The Hotel That Could Make You A Better Person

See how we embrace the essence of Earth Day, every day, through the eyes of writer Sarah Beauchamp. Sarah is based in New York City and her work has been featured at Nylon, The Daily Beast, Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Paste Magazine, and O, The Oprah Magazine.

“I visited 1 South Beach hotel in Miami for Earth Day weekend, when the property was celebrating its many eco-friendly achievements. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors led me into the open-air lobby where there were seeds that you could take home with you to grow your own tomatoes, sunflowers, and parsley. The hotel has a beautifully minimalist style, which owner Barry Sternlicht’s called “luxury of enough.” The entire place smells like the warm, smoky scent of Le Labo Santal. Each of its 426 rooms includes beds with organic cotton Keetsa mattresses and 100 percent organic linens, low energy light bulbs, sinks with Triple-Clear water filters, and even yoga mats and meditation guides. Through low-flow fixtures and shower timers, the hotel saves 5 million gallons of water each day, and recycles 231,000 gallons with their rain catch-and-reuse program.

After having a drink at the roof-top bar, 18 stories above crystal blue water, I embarked on the Earth Day activities, including sunset yoga by the beach, a bike tour of Miami’s historical and cultural sites, and a tree planting ceremony. I enjoyed fresh calamari with fresno chili, bucatini with sea urchin, and purple cabbage kimchi at their open-air, farm-to-table restaurant Beachcraft, helmed by chef Tom Colicchio. All of the restaurants in the hotel avoid 395 tons of food waste daily by controlling portions—even if I wasn’t able to control mine. It was comforting to know that as a guest I only produced about five pounds of waste, compared to the worldwide average of 15 pounds. The hotel provides a transparency report on their website to give everyone access to their energy-saving statistics, and post-stay surveys have shown that 40 percent of all guests leave the hotel more conscious of their lifestyle practices than when they arrive. What they’re doing with that consciousness is up to them, but at least 1 Hotels is starting a conversation about how we can have the best of both worlds: ultimate luxury and the guilt-free benefits of helping the earth.”

Guest Blog Post by Writer Sarah Beauchamp