Sustainability and social impact are higher than ever on holidaymakers' bucket lists. We look at some of the dream destinations where you can enjoy a luxury stay and give back
Words: Bridget Arsenault
When it comes to luxury travel, what does it mean to care? Who cares and how, about impact and emissions, authenticity and appropriation? How do you visit sensitive areas responsibly? How do you choose which hotels and resorts to support? Where and how we travel matters, and today, for many companies, pursuing social and environmental goals is baked into the business model. Add to that, as high-end travellers think more about quality and the experience they are buying into, why we travel and where we choose to stay becomes a reflection of our values.
It's why so many hotel groups and travel operators are finding new ways to build meaningful holidays for guests, listening to and learning from researchers and community leaders to create lasting impact. Beyond the acres of skiable terrain in Park City, Utah, the Auberge Collection's The Lodge at Blue Sky is home to the Auberge concert series, where artists such as Luke Grimes, LeAnn Rimes and Grammy-nominated Noah Cyrus have performed intimate acoustic concerts benefiting the Saving Gracie Equine Healing Foundation.
Combining music and philanthropy, the foundation rescues and rehabilitates neglected and abused horses, while providing equine-assisted therapy to community members in need. Etéreo, another Auberge Collection hotel on Mexico's Riviera Maya, runs a series of environmental conservation efforts, protecting swathes of green mangroves alongside local species such as warblers and turtles.
Meanwhile, the hotel's Enriching Lives philosophy translates to supporting local producers and suppliers, while integrating the rich Mayan culture into daily activities. Also located in the Riviera Maya is Rosewood Mayakoba, built along a swirl of blue and green lagoons and a mile-long curve of white-sand beach).
Throughout its 18-year history, Rosewood has led a series of charitable initiatives, most recently supporting the Centro Educativo K'in Beh, a bilingual school for local children. The hotel's support ranges from delivering school supplies to tuition resources and scholarship programmes. Elsewhere, the team at Rosewood Mayakoba seeks to right the wrongs of coral reef bleaching, rising water temperatures, chemicals in sunscreens and other pollutants through its Amigos del Mar diving initiatives.
Among the scenic highlights in Uganda, the Gorilla Forest Lodge, an idyllic trekking base deep within the biodiverse Bwindi Impenetrabl Forest, supports the Bwindi community, surrounding wildlife and the forest itself, including investing in the Bwindi Community Hospital and Nursing School, improving healthcare and education for nearby families. Another memorable initiative, the Bindi Women's Bicycle Enterprise, empowers women through sustainable transport and economic independence.
With its abundant wildlife and pristine vistas, a real discovery can be found at Semliki Safari Lodge in the Toro Semliki wildlife reserve, where WildPlaces Africa can arrange a family reunion of sorts – a day with a chimp (our closest living relative). Add to that, WildPlaces works with reformed poachers, retrained as guides and rangers, leading vital and educational anti-snaring trips – locating, documenting and removing illegal snares from a ribbon of hills, lakes and otherwise untouched plains.
Amid the craggy mountains, beaches and backwaters of southern India, Kerala's Tulah Clinical Wellness (opening in February) is committed to social impact, not just through its external initiatives but also with its integrative healthcare, blending ancient healing practices with clinical protocols.
Above: photo credits ©richardschultz2018
Well-known to the local community, among his catalogue of accomplishments, Tulah's founder Faizal Kottikollon steered the Meitra Hospital, India's first modular healthcare facility, built in just 18 months in collaboration with doctors from the Cleveland Clinic.
Much closer to home, the Newt in Somerset focuses its efforts on the hyperlocal. A 10-minute drive through patchwork fields is the cobbled market town of Castle Cary, where the Newt supports the local football club, funding construction of a new pitch, sponsoring sports kit for the youth team and building the Pavilion – a community hub that celebrates the power of play.
Alongside daily initiatives such as matched funding for Castle Cary coffee mornings throughout the year; parking subsidies for residents, businesses and visitors; and Christmas lights sponsorship for Bruton, it employs a full-time community liaison and village steward and has supported Castle Cary town council with an annual donation to create hanging baskets and green areas throughout the town and planters at the railway station.
We live in a world where traditional philanthropy is changing. Businesses are more focused on connecting with their environs, working with communities and putting their voice and time into programmes rather than simply signing blank cheques.
