Hotel Antumalal and Spa in Pućon offers the most authentic marriage of man-made structure and nature I have ever encountered within a commercial setting. The hotel is a mid-century modernist masterpiece with unrivalled views of Villarrica Lake and its namesake picture-perfect snow-dusted Volcano. Built in 1948 by Czech wartime refugees in a Bauhaus style from local materials, it was meticulously designed to enhance the natural contours of the 5-hectare park that surrounds it. This is both indigenous Mapuche territory and a ski resort where the 16th century Spanish once mined gold. Waterfalls map lightning threads to cool rock pools in mossy grottos and vines now grace the distant volcanic slopes. The hotel exists thanks to a series of fantastical chance events, culminating in the unlikely arrival of the Queen and Prince Philip on their landmark trip to Chile in 1968. Catalina Pollak and her mother, Davita, recognised the power of this place in 1944 when having fled Nazi Europe, they o
Travelers are increasingly aligning their journeys with their values - sustainability being foremost[1] - with a desire for a transformative or regenerative experience. The now-mainstreamed initiatives of hotels - from water-saving schemes to extensive recycling programmes - though commendable, only scratch the surface of the potential role they play in promoting a meaningful guest experience. Is there an unfulfilled potential to enhance meaningful guest experiences[2] that the hospitality industry is missing?
The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for People and Nature, with over 85 member countries [1], is calling for a 30 x 30 target: a global endeavor by governments to safeguard 30% of the land and ocean areas by 2030 [2]. The initiative comes with growing scientific evidence that large sections of the earth must be conserved in a natural state to address both the biodiversity and climate crises [3,4,5].
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This viewpoint was created byWilly Legrand, Professor of Hospitality Management at the IU International University of Applied Sciences, Germany
The solutions nature provides: how can hotels contribute and benefit?
Nature and its ecosystem services are at the center of the hospitality business proposition: from food and beverage offers to guests enjoyment of natural landscape at a destination. Nature is not only a capital component available to businesses, but a source of solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change and protect biodiversity while ensuring the well-being of staff and guests alike. Nature is a prerequisite for a successful business, however, a 40% drop in natural capital per person has been recoded over the past two decades (Dasgupta, 2021). Burning though this inventory of natural capital without a regeneration plan should result in alarm bells ringing. As the