Hotels for Nature

Company Summary

We’re on a mission to inspire hotels to start their climate action journey.

Hotels for Nature empowers hotels to plant real trees on behalf of their guests, and offer carbon-neutral stays.

The story of Hotels for Nature began thousands of miles away, as Steffen Westlund traveled through remote regions of Sumatra, Indonesia.

During his journey, he witnessed the reality of deforestation. Vast areas of mangrove forest had been cut down, and local communities had been left with nothing.

Having experience from working with sustainability in the hospitality sector, Steffen knew there was a lack of climate initiatives for hotels, even though the sector is a major contributor to carbon emissions.

After disappearing down a few research rabbit holes, Steffen came up with the idea for Hotels for nature, a subscription service that made it easy for hotels to compensate their carbon footprint, help reforest the plant and support local communities.

Today, Hotels for Nature works with several of the big brands in the hotel industry, and has received funding from Innovation Norway and the Norwegian Government.

Company Highlights

Why Mangrove Trees?

Scientific studies have shown that Mangroves “sequester carbon at a rate two to four times greater than mature tropical forests”, and contain “the highest carbon density of all terrestrial ecosystems.” (Fatoyinbo et al, 2017). The key to mangroves is the large amounts of biomass stored underground in the extensive root system. These roots support the large trees in muddy coastal areas where mangroves thrive.