Sustainable hotel practices in Yucatan Peninsula
Find out what hotels in Yucatan Peninsula have been doing to become more sustainable.
The most popular sustainable hotel practices we usually see are the option for guests to reuse towels and sheets for couple of days in order to save water, shampoo and soap available in big dispensers to avoid plastic, and key-cards that control the light and air conditioning for example to save energy. But the hotels sustainable initiatives can go far beyond that.
With the help of Sustentur and Quintana Roo Tourism Board, I had the opportunity to get to know some hotels in Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, that have been working on daily basis to become more sustainable.
The hotels below can be an inspiration for all of us.
By knowing what type of sustainable practices hotels can have, travellers can encourage the hotels around the globe to implement them.
These initiatives may also give hotel owners some insights of practices that they can implement.
Let’s check it out what these 6 hotels in Yucatan Peninsula have been doing in order to cause less impact to the environment, society and economy:
1. Eco Hotel El Rey Del Caribe
The Eco Hotel El Rey del Caribe was one of the first hotels in Cancun. And since the beginning, the owner Araceli Domínguez decided to make an ecological concept a reality.
Araceli’s love for the planet is so big that she is even the leader of an environmental group called Grupo Ecologista del Mayab (GEMA), where she helps protecting the environment of Riviera Maya.
Recycling and composting are part of their hotel routine, they even receive students twice a week to teach them how to have sustainable practices at home.
They reforested the area with native plants and trees, as you can see in the picture below. It is incredible to be at this peaceful place right in the middle of downtown.
Their solar laundry dryer is capable to dry 21 sheets per hour.
At this eco-hotel you can also find products from local communities to purchase.
2. Selina Cancun Laguna Hotel Zone
The concept of Selina ins’t only cool because of the yoga classes and the fact they have a co-working space for example.
Did you know that Selina dedicates 2% of their labor time in order to help local communities?
The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Selina Cancun Laguna Hotel Zone was that the water was served in paper cone cups. It was the first time I found them in an accommodation.
To save energy Selina have solar panels and accommodate people in the same towers as much as they can.
They also implemented LED light bulbs all over the place.
3. Paradisus Cancun
Paradisus Cancun is a luxury resort located in Cancun that besides providing a great family environment has programs and initiatives aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Besides not using single use plastics, two other initiatives called my attention:
They recycle soaps that are left by the guests and give them to local communities. This is a project called Soap for Hope.
And they have a sea turtle protection program.
4. The Fives Azul Beach Resort
The Fives Azul Beach Resort is an all-inclusive luxury beachfront resort located in Playa Del Carmen that is working on being more and more sustainable.
It is nice to see how they are helping the guests to become more responsible travellers by sharing some information in a pamphlet at the room.
Have you ever thought that you could reuse the wood from the hotel construction to decorate a place? They did it in their tequila bar, and turned out great.
The sargassum collected daily at the beach is sent to a company that produces biofuel.
Besides that, they also reuse the laundry water, only use biodegradable cleaning products and have their own water treatment system.
5. Las Nubes de Holbox
Las Nubes de Holbox is a luxury hotel in Holbox with an authentic commitment to sustainability.
Bárbara Hernandez is the owner of the hotel, is also part of an organisation called Fundación Pedro y Elena Hernandez that work to rescue and preserve the natural beauties of Mexico.
Bárbara has been reforesting the hotel area since she bought it, and have been implementing several initiatives.
The employees of Las Nubes are trained by MAR Fund to learn about sustainable practices, after all, people only protect what they know.
The products you will see at the hotel are bought from local communities and they produce their bread in house daily.
They also have their own water treatment and don’t use single use plastic.
6. Hotel Eco Boutique Makaabá
Makaabá is a brand new eco boutique hotel located in Bacalar. Allan Patiño have already considered sustainable tourism initiatives since the hotel was just an idea.
They implemented a natural wastewater treatment system, a rainwater reuse system and a natural pool filtration system.
Windows designed to bring in more light and wind into the rooms and sensor lightning were installed in order to save energy.
Besides that, they have a garden for the hotel consumption and only offer organic food in the restaurant.
Do you have other sustainable hotel practices to recommend? Please leave a comment below =)
Cheers,
Elaine Villatoro
Read also:
- Yucatán Península: 10 greatest things to do
- 21 best Mayan Ruins to visit in Mexico
- Responsible Tourism: 8 tips to become a responsible traveler
- How to reduce waste while traveling
- Wildlife Tourism: The impact of wildlife selfies and 8 tips for an ethical wildlife tourism