Green Lodging Guide is a publication dedicated to sharing the finest places to stay that protect the planet and transform how you travel. Informed by a global team of travel professionals and travel journalists, Green Lodging Guide brings you curated hotels that give back to the places they call home.
We weave sustainability naturally into compelling travel narratives rather than leading with eco-credentials. We speak to the aspirational traveler first, and the conscious consumer second, to drive further impact and wider reach.
Research consistently shows that while travelers increasingly value sustainability, they rarely begin their searches with eco-credentials in mind. They're looking for "best hotels in Tulum" or "luxury resorts Maldives"—seeking extraordinary experiences first. This insight helps to shape our content approach. By leading with wanderlust and weaving sustainability throughout our storytelling, we reach travelers at the moment of discovery and decision. Our aspirational-first approach introduces conscious travel choices to audiences who might never seek them out directly, creating far greater impact than preaching to the already converted. We've learned that the most powerful way to advance sustainable tourism isn't to lecture about responsibility—it's to make the responsible choice the most desirable one.
Every recommendation we make comes from somewhere real—a morning spent watching mist rise over rice paddies from a bamboo balcony, an evening discovering a chef's passion for heritage ingredients, a conversation with an innkeeper who knows every trail in the valley by heart.
Whenever possible, we feature properties our writers have personally experienced and vetted. You'll find these marked with an "Our Pick" icon throughout the site. For those curious about a property's sustainability commitments, "The Green Scene" offers a clear look at how each business is giving back—from foundational practices to regenerative leadership.
We're not aggregating listings. We're sharing places we'd send our closest friends.
Green Lodging Guide's editorial team evaluates properties through a comprehensive lens informed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and industry-leading standards from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Tourism Cares, and The Travel Foundation. Rather than using rigid checklists, we assess each property holistically—examining how they protect natural environments, support local communities, preserve cultural heritage, and create sustainable economic value. We look for authentic commitment over perfect scores, recognizing that a family-run boutique taking meaningful steps toward sustainability can be just as inspiring as a fully certified eco-lodge. Our evaluation considers each property's unique context, celebrating innovations that work within local realities while contributing to broader global goals. This thoughtful approach ensures every recommendation represents not just an exceptional place to stay, but one actively building a better future for its destination. Sustainability isn’t about sacrifice, and we’re here to prove that.
Jonny Bierman is an award-winning sustainable travel journalist, Lonely Planet guidebook author, and sustainable tourism consultant and educator. His work regularly appears in Vogue, National Geographic, BBC, Lonely Planet, Travel + Leisure, and Condé Nast Traveler, to name a few. Through years of exploring how tourism can be a force for good—from documenting Indigenous-led conservation projects to uncovering hotels that genuinely transform their communities—Jonny recognized a gap in travel media. Green Lodging Guide was born from this insight: a publication that leads with wanderlust and weaves in wisdom, helping discerning travelers discover that the world's most extraordinary places to stay are often those giving back to the destinations they call home. When he's not personally vetting properties or crafting destination stories, Jonny helps forward-thinking hospitality brands share their sustainability narratives through his consultancy work and online courses.
What was once a handful of eco-lodges has become a global movement of extraordinary properties redefining luxury, travel, and hospitality. These pioneering places deserve a publication dedicated to their cause, and this is their stage.