URBN Hotels and Resorts have made history as the first carbon-neutral hotel in China with the opening of their flagship property in Shanghai. The chic 26-room boutique hotel will put an eco-friendly twist on luxury hospitality and hopes to set an example for other businesses to follow.

Set in a renovated 1970s former post office building, the URBN hotel features interiors crafted using recycled and locally sourced materials. In addition, passive solar shades and water based air-conditioning systems are eco-friendly solutions that have been introduced on-site.

URBN plans to neutralize the hotel’s carbon footprint by carefully tracking energy consumption to calculate carbon emissions, and then investing accordingly in projects that focus on green technology and emission reduction in China.

The hotel also promises to offer a more unique experience than the usual hotel stay, with localized tai chi and yoga classes, in-room beauty treatment and health therapies like acupuncture and reflexology, biking and walking tours of the French Concession district, basic Mandarin lessons and Chinese cooking classes.

www.urbnhotels.com