Nordic Green: Eco-Friendly Hotels in Scandinavia

“Green hotels tend to be not just easy on the planet, but easy on the eye, with a definite overlap between eco credentials and high design standards – so it’s no surprise that Scandinavia has an abundance of excellent eco-friendly hotels. Whether you hope to immerse yourself in a natural setting, or you just want to ensure your city break has a minimal carbon footprint, Scandinavia has lots on offer for eco-conscious travellers.

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Urnatur Eco Treehouse Lodge
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Self-described as a ‘hermitage in the woods,’ Urnatur Eco Treehouse Lodge is a collection of six cabins and several treehouses huddled together in the Holaved forest in southern Sweden; it’s a roughly three-hour drive from Stockholm. Each Urnatur structure has a unique character, so you can choose whatever earthy accommodation best suits you. The tallest treehouse, for example, is said to be inspired by Huckleberry Finn; it’s an eccentric cobbling of old window frames, reclaimed pine planks, and a tarpaper roof. What these dwellings lack in mod cons (there’s no electricity), they more than make up for in rustic charm. Urnatur is certified by Naturens Bästa (Nature’s Best), and is a member of the Swedish Ecotourism Society.

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Hotel GSH
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The ‘Green Solutions House,’ more commonly referred to as Hotel GSH, is located on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Nearly everything in this lodging – from the paint on the walls to the food on your plate – has been designed with environmental sustainability in mind. For example, both the windows and drinkware are made of the same recycled glass, and according to the design of Pernille Bülow, a prominent local designer. Hotel GSH was built according to German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) specifications, and is Green Key certified.

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Treehotel
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All the rooms at northern Sweden’s Treehotel are in five-star treehouses, but each one is completely distinct. One treehouse is a futuristic mirrored cube, camouflaged by reflecting its woodland surroundings. Another is a huge knotty bundle of sticks, resembling the nest of some enormous bird. Yet another appears to be an alien spacecraft just touching down to Earth. What’s more, each one is built with an environmentally-conscious design. The wood floors were made without chemical treatment, the entire facility is supplied by hydroelectric power and the lights are all low-energy LEDs. All told, these canopy cottages are a nature-friendly way to get friendly with nature.

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Scandic Holmenkollen Park
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The Scandic hotel chain has earned a reputation for its eco-friendly practices all over Europe, and the Scandic Holmenkollen Park outside Oslo, Norway is no exception. The oldest part of the building (circa 1894) is an elegant example of Dragestil (Dragon Style), a Viking-inspired style of architecture unique to Norway. The Scandic Holmenkollen Park is certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, a voluntary initiative to cut carbon emissions; all Scandic hotels aim to be completely carbon-neutral by 2025.

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Hotel Alexandra
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Located in the heart of Copenhagen next to Tivoli Gardens, the Hotel Alexandra is an homage to mid-century modern design – which you may recognise from your IKEA furniture. Though its chairs and tables are proudly Danish, the best food on offer here is Vietnamese street food, served up at its l√┢l√┢ restaurant. This retro-hotel is one of more than 100 in Denmark that are certified with the Green Key eco-label, which recognises tourism businesses that show excellence in environmental responsibility.”