Working in hotel operations on sustainability projects changed everything for me. I saw firsthand how hotels, when truly committed, can become engines for sustainability, local partnerships, and community wellbeing. But I also learned how few hotels actually make these important decisions to become more sustainable, and prioritize employee and community well-being.
I’ve spent nearly two decades working in travel. Long enough to see both the beauty and the imbalance that tourism can bring to a place. My career began in hotels, and those early years shaped the way I think about how we travel and where we stay.
As a banquet manager at the Westin Houston Memorial Hotel, I was invited to join the Six Sigma program, a training designed to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and make operations safer. That experience opened my eyes to how even small operational choices ripple across energy use, costs, and people’s wellbeing. When I later joined the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, I found a community equally passionate about sustainability. As Co-Chair of the Green Team, I worked alongside our Director of Engineering to help the property achieve LEED-EBOM certification, making Hyatt Maui one of the first hotels in the entire state to earn this distinction. Together, we transitioned to solar and wind energy, launched a waste management program that diverted more than 500,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill to Pukalani Farms (which supplied pork for our luʻau), and built systems that improved both environmental and employee health outcomes.
Working in hotel operations on sustainability projects changed everything for me. I saw firsthand how hotels, when truly committed, can become engines for sustainability, local partnerships, and community wellbeing. But I also learned how few hotels actually make these important decisions to become more sustainable, and prioritize employee and community well-being.
Luckily, I’ve learned how to tell the difference between marketing and meaningful action. Sustainability isn’t something a company can achieve overnight, it takes time and commitment at every level. That’s why programs like LEED certification have tiered levels (Silver, Gold, Platinum) and involve rigorous third-party audits. If a hotel holds a certification like LEED, Green Key, or EarthCheck, or even shares transparent sustainability reports, that’s usually a good sign they’re putting in real work to reduce their footprint.
But certifications alone don’t tell the whole story. Working in Hawai‘i, I also realized another sad truth… most hotels aren’t locally owned, nevertheless Native Hawaiian owned. The majority belong to off-island corporations or investment groups. Even many vacation rentals are purchased by investors and managed remotely through large property management companies. And the result is a huge amount of tourism revenue that leaves the islands. According to the World Tourism Organization, in developing destinations, up to 95% of tourism dollars leak out of the local economy. When locals don’t share in that prosperity or have a voice in how tourism evolves, it creates tension, frustration, and disconnection!
When I travel now, I make a conscious effort to keep my tourism dollars as local as possible and support sustainable options as much as I can. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Find locally owned or managed stays.
Once I identify smaller bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, or family-run lodges, I look for their direct website to learn more about who’s behind them. - Look for signs of commitment.
I check if they share sustainability policies, certifications, or local sourcing practices. Even small things like refillable toiletry bottles or solar water heaters can say a lot. - Read the human reviews.
I scan for mentions of hosts by name, local recommendations, and community engagement. When travelers remember their hosts, it’s usually because those stays were personal and meaningful. - Support small businesses, even if it’s not perfect.
Sometimes smaller operators still rely on major booking platforms to manage reservations, and that’s okay. What matters is who benefits in the end.
It takes more effort to travel this way, more curiosity, more digging, more research… but it’s worth it! Knowing that my stay helps local families and artisans, and ensures local ecosystems can thrive, makes travel feel more connected, and more reciprocal.
Lastly, because most hotels in Hawai‘i are corporate-owned, I focus on choosing the hotels that are making measurable progress in sustainability and community partnerships. Hotels that collaborate with organizations like the Surfrider Foundation, for example, are often deeply engaged in marine conservation and local stewardship. A few of my personal favorites include:
- Hyatt Regency Maui and Andaz Maui, leading the way in sustainability efforts in hotels in Hawai’i., where both LEED-certified properties have continued to invest in energy efficiency and community programs. Both resorts have prioritized responsible sourcing of local ingredients and have initiatives like providing reusable water bottles, charging stations for electric vehicles, and a partnership with the Pu'u Kukui Watershed Preserve, where every new employee volunteers and learns about the importance of the watershed and contributes to their ongoing reforestation efforts.
- Outrigger Hotels, which partners with the Surfrider Foundation and leads with transparency through its ESG program, centered on reducing environmental impact, preserving culture, and supporting local ocean conservation initiatives. Shout out to my friend, Kiana Biemes, General Manager of Outrigger Paradise, who is a Native-Hawaiian, born-and-raised local, who has committed to sharing Native Hawaiian history and culture at Outrigger Paradise, as well partner with the Surfrider Foundation’s "Ocean Friendly Hotels" program to help hotels reduce single-use plastic and adopt more sustainable practices.
- 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, a great example of a hotel that stands for something. Sustainability is at the core of its foundation, with a focus on reducing waste, minimizing their carbon footprint, and preserving the beauty of the island. You can read more about their sustainability initiatives here.
- And for a more luxurious but sustainable stay, The Rosewood Hotel in Kona is one of the most sustainable hotels on island. They’re 100% operated off solar, have a commitment to zero-waste, and have partnerships with local nonprofits like the Nature Conservancy and the Ke Kai Ola Monk Seal Rehabilitation Center.
These hotels aren’t perfect, no company is, but they’re taking measurable steps in the right direction. And that’s what we should be encouraging and rewarding as travelers. In the end, choosing where to stay is more than a logistical decision, it’s a reflection of what we value.
Every dollar we spend can either reinforce systems that extract from local communities or help empower them to thrive. For me, the most meaningful stays are the ones where I can feel the connection — to the people, to the place, and to the purpose behind it all.
That’s the kind of travel we believe in at Travaras: travel that gives back more than it takes.
