By CRYSTAL GOH
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