Best Family Owned Eco Hotels in the US

While eco-tourism is gaining widespread popularity among responsible travellers, eco-friendly accommodation facilities are on the rise. Across the world, sustainable family owned hotels and resorts are being operated to keep up with the pace at which environment-friendly travellers are trotting the globe.

The US houses some of the most impressive eco-hotels that offer a sustainable stay and a truly local experience.

The initial idea that led to the growth of eco hotels was originally more visualised with the lodges situated in the forest that offer a nature-oriented travel experience. Now, with an increase in air, water and soil pollution, many local hotels are opting for sustainability and opting for nature-friendly substitution of all their facilities and amenities.

At sustainable local hotels, often called green hotels, you can see the widespread use of renewable energy sources like solar energy and wind energy. Besides energy efficiency, these types of accommodation employ the best sustainable practices when it comes to water management, waste management, food and beverage management and so on.

Many green hotels across the globe are run by families. Sharing the same values, family members often come together to set up local hotels that adhere to stringent sustainability policies and make the world a better place. 

Here is a list of 3 such wonderful family-owned eco hotels across the US.

Sonnenalp Resort, Colorado

Rightly named Sonnenalp which translates into “sun on the mountains”, this sustainable family owned resort exudes warmth. The Faessler family owns and runs this luxury resort that is housed at the heart of Colorado’s Vail village.

In 2010, the Sonnenalp Resort became the first-ever resort in the state to achieve the Luxury Eco Certification Standard. In 2015, Sonnenalp solidified its reputation as an eco-friendly resort by obtaining the Actively Green certification. It was a drive by the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships to elevate the city’s community sustainability performance.

Guided by a philosophy of “People, Planet and Profit”, the Sonnenalp Resort follows a sustainability policy as a responsible business. 

A proud member of the Green Star Committee, this resort’s vision statement is to “identify wasted resources and to improve and educate our efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle.”

Click here to make your reservation at Sonnenalp Resort! 

Fairmont Hotel, San Fransisco

With an illustrious history of over a hundred years, the Fairmont Hotel has been family-owned over the decades. There have been shifts in ownership as time passed and different families have owned and operated this exquisite hotel in Nob Hill till Mirae Asset Global Investments got the ownership.

A forerunner in the Planet 21 initiatives, Fairmont is known among eco-friendly travellers to be one of the most sustainable stay options in San Francisco. Committed to proactively protecting the local environment, Fairmont supports honey bee health since 2008 by keeping bee hives on rooftop gardens. Today, the hotel is proud of its Bee Sustainable program which features more than 20 bee apiaries and wild pollinator bee hotels across the world.

San Francisco’s Fairmont has installed 4 beehives in the culinary garden that sprawls over a thousand square feet of onsite area. The program has been featured in New York Times, Zoomer and other notable publications.

Click here to make your reservation at Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco! 

St. Augustine Inn, Florida

Owned by Mike Walters and operated together with his son, Florida’s St. Augustine Inn is simple yet stylish and located right on the beach. Housed in the state’s oldest city, this accommodation is great for travellers who are looking to explore the city’s history and indulge in a local experience.

The family owned hotel is a part of the IHG Green Engage, a sustainability program of InterContinental Hotels Group. St. Augustine Inn refrains from the use of single-use plastic bottles for toiletries and plastic straws, doing its share for the planet.

Click here to make your reservation at St. Augustine Inn in Florida! 

If you wish to enjoy your stay at local hotels and cherish a memorable local experience, opt for one of the family-owned eco-hotels. Travel guilt-free while enjoying a lavish stay and contributing your bit to making the planet better. Whenever you travel, remember that there is no PLANet B.

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