre cloud forest, which is continually expanding as the hotel purchases and protects more land.
Rooms at this Mr & Mrs Smith property start at $1,469 or 117,000 World of Hyatt points per night based on double occupancy. Prices include meals, snacks and the services of a local guide.
The 1Hotel brand is known for being green, and its Australian outpost is no exception. The building is LEED Silver certified and targeting LEED Gold, the second-highest level available (out of four).
The building's construction prioritized recycled and reclaimed materials, such as restored steel trusses and window frames, timber sourced from abandoned wharfs and nearly 2,000 repurposed paving stones. It continues to mitigate waste in its day-to-day operations, with advanced heat recovery systems to curb energy use, elimination of single-use plastics and diversion of 90% of its food