- Ute Junker
The Green Zone
Why hotels are going back to nature. By Ute Junker.
Being a hotelier used to be easy. A certain natural charm, the ability to greet people in half a dozen languages and an unflappable demeanour were often enough to get you through. These days, hoteliers are expected to wrap their brains around a lot more, including the latest trends in neuroscience. Yes, really. Hotel companies are drawing on the findings of environmental neuroscientists to drive hotel design in a new direction.
With study after study showing the positive psychological effects of immersion in nature — from reducing anxiety to promoting calm and even reducing the risk of dementia — hotels are going green in a big way.
“Many hotels are building their properties around nature and with the environment in mind, as well as innovating in new ways to help guests bond deeper with the power of nature,” says Mark Wong, senior vice-president Asia-Pacific for Small Luxury Hotels of the World, whose portfolio includes everything from the alpine beauty of Forestis in northern Italy to the tropical Balinese hideaway Lost Lindenberg.
What nature-focused design looks like varies from property to property, but the overarching aim is to bring the outside in, or at least blur the line between the natural and the manmade. In an urban environment, that might mean greening a high-rise from the inside out; in the tropics, it could involve employing timber slats to allow in the evening breeze to cool you as you lie in bed. Here are four places that channel nature in exciting ways.
Italy
Mountain high
A stay at Forestis is not all about the view, although the spectacular panoramas are hard to ignore. Whether you’re sitting in the restaurant or lounging on your bed, those verdant pine forests and jagged mountain peaks framed through floor-to-ceiling windows are simply mesmerising.
What this boutique bolthole high in the Alps of South Tyrol is really about, however, is immersing yourself in nature. “Our spa services, the way we cook, the ingredients we pick in the forest and how we preserve food for the winter are all based on very natural methods,” says Teresa Hinteregger, who founded the hotel with her husband, Stefan.
The products used in the spa, for instance, draw on the four trees that flourish here:
mountain pine, spruce, larch and Swiss stone pine. “They have different active ingredients, frequencies and materials, and allow the human body to regenerate deeply,” Hinteregger says. The spa itself has glass walls that give you more of those glorious alpine vistas — even in some of the saunas. And there are plenty of activities to get you out and about in the surrounding woods and inhaling that pure air, including wyda hikes, which combine walking and wyda, or Celtic yoga.
Forestis is equally appealing in winter, sitting right in the heart of the Plose ski region, with its 45 kilometres of runs. But while a day on the slopes is beneficial to your health, Hinteregger says what’s even better for you is a good night’s sleep — and here, again, Forestis excels. “There is a real darkness at night up here in the mountains, with no light pollution nor any electrosmog, which in turn has an effect on the quality of sleep,” she says.
Mexico
A lake of many colours
Some say it’s the most beautiful spot in Mexico. Sit and watch Lake Bacalar for any amount of time and you will see its waters shimmering between an array of hues, from dark blue to lavender — hence its nickname, the Lagoon of Seven Colours.
Stretching 42 square kilometres, this tranquil lake is just one of the natural wonders found in this quiet corner of the state of Quintana Roo, four hours’ drive south from the bustling beaches of Cancún. The area is also home to a collection of rare stromatolites, thought to be one of the first forms of life to develop on the planet. No wonder, then, that local authorities prioritise low-impact development — and perhaps nowhere does it better than Boca de Agua.
The work of acclaimed Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, Boca de Agua’s latticework design delivers natural ventilation and shade. The hotel was built using sustainable hardwoods, and guest rooms are perched on pillars to minimise impact on the jungle floor. Not a single mangrove plant was removed or damaged during the build, and the hotel is actively involved in training and employing the local community.
Activities include everything from sunrise kayaking to visiting Mayan archaeological sites, but the hotel’s founder, Rodrigo Juarez, considers its location to be the greatest luxury. He says that spending time in nature was crucial to overcoming the crippling anxiety he once suffered from, and that Boca de Agua sits in the sweet spot where conservation meets mental health.
London
Urban jungle
Cold, shiny metal. That’s the look you expect to find in a hotel lift. London’s Treehouse Hotel, however, does things differently. Take the lift to your room and you’ll find yourself surrounded by the sort of wooden shingles more often seen atop an alpine chalet. Those same shingles pop up throughout the high-rise hotel, which transformed several floors of a Marylebone office block. There are plenty of other nature-inspired elements too, making Treehouse a real change of pace in a city that, despite its lush parks, is often experienced as a labyrinth of stone, concrete and steel.
Upon launching Treehouse, founder Barry Sternlicht — who also created the biophilic 1 Hotels brand — described it as offering “an oasis after a long day that at once refreshes, inspires and delights”. It’s a formula that could work just about anywhere, and new properties are slated to open in Manchester and California this year, with Miami and Adelaide to follow.
Treehouse London embraces nature in a playful way. Guests will find abundant plants, furniture made from recycled woods (room keys are made from the same material), a foliage-filled restaurant called Madera and an equally lush rooftop bar named The Nest. Relax watching the clouds drift across the sky as you savour a cocktail, or indulge your inner child with a turn on the tandem swing set — it’s up to you.
Bali
Surfing the green wave
No need for a white-noise machine to help you drift off at Lost Lindenberg, in Pekutatan. The sound of the breeze riffling the coconut palms surrounding your treetop accommodation is the ultimate lullaby, one which sends you swiftly to sleep each night.
Lost Lindenberg is one of a kind. Nothing about this Balinese outpost of a boutique German hotel group is predictable, least of all its location on the island’s quiet west coast, sitting between the mountains and a black-sand beach.
Guests walk through an eye-popping entrance to find themselves swathed in greenery. There are just eight guest suites, each perched atop 12-metre-high wooden watchtowers and linked by wooden walkways. Even inside your suite, the floor-to-ceiling windows and louvred bathroom walls keep the natural surroundings front and centre.
Some of Bali’s best surf breaks are found in the area and sessions with one of the resort’s surf pros are included in your rate, as are shuttles to various local surf spots for those who want to venture beyond the resort’s own break.
Lost Lindenberg is not a place you come to cocoon yourself. The plant-based meals are served at a communal table and friendships are formed while you breakfast on homemade banana bread or lunch on spinach tempura or hummus wraps. Dinners are a chance to explore local cuisine, with a different Indonesian region highlighted every evening, while a drink by the bonfire is the perfect end to the day.
This is an extract from an article that appears in print in our twelfth edition, Page 134 of Winning Magazine with the headline: “The Green Zone”. Subscribe to Winning Magazine today.
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