Looking for Sustainable Journey? Attempt the Populus Denver Hotel.

This story is a part of The Journey Awards 2026, protecting the very best in lodges, airways, locations and journey merchandise. Find the total awards right here.

As you stroll or drive as much as Populus Denver, you received’t be the primary one who does a double take. The triangular constructing has a facade designed to seem like a dense aspen tree forest, with rows of white columns that includes irregular-shaped home windows evoking the knotty eyes of tree trunks. The resort has a contact of the pure curves of Gaudí, with out the over-the-top flash. There’s substance behind the shape, with the property’s architectural manifestation representing its under-the-hood dedication to sustainability.

“Sustainability isn’t an afterthought or a feature, but the foundation of everything we do,” says Jon Buerge, the CEO of developer Urban Villages. “Every decision, from the materials we select and the energy we use to the design and daily operations, was made with one goal in mind: to ensure Populus serves as a regenerative force for both its community and the planet.”

The 265-room resort is LEEDS Gold licensed and sources 100% renewable vitality from Colorado wind farms through Xcel Energy. And then they go additional: The property, which opened in October 2024, is claimed to be the primary carbon-positive resort within the U.S., with its efforts constantly tracked through Lotus Engineering & Sustainability to make sure the accountability and accuracy of that declare whereas gaining perception into but extra methods to tweak and optimize. Suddenly, carbon neutrality seems like settling.

The numbers and affect could be staggering. Urban Villages acquired 7,000 tons of licensed carbon credit with companions together with Grassroots Carbon, OneTreePlanted and Terrapass to offset its footprint. In addition, Populus has already planted over 70,000 timber in Gunnison County, Colorado. The resort operates with a zero-waste precept, utilizing landfill diversion efforts and an on-site biodigester to compost 26 tons of organics through BioGreen 360 Food Cycling, avoiding the equal of over 300,000 miles of automobile emissions. The resort has created sufficient compost to fertilize 175 acres of farmland.

Guests may even convey that eco-friendly mentality dwelling, too, as key card holders are studded with wildflower seeds that may be planted in your house backyard. And matching the outdoor-centric, journey vibes of the Rockies, company obtain a promo code to make use of for a free month of AllTrails+ entry.

It would all be for naught if no person wished to remain on the property, after all. The excellent news, then, is that Populus Denver delivers a snug boutique expertise with cozy and well-curated rooms that includes considerate facilities all through, buoyed by a number of glorious on-site meals and beverage venues.

The location is walkable to a few of Denver’s websites, such because the Colorado State Capitol, U.S. Mint and Civic Center Park, the latter of which options vibrant backyard beds fertilized by the resort’s compost. “It’s really special to see the tangible impact we’re having not only on Colorado farms but in our immediate backyard, all while eliminating waste,” Buerge says. The neighborhood can also be loaded with museums, together with the Denver Art Museum, whereas company obtain free entry to the close by Clyfford Still Museum.

The forest really feel continues throughout the property, with massive wood slab furnishings, art work and recorded fowl tune offering elevator backdrop audio. The resort floor flooring is claimed to signify the forest flooring, with restaurant Pasque named for the flower that’s the primary to bloom in Colorado after winter. A big hanging sculpture overhead is made with Reishi, a mushroom-based leather-based different. Food is seasonal and regional, with native purveyors offering the substances for dishes reminiscent of a rye tagliatelle with Colorado lamb ragu. Plant-based dishes abound, after all, and don’t skip the savory beignets.

Rooftop restaurant Stellar Jay, representing the forest cover, makes use of an indoor-outdoor house to serve up open-flame cooking and an agave-centric drinks lineup. Grilled and charred produce performs a starring position, with hearty dishes that make it simple to skip meat with out viewing it as a trade-off.

“Whether guests initially booked a stay for its sustainability ethos or for its striking design or exceptional restaurants, the overwhelming response is that they leave feeling more connected to nature and their environment, and that means we’ve accomplished our larger goal,” Buerge says.

Another Deserving Entrant to Know: 1 Hotels

Looking on the scale of a rising model with nearly 20 worldwide areas, 1 Hotels is one other modern chief within the eco-friendly resort house. Sustainability is constructed into the model’s whole idea, and stays at their properties are full of good and environmentally pleasant facilities.

From one location to a different, lodges showcase lush inexperienced exteriors and coinciding inside areas full of crops and greenery, together with décor constructed from wooden and pure fibers. Look carefully at your room, and also you’ll begin to discover much more.

For occasion, on the 1 Hotel Central Park, you’ll discover a small hourglass that capabilities as a three-minute timer. “Because we’re focused on sustainability, we want to give awareness to our guests about how long they spend in the shower so they might use less water,” a staffer instructed me. It’s included as a small contact and pleasant nudge throughout their properties.

Also seen on the Central Park location was a “1 Less Thing” placard, informing company they will go away an additional merchandise of clothes from their bag to donate. Other in-room signage encourages you to reuse your towels as a result of “most of our guests do. Sometimes it’s OK to be a follower.”

There are devoted water bottle filling stations, together with specialised in-room dispensers in some areas, with filtered water all through the resort so company can really feel comfy filling up a offered recycled glass pitcher at their sink, too. 1 Hotels additionally has a partnership with Audi to function their official electrical automobile, giving company the chance for a take a look at drive, however extra importantly, providing complimentary home automobile companies throughout the speedy proximity. A journey in fashion for a few miles throughout Manhattan isn’t any small factor when it comes to comfort.

The resort’s Mission Membership takes the thought of a loyalty program right into a recent path as nicely. It’s much less about accumulating factors and extra about fostering a deeper connection and a extra optimistic journey expertise. For occasion, 1% of each qualifying keep is donated to your selection of three environmental nonprofits, and for each new member, the model crops a tree through Arbor Day Foundation, engaged on a pledge to help the expansion of 100,000 timber in California.

Populus affords a number of comparable initiatives. The resort has a One Night, One Tree program, planting a tree with the National Forest Foundation for each keep, and awards 1% of income to environmentally-focused tasks through its Populus Stewardship Grant. An extra 1% of restaurant gross sales is dedicated in direction of regenerative farming, a determine matched by Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment.

It’s simple to get misplaced within the trivialities and terminology of sustainable supplies and the lengthy names of accomplice NGOs. But such intensive efforts have paid unbelievable dividends. “Building a truly carbon-positive hotel required rethinking every traditional process — from sourcing to energy systems to long-term operations — but that challenge is also what makes the project so meaningful,” Buerge says. “It’s driven us to prove that environmental leadership and exceptional hospitality can, and should, coexist.”

Imagine if extra lodges made these sorts of commitments, and the best way any such affect may compound to supply sweeping modifications. But it’s additionally as much as us, as vacationers and customers, to make our voices heard with our wallets and to help manufacturers who’re doing issues the fitting approach.

“Today’s travelers expect more from a hotel stay. They’re seeking experiences that reflect their values and contribute to a greater purpose,” Buerge says. “Sustainability has become a defining factor in that decision-making process, particularly among younger generations who view responsible travel as an essential standard.”