Elite Traveler Summer 2022

Clockwise Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary, a member of Small Luxury Hotels’ Conscious Collection

COVETED COLLECTIONS From medieval hamlets to sleek mountain retreats in Zermatt, the hotels within these portfolios undergo a strict — and often secretive — vetting process.

SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THEWORLD - CONSIDERATE COLLECTION Small Luxury Hotels (or SLH) is exactly what it sounds like — a collection of boutique, independent hotels from around the globe. The antithesis to the big-name big-chain brand, SLH has 520 hotels in more than 90 countries, but most of the hotels have no more than 50 guest rooms and are often family-owned and -operated. For a hotel to gain the SLH Seal of Approval, a mystery inspector evaluates each property with a 750-point criteria; the hotels are then reviewed annually. The mystery inspectors are regular SLH guests who work their top-secret assignments into their own travel plans. It can take months for a hotel to gain membership, and a fairly high number of applicants don’t make the cut. The criteria has become even more stringent with the Considerate Collection. Launched at the end of last year, it evaluates all hotels in this subsection against

SLH’s Sustainability Criteria and Pillars, which are aligned with the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals, as well as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) framework. Each hotel has achieved a GSTC certi fi cation or passed an assessment by the SLH Sustainability Panel. Hotels within the Considerate Collection have to demonstrate that they are proactive members of the local community (by ensuring employment opportunities to local residents, buying local as much as possible, and having social impact initiatives); protectors of cultural heritage (traditional local culture is respectfully incorporated in the design/decor of the hotel, and guests are immersed in local culture through authentic and respectful activities); and that the sustainable plans go above and beyond (conserving resources, reducing pollution and carbon footprint, conserving biodiversity and ecosystems). slh.com