Sustainable Design in the Tourism Industry

In line with the sustainable orientation of our Green PearlsⓇ partners, the „well-being of people” is usually defined by the hotels and holiday accommodations in such a way that design acts as a link between people and nature. This includes natural materials, green roofs, long-distance views, and playing with the elements. In this newsletter, we present a number of different design concepts, approaches, and detailed solutions of the sustainable tourism industry.

To start with, we would like to highlight our Green PearlsⓇ partner, CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt. The Alpine Swiss hotel was recently awarded the German Design Award 2023 for its „ambiance designed for well-being” in the category „Interior Architecture”. According to the jury, it succeeded in „combining regionality, sustainability, and nature on a luxurious level”.

The CERVO Mountain Resort itself explains the design concept as follows: ” A view of the outside world, yet closely connected to the immediate surroundings”. The environment and the view are of course fantastic in Zermatt – the resort has a direct view of the Matterhorn.

These days, we do not look into the distance often enough. Instead, our eyes have „screen stress”, which significantly affects eye health. A number of studies show that the eye relaxes when looking into the distance.

Conceptual physician Dr. Andreas Färber is not only the owner of the Klosterhof Alpine Hideaway & Spa, in Bavaria, but also runs the Artemacur Health Centre there. When designing the hotel, it was very important to both him and his wife that the architecture enhances overall well-being. In addition to the large wellness area, this includes various long-distance viewing areas. For example, there is a panorama sauna with a view of the vast nature, or a sofa in the library which was deliberately placed so that the guests can enjoy the distant vistas.

Another architectural trend is to let as much light as possible into the rooms. No matter what lumen intensities and colors of light we can realize with LEDs today, the human eye sees best in sunlight.

At the sustainable luxury resort Keemala in Thailand, the villas and suites were built so that sunlight illuminates the rooms naturally. This is part of the overall concept of „Harmony with nature” and at the same time sustainable, as electricity is saved.

Part of the biophilic design trend is to surround people with as much nature as possible. In addition to air and light, this also includes water and plants. Timber as a material has a special significance. It is a naturally grown raw material that lives on as a piece of furniture and offers a positive influence on the room’s climate. What is important here is that it is solid wood and has a natural finish.

At Gut Guntrams near Vienna, three garden lofts „float” some three meters above the apple trees. During construction, the focus was on implementing modern timber architecture that blends into the landscape without obstructing the view. Inside, „calm” (without many knots) spruce timber was chosen. Since the wood is untreated, it can breathe and releases the calming scent of the essential oils contained in the wood into the ambient air. From the outside, the lofts have seamless pine cladding that has only been treated with eco-friendly acetic acid.

An almost 300-year-old tree slice in the lobby of the Naturhotel Outside in a prime Alpine location in Tyrol is the hotel’s signature design element. The ash tree grew here as early as 1725! Regional materials such as stone, leather, and wood are part of the straightforward design concept of the Naturhotel.

The timber of the ADLER Lodge RITTEN comes from European varieties such as larch, spruce, and fir. Only timber from sustainable forestry with the FSC or PEFC seal has been used, and it has been crafted by master carpenter Michl Harder, especially for the ADLER Lodge by hand in his Seiser carpentry workshop in South Tyrol. He has been working for the 5-star hotel for 20 years and guests can see his signature in every corner of the resort: the wooden ceiling in the lobby, the wood-clad lift in the Main Lodge, and the wooden furnishings in the wooden chalets.

While forests and therefore timber are typical features of South Tyrol, things are different in the south of Italy. At the ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA in Sicily, many rooms are lined on the inside with terracruda (raw earth/clay). This is not only a natural building material, but also a moisture regulator typical of the country, as the material stores moisture and releases it again when it is dry. Furthermore, tuff stone is often used in the various buildings of the resort. The volcanic rock is found in Sicily around the volcano Etna. Tuff stone keeps rooms warm in winter and cool in summer. The natural materials chosen are therefore not only sustainable and regional but also energy-efficient.

Even if it is not as warm in Austria as it is in Sicily, natural climate regulation makes sense here too. The new natural rooms and suites at Hotel Klosterbräu, Tyrol, now also feature clay walls. In addition, the existing wood has been reused! „We tend not to be minimalist,” says the owner family Seyrling. Instead, they like to use vintage objects, such as the ancient church bell at the new outdoor pool.

As far as room furnishings are concerned, many of our partners maintain a mix of styles combining modern furnishings and antiques. At the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu, the main house and rooms are furnished in traditional Alpine style with antique furniture from the region, while the wellness area Mountain Spring Spa has sleek, modern architecture.

There is also a mix of styles and a great deal of art at Gut Sonnenhausen south of Munich. Landlord Georg Schweisfurth is an art collector, author, and eco-pioneer with heart and soul. The manor house offers a casual atmosphere around the works of art. To establish the regional reference, there are originally restored farm cupboards in the renovated farmhouse.

In keeping with the view of Neuschwanstein Castle and the Bavarian royal castles, the décor at Hotel Das Rübezahl is „romantic and regal” with a mix of modern-alpine. The boutique spa hotel is therefore also considered a Romantic Hideaway.

Another equally romantic property is the Relais del Maro in Northern Italy, which Elena Scalambrin built as an Albergo Diffuso in the picturesque village of Borgomaro in several houses from her childhood. Guests stay here among the villagers in various rooms – the furnishings include restored furniture from Elena’s grandmother.

In Peru, you can find authentic Inca masks at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, a sustainable and modern 5-star hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The hacienda-style hotel is located near Cusco and Machu Picchu and showcases the cultural history of the region with handcrafted woodwork. Some of the furniture dates back to colonial times and could be seen in a museum!

The atmosphere at Eco-Hotel Okelmann’s in Lower Saxony is similarly private. Here, the interior design is how the Okelmann family themselves prefer it to be. „Nowhere else looks like our place,” says the family, who also have handmade oak cabinets from great-grandma Okelmann’s dowry in the hotel. New furniture is crafted in the local carpenter’s workshop.

„At the Rehlegg, you will find great furniture made of old timber or in some cases, real antiques in almost every corner and every room,” describes our partner, the Berghotel Rehlegg. The hotel is about 30 minutes away from Salzburg and is located in the middle of the Berchtesgaden Alpine National Park. In keeping with the alpine culture, you will find checked bed linen, traditional wooden stools, and stag antlers on the wall at the Berghotel. The highlight is that the traditional items are given a modern touch by being placed in large, light-flooded rooms.

The mixture of old and new was also a challenge for Christa and Matthias Schulze Dieckhoff, who transformed an existing 1970s building into the modern Hotel STURM. They succeeded in doing so in collaboration with the Nuremberg architect Prof. Dipl. Eng. Matthias Loebermann, who, among other things, gave the building the Paravent-like Loebermann façades for which the architect is known today. (The STURM has also been an important project for Professor Loebermann, who likes to include it in his portfolio).

In the interior design of the STURM, new colors and special lighting, for example, help the preserved Swiss stone pine parlor with cabin seating and tiled stove to look „fresh and homely at the same time” today.

Some of our Green PearlsⓇ partners connect their accommodation with the environment by letting the interior design reflect nature. At the boutique hotel Casa León Royal Retreat in Gran Canaria, for example, the color scheme is coordinated with the elements of sand, sea, and mountains.

At Paradiso Pure.Living in South Tyrol, Italy, the aim is to express the „natural beauty of the unique surroundings” in interior design. The hotel is located at 2020 meters above sea level on the Alpe di Siusi in the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. The pieces of furniture and lighting designed especially for the hotel are intended to convey „tranquillity” and „craftsmanship”.

The connection to Far Eastern design concepts is also intriguing for some hotels. In the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA in Bad Herrenalb, the entire hotel is designed according to Feng Shui principles. „Feng” and „Shui” are Chinese for „wind” and „water”. Fundamental to Feng-Shui is that the life energy „Chi” can flow unhindered through spaces and thus keeps them vibrant, which should provide guests (regardless of whether they believe or not) with a positive atmosphere and sense of well-being.

Feng Shui is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). There is even a special TCM by KURFÜRST institute for this at the LIFESTYLE Resort zum Kurfürsten on the Mosel. Colors and shapes are also chosen here so that the „Chi” flows freely through the rooms. Visually, owner Heiner Buckermann describes the style of the hotel as „retro-chic-stylish”.

As a last important design trend, we would like to introduce upcycling, which we particularly endorse due to its high degree of sustainability. In the Hotel Weihrerhof on the Ritten, South Tyrol, the furniture is to be upcycled in 2023 for the first time during the planned hotel renovation. „Let’s see how this goes down with our guests,” says host Klaus Pichler, „but we are convinced of the idea.

Klaus Förtsch has been active in the eco-movement at the Creativhotel Luise in Erlangen since the 1980s and is considered one of the pioneers of sustainable hotels in Germany. Upcycling and recycling also have a high priority for his son Ben Förtsch in the green city hotel. In the new Zimmer 20 Lounge, guests will find homemade furniture made from timber offcuts, decorations made from old beer barrels, lamps made from former wine bottles, a shelf made from old drawers, and other unique accessories. „We do a lot ourselves in order to use what we already have and to pursue the idea of recycling,” says the Creativhotel.

As you can see: Creative design solutions for the „well-being of people”, as International Design Day calls for, are in abundance at the Green PearlsⓇ properties. We hope we have been able to inspire you with our selection. You may copy, use, and publish parts of this press newsletter. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.