Planning where to spend your summer vacation is exciting all on its own, but deciding to travel with purpose can add an additional level of fulfillment to your trip. Traveling with purpose can mean traveling with certain goals in mind, be they goals for self-care, self-enrichment to learn something new, or a selfless journey to assist another person or community. As you choose your goals and destinations this summer, consider accommodations that support the environment and try to minimize their impact on the world.
Hotels can incorporate eco-friendly practices in a number of ways. One of the best ways to do so is to use sustainable building materials, such as ceramic tile. Ceramic tile’s composition of naturally occurring materials, coupled with unparalleled durability and energy efficiency, make it one of the most environmentally friendly flooring choices available. Compared to other flooring products that need to be replaced more frequently, ceramic tile’s long life means it is both cost-effective and a smart choice for reducing embodied carbon, as well as other negative environmental impacts, such as resource use, and demolition waste. Many tile options are made from recycled and regional materials, reducing the energy and emissions that come from long-distance shipping. Using ceramic tile in construction can also qualify for LEED green building requirements.
Did we mention that tile is beautiful? Ceramic tile’s infinite design options ensure you a breathtaking home away from home. There are tile options for floors, walls, bathrooms, outdoor spaces, and even ceilings! This versatility allows architects and designers to create healthy, luxurious spaces that are easy to keep clean and maintain an impeccable appearance.
Hotels around the world are embracing tile to beautify and strengthen their investment, improve the experiences of their guests and care responsibly for our planet. Here are just a handful of our favorite green options for your 2019 summer destinations.
Hotel Felix
Chicago, IL
From the moment you step into the lobby, Hotel Felix reassures you that it takes the environment — and its interior decor — seriously, with a sleek and expansive tile grid in bamboo brown.
How Else Does Hotel Felix Support the Environment?
Hotel Felix’s low energy usage, use of recycled materials, and paperless front desk are just a few of the things that made it the first eco-friendly hotel in Chicago to receive a Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Read more about Hotel Felix’s green benefits on their website.
Four Seasons
North America | Central & South America | Europe | Middle East & Africa | Asia & Pacific
Ready to start relaxing? Engage your senses at this Four Seasons resort by feeling the water and blue mosaic tile against your skin while gazing on the tropical beauty of Bora Bora. Rest assured that the surface you’re resting against doesn’t harm the nature you’re admiring.
How Else Does Four Seasons Support the Environment?
Four Seasons is dedicated to preserving and protecting the planet by engaging in sustainable practices that reduce their environmental impact and conserve natural resources. These practices largely vary by location, but one world-wide initiative is their Greening Meetings program, which provides meeting planners with environmentally friendly options for their events at no additional cost. Read more about Four Seasons’ eco-friendly practices on their website.
Viceroy Hotels
United States | Latin America & Carribean | Europe & Asia
After a day of relaxing by the pool or exploring new sites, return to your Viceroy Hotel to freshen up for the evening. With green subway tile walls and a black and white checkerboard tile floor, this bathroom will have you inspired to make a style statement yourself and feeling good about the materials you use.
How Else Do Viceroy Hotels Support the Environment?
Viceroy Hotels’ sustainable practices vary by location. For example, Viceroy Snowmass was awarded a Gold LEED certification for its design incorporating energy savings, low-flow fixtures, green housekeeping, waste management, and commitment to using sustainable products.
Hyatt
United States & Canada | Carribean & Latin America | Europe | Africa & Middle East | Asia
We suspect that your dinner might taste even better just because it was prepared in this gorgeous kitchen at one of the Hyatt’s locations in China, featuring glossy white subway tile on the back wall. In addition to being a green choice for a wall material, tile is inhospitable to allergens such as bacteria, mold, fungi, and dust mites, making it a healthy option for kitchens.
How Else Does the Hyatt Support the Environment?
The Hyatt aligns its practices with four of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: avoid wasting water; use only energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs; recycle paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum; and educate young people on climate change to put them on a sustainable path.
The hotel also collects and analyzes sustainability data from hotels around the world to find areas for improvement, works to reduce waste (food and otherwise), and educates hotel owners and developers to help them build more sustainably.
Hotel Terra Jackson Hole
Teton Village, WY
Surrounded by national parks and forests, Hotel Terra Jackson Hole is the perfect place to stay while experiencing some of our country’s most beautiful sights. After a day of exploring, have a drink and breathe easy knowing that the bar’s pearly tile backsplash doesn’t negatively impact the environment you came to admire.
How Else Does Hotel Terra Jackson Hole Support the Environment?
Hotel Terra Jackson Hole is a LEED-Silver certified hotel and participates in a number of sustainable practices, including the use of natural and organic mattresses, recycled steel, and aluminum water bottles.
Bardessono
Yountville, CA
Who says you can’t cozy up to a fire in the summer? A day of enjoying the wine country surrounding Bardessono Hotel will leave you in just the right mood for this. Luckily, your room’s fireplace is surrounded by ceramic tile, which is both flame-resistant and easy on the environment. With its distressed look and brickwork pattern, it’s also easy on the eyes!
How Else Does Bardessono Support the Environment?
Bardessono describes its environmental efforts as “aggressive,” believing that a fully luxurious guest experience can be green at the same time. The hotel was designed to meet the requirements for a Platinum LEED certification, the highest LEED standard possible. Some of the hotel’s initiatives include a recycling and composting program, low water usage, an underground geothermal system for heating and cooling, a guest garden, and hidden solar panels so that almost no off-site energy is used.
Get Ready to Travel With Tile
Which one of these 2019 summer destinations has you packing your bags? If you’re still searching for the perfect place, be sure to read up on a potential hotel’s eco-friendly practices before booking. No matter where your destination takes you, remember to be aware of how your decisions impact the environment.
See some photo-worthy tile during your trip? Share it with us using the #travelwithtile hashtag!
