16 ways to stay sustainably

April 20, 2023 - We take a science-based approach to our sustainability results. But we wouldn’t be Six Senses if we didn’t make our experiences fun playful. After all, who says sustainability can’t be the reason you come to stay! Here are our sweet 16.

Across our properties, we set sustainability targets and measure our impacts while fostering leadership and innovation in our teams. This shows how serious we are about regenerating vital ecosystems on land and underwater, and supporting local communities while moving towards zero waste, plastic freedom, and reduced-carbon stays.

The Earth Day 2023 theme “Invest in our Planet” is designed to persuade businesses, governments, and citizens around the world of the need to invest in our planet to improve our environment and give our descendants a better and safer future. We’re taking up the mantle and in doing so leading the hospitality industry, with dedicated funds at each property providing vital local investment in projects that benefit our communities and environments.

Around the world and back again, here are just a few ways staying with us directly contributes to our sustainability efforts.
 

Invested in marine conservation?

1. Vietnam: Six Senses Con Dao has restored and reserved the beach to make it a protected egg-laying nest for endangered green sea turtles in collaboration with Con Dao National Park. Turtle-hatching creates an understanding of the seamless interconnection of life on land and in water. Miracles start small and being part of a hatchling’s first journey offers an immeasurable sense of joy.

2. Maldives: Six Senses Laamu recently celebrated the unveiling of the Sea Hub for Environmental Learning in Laamu (SHELL), where you can enjoy hands-on marine conservation experiences. The fun starts early, with the Junior Marine Biology program offering guided snorkels on the reef, science experiments, and the chance to document their adventures by making a conservation video.

3. Cambodia: Set on a 12-hectare private island with dense tropical jungle and rocky coastline, Six Senses Krabey Island is surrounded by the azure waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Why not get your feet wet by taking part in the Reef Protection Training Course? If you time it right, you can also enjoy a nighttime snorkel when bioluminescent phytoplankton illuminate the waters like a glittering galaxy.

Passionate about protecting endangered species?

4. Vietnam: We have a troop of critically endangered monkeys that call the hills behind Six Senses Ninh Van Bay their home. Naturally quite shy, it’s a privilege to encounter our resident black-shanked douc langurs and the resort can arrange hikes into the hills with our resident biologist to see them and other local wildlife living their best lives.

5. Fiji: Six Senses Fiji is home to Fijian Crested iguanas, a critically endangered native species. As their numbers grow, we make every effort to ensure that these special residents are safe and that their habitat, between the villas and our spa, remains as it was found. As night falls grab your torch and come on an adventure through our Iguana Reserve.  

6. Thailand: Six Senses Yao Noi partners with the Thailand Hornbill Project to support our most iconic birds on the island. You can lend a hand constructing their salubrious hornbill villas when you join our Reconnection Journeys, including a 30-minute sunrise reflection, 1-hour kayak, mangrove planting, mushroom hut workshop and cooking class!

7. Bali: This will give you something to tweet about. Six Senses Uluwatu supports Begawan Foundation, an NGO focused on breeding and releasing critically endangered Bali Starlings. Find out more during workshops in our Earth Lab, which you can combine with an organic garden tour to learn about composting and meet our friendly chickens and goats.

Committed to preserving natural habitats?

8. Seychelles: At Six Senses Zil Pasyon, eradicating the invasive Coco Plum to reintroduce authentic species of trees and plants is a battle. A happy result would be the return of endemic birds including the Seychelles Magpie Robin, Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher, Seychelles White-eye, Seychelles Warbler and Seychelles Fody. The best way to see this work is from the water, so grab a single or double kayak from the Experience Center and paddle off around the island.

9. India: Six Senses Fort Barwara is working on a long-term goal recreate the lost wilds of Rajasthan to bring back birdlife, jackals, and leopards, vital for rebalancing the ecology. Take a Heritage and Rewilding Walk with Head Naturalist Surya to see how the project is taking shape, first attracting butterflies and birdlife. A certified ornithologist, Surya has captured much of the birdlife for his own records and major publications.

10. Maldives: Six Senses Laamu’s 115,000 square meters of seagrass meadows (16 soccer fields!) are essential nursery grounds for many species of fish, rays, and sharks. The meadows are also the primary diet for green sea turtles; they stabilize the sediment preventing erosion, and they are one of the most effective carbon stores. Head to this Junior Marine Biology module for fun facts and activities for all the family.

Is giving back to community your thing?

11. Oman: Meaningful encounters are central to Six Senses Zighy Bay’s ethos: to learn, connect, and have fun. Empowering local women since 2015, the Dibba Women Association invites you to share their culture and gain a very joyous Sense of Oman. From the tactile materials to the taste of the dates, the smell of the spices, the sound of the music, and the sight of a glorious hubbub of women, Sense of Oman is a treat for all the senses. 

12. Portugal: The Bagos D’Ouro charity helps gifted children from disadvantaged families of Douro Valley through school and university. You can contribute to this and other social causes through the Six Senses Douro Valley Sustainability Fund by sponsoring an 18th-century tile to be added to our Wall of Fame. Helena, our resident artist, will inscribe your initials or those of a loved one on a tile before it’s mounted on the walls of our organic garden.

How about conserving cultural heritage?

13. Rome: Six Senses Rome has recently opened its doors in the historical Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini, marking the completed renovation of the magnificent façade of the adjacent San Marcello al Corso Church, the first sustainability project sponsored by the hotel. The large baptismal bath dating back to the fourth century was uncovered during archaeological excavations at the beginning of the 1900s and is now visible beneath the glass floor tiles within BIVIUM Restaurant-Café-Bar.

14. Turkey: Our hotel in Istanbul occupies two historic mansions built in the Ottoman era – Kocatas Mansion and Sait Pasa. These have been sensitively recreated into an urban retreat combining our ethos of sustainability, wellness, and local sensitivity with Turkish heritage and culture in everything it does. Although the buildings are old, sustainability starts young, with children aged five and over invited to join in the fun during Sustainable Games for Little Guests.

Want to be your own bright spark?

15. Spain: Six Senses Ibiza produces its own reusable energy, saving 40 percent of the resort’s carbon emissions. 10 Olympic sized swimming pools of water are also saved each year by using modern geothermal cooling systems. To learn more, join the Sustainability Tour, which finishes with a refreshing glass of house-bottled water at the Earth Lab.

16. Vietnam: Ninh Van Greens, the first in-resort solar farm in Vietnam, provides electricity, organic veg, and hot water to Six Senses Ninh Van Bay. The organic garden, Solar FreshCuts, is planted beneath the panels. Reserve a table at the Farmhouse for the ultimate farm-to-fork dining or blend your own beauty products using organic pick-your-own ingredients at the Alchemy Bar.

Our latest sustainability results are in and once again we’re pleased to share the figures gathered from all properties in 2022. Commenting on the results, our Vice President of Sustainability Jeff Smith said, “We are incredibly proud of the achievements being made by our NGO and community partners on the ground. Each resort has taken on unique projects based on the local need and is aiming for the greatest measurable impact at that destination – and there are too many to list here. Guests at any Six Senses property can find out more by dropping into the Earth Lab or joining a sustainability tour. And I welcome all our guests to join us in celebrating these projects and partnerships, which are only made possible by guest visits and ongoing support.”