EarthCheck Gold for Vigilius

Since this legendary mountain resort's foundations were laid, the owning family were early adopters of being ecological and socially responsible, anchoring the vigilius mountain resort to its commitment to sustainability and conscious journey. The Matteo Thun designed hotel, spa, and restaurant was engineered with the environment in focus, applying low-energy construction, technology, and locally sourced materials with the minimum impact on Monte San Vigilio's precious, wild landscape. This year, vigilius mountain resort received the EarthCheck Gold Label for the first time - after previously holding the silver label for the past three years. Apart from being the only hotel in Italy to receive such recognition, it is a fitting testament to the owning Ladurner family's personal drive, green-focused initiative thinking, and innate understanding of their individual role in making the world a better place step by step. 

"Designing a mountain hotel in South Tyrol on the car-free Vigiljoch required caution and respect. Architect Matteo Thun solved this great task according to the clear principle of "eco not ego": The vigilius mountain resort was to become a refuge in which nature - and not man as 'creator' - is realized. The low-energy concept, which is specially tailored to the location, construction and materiality, is unrivalled in the hotel industry and is at the same time trend-setting for the architecture of the 21st century, where energy consumption is an increasingly serious aspect in the planning of buildings, " explains Ingrid Ladurner, member of the vigilius family mountain resort.

The hotel uses biomass for fuel, sourcing wood chips from the local farmers, providing them with a valuable income source, whilst protecting the forests. The hotel also employs the latest tech to measure its consumption, impact and future improvements to its ecological footprint. 

From the green architecture to their organically sourced restaurant operations, eco-spa and wellness to how the rooms are cleaned and serviced, every step is continually reviewed. The hotel is on a pathway to becoming even more sustainable, banning plastic packaging, avoiding single-use plastics and helping to develop biodegradable options. 

According to EarthCheck, the vigilius mountain resort has become the best practice in the hotel industry thanks to its gold certification. The vigilius mountain resort was certified by EarthCheck for the first time in 2015 and is the only hotel in Italy to have this internationally recognized label. EarthCheck is the most important global benchmarking and certification program for sustainable travel and tourism.

"For us, the award is both confirmation and an order: We know that we are on the right track, but at the same time we want to get better and better - that is, to keep knitting the idea of ​​sustainability - for the benefit of the environment and future generations," emphasizes Ingrid Ladurner.

It is always refreshing to learn about how to use design aesthetics to champion an ecological approach and how the thinking hotel can be an integral member of their communities whilst helping them be part of the solution long term.