Rethinking Sustainable Hotel Growth in Emerging Destinations
The piece argues hotels must move beyond "extractive hospitality" by integrating local vendors and communities as economic partners rather than excluding them from tourism spaces.
Opinion Articles
Ibiti: A Living Proof That Regenerative Hospitality Works
In the heart of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, that question has already been answered. Ibiti Projeto stands as living proof that regenerative hospitality is not a far-off dream but a reality. Over 40 years, it has transformed once-degraded land into a thriving biodiversity refuge, while creating opportunities for local people to become entrepreneurs and stewards of their own future.My recent immersion there was a reminder that regeneration is not an abstract ideal - it’s a tangible force that can transform landscapes, economies and mindsets all at once.
By Nicola Gryczka Kirsch, EHL Entrepreneur in Residence and Founder of The Regen Studio, EHL
Understanding sustainability challenges in the Galapagos Islands
Since 2020, an interdisciplinary research team from EHL Hospitality Business School, the Catholic University in Quito, and the Charles Darwin Research Station at the Galapagos in Ecuador have been studying the challenges associated with tourism dynamics at the world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Galapagos Islands. This article summarizes the main findings of this collaboration: the carrying capacity of the islands, the sustainability transition of tourism, and the political challenges that have been affecting sustainability efforts in the archipelago.
By Carlos Martin-Rios and Peter Varga
Placing Wellness and Sustainability as Core Hotel Values with the Fairmont Mayakoba
Spread across a sprawling 45-acre ocean-facing campus with 401 rooms and suites, the five-diamond, AAA Fairmont Mayakoba has long been on our bucket list of resorts worth visiting. Just outside of Playa del Carmen in the heart of the remarkably popular sun destination that is the Mayan Riviera (especially for Canadian snowbirds like the two of us), the Fairmont Mayakoba property intrigued us because of its diverse array of amenities, its sustainable luxury approach within the broader Mexican hospitality industry and its core focus on authentic wellness experiences.
By Larry Mogelonsky and Adam Mogelonsky
Postcards from the Galapagos Islands: Do the fittest really survive?
When thinking of the Galapagos Islands the first images that we may conjure up are of giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sharks, beautiful tropical beaches, and a laid-back lifestyle where troubles of the outside world are non-existent and one’s daily ‘responsibility’ is to swim with the dolphins. This could have been the case in the past, but not in 2020!
By Peter Varga, Assistant Professor, EHL
Sustainable hotels and The Black Sheep Inn: An example to follow
Although the number of hotels and inns claiming to be sustainable keeps increasing, in reality how many of them are good examples of sustainable hospitality? The Black Sheep Inn in the Ecuadorian highlands is surely one of them. Recognized by various sustainability agencies, ‘La Posada de la Oveja Negra’, as it is called in Spanish, continues to attract travelers from around the world who seek profoundly sustainable lodging. The TripAdvisor’s Ecolíders Platino (2016), the Certificate of Excellence (2013), the SKÅL International Ecotourism Award (2006), and the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards (2005) are only a few of the numerous international accolades the Black Sheep Inn has received during its 25 years of existence.
By Peter Varga, Assistant Professor, EHL