With more than 1,500 hotels to choose from, London has no shortage of places to stay. From the the chic to the cheap, there's a London hotel to suit all tastes and budgets. But what if you're looking for a sustainable stay, too? Most hotels in London don't make a special effort to save the planet, but a few notable exceptions do. Read on for five fabulous London hotels that make the right choices for the environment, making it possible to enjoy a super-comfy eco-conscious break in capital.
One Aldwych is truly the queen bee of sustainable London hotels — an independently-owned establishment that is not only one of the best places you could choose to base yourself in the capital, but also goes the extra mile for the planet in just about every aspect of its operation. We absolutely love it, from its impeccable landmark building and West End location on the edge of Covent Garden and world-famous Theatreland, to its pool and spa, cinema screening room and terrific gluten-free restaurant and destination hotel bar. Despite all this and a set of cream-of-the-crop guest rooms and suites, it somehow manages to retain a boutique feel. It's also the only London hotel to be B-Corp certified, and deservedly so — from the beehives on its roof to the chlorine-free swimming pool. All the snacks and toiletries are British-made, all food waste is composted, and all single-use plastic bottles have been eliminated.
If not the capital's highest hotel (despite the name) it might one of the hippest place to stay. Treehouse Hotel on Langham Place might also makes a good case for one of London's most sustainable, with filtered water stations on guest room floors, an emphasis on recycling and composting and eco-friendly energy and water management systems. The location isn a cracker too: an ultra-central spot at the very top of Regent Street next to the iconic BBC HQ Broadcasting House. There are super views from its cool and tasteful guest rooms, and two restaurants and rooftop bar occupying its upper floors.
Bang on Shoreditch High Street, and convenient for the neighbourhood's famously cool bars, restaurants and clubs, One Hundred Shoreditch is both style and substance. It claims to be one of London's most sustainable hotels, with a throughly community tone and carefully measured water and energy consumption. Its three restaurants are also careful to use local suppliers and pretty much everything is digital, with not a scrap of paper in sight.
Part of The Zetter family of central London hotels, Marrable's is a comparatively affordable option given its laudable location. The historic neighbourhood of Clerkenwell is brimming with bars, restaurants and pubs. You're also just a few minutes' from Farringdon tube station and plenty of bus routes for jaunts into the West End or other parts of town. Marrable's eco-friendly credentials are solid too — plastics are minimals, over 80% of kitchen waste is recycled, old linen is donated to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, and they even they even have their own borehole beneath the building providing water for air-conditioning and the loos.
Though just half a mile from the City of London, the ultra-colourful public spaces and guest rooms of this newish hotel are a welcome contrast to the starched suits of the Square Mile. Plus it claims to be the capital's 'greenest hotel', with a range of sustainable stats that give you yet another reason to stay here — that, and the competitive prices for this part of town. Sustainable features include rooftop solar panels plus the usual LED lighting and use of local suppliers, and also extend to water-saving showers and sustainable mattresses.
