Four Seasons: 7 great eco-friendly hotel initiatives across Asia

From the rice fields of Bali to the countryside of Thailand, the rainforest of Langkawi and the marine life of the Maldives, each destination connects guests at Four Seasons Resorts of Asia to a kaleidoscope of cultures and experiences. In each locale, Four Seasons Resorts Asia recognizes their responsibility in minimizing its impact on the environment and engaging in conservation practices. Through local community partnerships, eco-friendly hotel initiatives, sustainable practices and education, the resorts are committed to creating positive change and continuing to advance environmental initiatives.  

“Four Seasons has always strived to operate with the highest levels of care and responsibility, for our guests, employees, and for our communities,” comments Rainer Stampfer, President – Hotel Operations, Asia Pacific, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

“We recognize that the decisions we make have social and environmental impact, and we are eager and committed to do our part in creating a better world around us. We have actively taken relevant steps, including the creation of Green Teams at each property, but know that this is a journey of continual improvement.”

Over the years, elevating environmental initiatives have been in effect on a global and local scale. From employing full-time teams of marine biologists to upcycling used soap bars for local orphanages, here are some ways Four Seasons Resorts of Asia are stepping up to the sustainability challenge.

Diving into conservation

In the last 20 years, Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru have transplanted more than 300,000 coral fragments onto more than 7,000 coral frames to help restore the Maldivian reefs.

From the resorts’ two Marine Discovery Centers, a team of 15 marine biologists has also rehabilitated more than 200 sea turtles (mostly injured by discarded “ghost” fishing nets) and manages the country’s only turtle and dolphin ID databases to help advance scientific understanding of local populations.

In Thailand, Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui is also taking marine preservation seriously, planting more than 20,000 coral fragments around the resort since 2017 as part of its Coral Conservation Project. The initiative includes guest education, no motorized water sports, and the use of reef-safe body care products and sunscreen.

Protective partnerships that inspire natural connection

Connecting guests to new cultures and landscapes helps instill the desire to make a difference.

It’s this ethos of education that motivates Chief Naturalist and Langkawi Geopark Ambassador Aidi Abdullah at Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, official Geopark Partner of the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA).

When not working tirelessly to protect the 550-million-year-old UNESCO surroundings, Aidi escorts guests into dramatic waterways and magical mangrove forests to help inspire care for this little-understood ecosystem.

A collaboration of care can also be found in the Thai jungle where Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle partners with the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation to support six rescue elephants, their caregivers, and their families.

At Four Seasons Resorts Maldives, a partnership with The Manta Trust helps protect gentle giants of the underwater world, combining pioneering research with guest-focused experiences of the world’s largest known population of manta rays.

Supporting local communities and preserving ancient cultures

Bali’s art and heritage receive a boost through the Cultural Program at Four Seasons Resorts Bali at Sayan and Jimbaran Bay, connecting guests with local artists via painting, calligraphy, carving, dance, and music workshops. The resorts also offer internships for hearing-impaired students and underprivileged women.

In the Maldives, 651 local youngsters have graduated from the year-long Four Seasons Resorts Maldives Hospitality Apprenticeship since 2001.

Four Seasons is also the largest supporter of the Thulhaadhoo lacquerware artisans—the last left in the Maldives—showcasing and selling their products.

Reducing single-use plastic

Onsite water bottling plants at Four Seasons Resorts Bali, Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, Four Seasons Resorts Maldives and Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An eliminate the use of hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles every year.

Compostable straws, napkins, and eco-friendly packaging and bags for takeaways are a given at all Four Seasons Resorts of Asia, as are refillable ceramic amenity containers in guest villas, public areas and spas. Several resorts are also close to achieving completely plastic-free guest rooms.

Four Seasons Resorts Maldives has also partnered with the Maldives chapter of Parley since 2018, sending its own plastic waste (as well as those collected from three neighboring islands) to be made into sportswear.

Innovative recycling and carbon-reducing initiatives 

When it comes to recycling projects, Soap For Hope at Four Seasons Resorts Bali scrubs up pretty well. Soap bars collected from guest rooms are donated to the ROLE Foundation, where marginalized women are employed to clean, process and repackage up to 2,000 bars a month for Balinese orphanages.

The resorts also recycle cooking oil into biofuel and donate food waste for animal feed.

Green waste at Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai is transformed into fertilizer for the resort grounds, including its onsite farm, with its carbon-reducing efforts further supported by solar panels on all 40 Pool Villas.

Solar energy is also a hot topic at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru where 5,380 square meters (58,000 square feet) of panels produce 1.1 million kWh of energy a year.

Championing local suppliers and zero-mile produce

At Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Thai rice farmers manage their paddies on the resort’s grounds and teach guests the art of rice planting, while menus are rich with vegetables, tomatoes, figs, and salt from other nearby producers.

An ocean-to-table experience at Four Seasons Resorts Bali enables guests to meet, interact with and support local fishermen—an experience also available through fish trapping and bamboo fishing excursions at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle.

Four Seasons Resort Langkawi has its own traditional fish house—designed by a local fisherman and crafted from island-grown wood—using low-impact generations-old fishing methods.

For more zero-mile deliciousness, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru serves sustainably produced free-range eggs from its own chicken coop; Four Seasons Resorts Bali grows the ingredients for their cooking classes in their four-hectare (10-acre) vegetable and herb garden; Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle tends organic herbs and vegetables deep in the jungle, and Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai produces more than 40 crops for its restaurants, bars, Cooking Academy and spa treatments while supporting local fishermen and neighboring vegetable farms, as well as coffee and tea plantations in the highlands of Vietnam.

Eco-friendly dining, one bite at a time

Open-air zero-waste bar Telu at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay—complete with aromatic herb and cocktail garden—is constructed entirely from repurposed materials, including the antique clay pots and upcycled glass bottles in which Head Bartender Sufian Mahmoud matures the infusions for his zero-waste workshops.

Dining gets interactive at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle during Jungle-to-Table Foraging Walks where guests wander the wilds learning about medicinal plants and pick homegrown ingredients for a feast prepared by the Camp Chef.

For seasonal plant-based menus at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Chef Liam Nealon creates nutritionally balanced meals from local plants, while the plant-based Glow with Food at Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai showcases homegrown ingredients in mindfully conceived menus.

Editor’s note: Hotels and resorts that are making notable efforts towards an eco-friendly future always get our attention and support. If you know of any environmentally sustainable properties, email us at editor@travelasianow.net so we can feature their dedication to becoming sustainable.