Hello, everyone!

This week’s Feature Story explores a topic that continues to spark spirited debate among travel professionals: Can luxury hospitality truly be sustainable — and if so, what role must it play in leading the industry’s transformation?

This feature piece, written by Suzanne Duffour of Yun Consultancy, delves into how Asia’s luxury hotels are uniquely positioned to drive innovation through purpose, cultural integrity, and deep-rooted connection to place.

Also in this week’s AST Briefing:

• RSVP for AST Forum Ha Noi — happening next week on June 5.

• Apply for the EXO Foundation Sustainability Awards, which champion bold changemakers in tourism — deadline is June 15.

Scroll down to read more about these updates and more.

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Why Asia’s Luxury Hospitality Has the Power to Lead Sustainability Innovation

Written by Suzanne Duffour, Sustainability Consultant & CEO at Yun Consultancy. Edited by Jeremy Tran, Co-Founder of Asia Sustainable Travel. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of AST. 

Across Asia, luxury hospitality is emerging as an unexpected yet prominent force in the sustainability movement.

While Western countries often rely on stringent government regulations and consumer-driven certification schemes, Asia presents a more fluid and complex context — one marked by fragmented policy, rapid development, and deeply embedded communal values.

Benchmarks like sustainable tourism certifications may carry weight in Europe, particularly in the Nordics. But in Asia, where regulatory oversight is inconsistent, such benchmarks can sometimes result in surface-level compliance.

This isn’t a failure; it’s an opportunity.

In the absence of top-down mandates, many sustainability efforts here stem from a kind of innovation powered by community consensus, cultural pride, economic necessity, and a do-it-yourself ethos.

Taking Bali as a case example, instead of waiting for government direction, eco-entrepreneurs and local community stewards have taken the lead in a grassroots movement. 

This is not driven by compliance, but by creativity, necessity, and connection to place – and this enables deeper, more sustained impact. 

Hospitality: A Living System Primed for Change

Luxury hospitality can uniquely be positioned as a holistic, immersive space where one eats, sleeps, lives, explores, learns about culture, plays, heals, and grows spiritually. 

Unlike any other industry, this holistic experience makes hospitality one of the most powerful platforms for modeling sustainability — not just in policy, but in practice.

From sourcing local organic food to thoughtfully designing spaces, optimizing energy use, and nurturing positive interactions between guests and local environments, every detail in a luxury hotel or resort can embody sustainability in a tangible and engaging way.

The Evolution of Luxury: From Prestige to Purpose

Luxury is evolving from exclusivity and ownership to experience, access, and impact.

Particularly in Asia, where heritage and innovation collide, a new generation of guests is seeking more than indulgence — they want meaning. They care about the origin, artisanship, and impact.

This shift makes luxury hotels prime candidates to lead sustainability innovation. 

In this context, luxury hospitality is not just a craftsmanship conservatory as conventionally known, it has the power to fuel conscious capital. 

Why Luxury Hotels Can Lead, and Must

Luxury brands have the financial capacity to take risks and prototype new systems, ranging from circular design systems to regenerative landscaping. 

Many luxury hotels across the region are already collaborating with local artisans, architects, chefs, and farmers to reintegrate heritage knowledge into their sustainability practices.

From handwoven textiles to indigenous building techniques, what were once considered cultural remnants are now being reinterpreted and woven into forward-thinking designs. 

This intersection of craft and innovation aligns perfectly with what sustainability should be — using local, low-impact materials, preserving cultural identity, and fostering skills that contribute to long-term economic resilience.

The Power of Agile Innovators

While legacy groups have scale, smaller boutique hotel groups often hold the advantage of agility and community proximity.

Groups like Lifestyle Retreat, which operates 7 properties across Bali and Cambodia, are quick to adapt, stay connected to their suppliers, and remain invested in local ecosystems. Their innovation stems from necessity, and often from the heart.

In contrast, many global chains continue to rely on outdated procurement systems and non-credible sustainability marketing. But regulations are changing.

Under the EU’s forthcoming EU Green Claim directives and the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), sustainability must be measurable, transparent, and verifiable. Empty claims will unlikely pass. Meeting the EU’s compliance requires redesigning an ecosystem that is responsive to cultural contexts and environmental challenges.

Hospitality as Policy Trailblazer

Luxury hotels can be cultural influencers. The choices they make set expectations. 

When done right, they inspire not just guests but governments. Especially those in countries with high tourism activity, governments may look to these hospitality-driven sustainability benchmarks for inspiration and guidance on national sustainability standards.

Key Takeaways

Asia’s collective harmony over individualism is its strength: While regulatory gaps pose challenges, strong community values and cultural depth enable unique, locally rooted sustainability innovations.

Luxury has the power to lead: High-end hotels have the resources, visibility, and consumer trust to push sustainability forward, experiment with new models, and inspire industry-wide transformation.

Craft meets innovation: By integrating heritage knowledge with modern technology, luxury hotels can preserve culture while pioneering regenerative approaches.

Ripple effects matter: Hotels do not just offer guest rooms and experiences; they can be community hubs. When holistic sustainability is practiced, the benefits extend to staff, suppliers, and local ecosystems.

Setting the stage for policy influence: In tourism-heavy regions, luxury hospitality brands have the opportunity to advocate for and drive the national adoption of sustainability benchmarks and policies.

Final Call: 1 Week to AST Forum in Ha Noi.

AST Forum is an invite-only, high-impact gathering of the brightest minds to connect, act, and transform travel into a force for good in Asia.

Join us at AST Forum in Ha Noi on World Environment Day.

🗓️ Date: June 5, 2025
🕑 Time: 14:00–17:00
📍 Venue: Hotel de Lagom, Ha Noi (Map link)
🎟️ Secure your seat now as we only have a few spots left.

What to expect:

→ Meaningful conversations on how sustainability can drive, not drain, your business

→ Solutions-focused panels on topics like plastic elimination, local impact, and ROI

→ Networking with Vietnam’s leading hotels, travel services operators, and solution providers

↳ 5% of ticket sales will support Saigon Xanh in cleaning Vietnam’s waterways.
↳Three trees per attendee will be planted in climate-vulnerable communities through OneSeed.

EXO Foundation Sustainability Awards

Our friends at EXO Foundation are accepting entries for its third Sustainability Awards. Only projects located in the following countries are eligible for the Sustainability Awards: Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and South Korea.

In addition to visibility, winners will be eligible for cash rewards to further their sustainability projects. Be sure to submit by June 15, 2025 to be considered.

→ Read more about the EXO Foundation Sustainability Awards 

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