In its efforts to become a more sustainable hotel brand, Ensemble Hospitality recently announced that three of its California properties have earned Green Key Global certification.
Dream Inn Santa Cruz and Hyatt Place Pasadena in California, as well as Best Western Plus Arroyo Roble Hotel & Creekside Villas in Sedona, Arizona, received the certification, which is granted to hotels that demonstrate an ongoing dedication to sustainability.
“Hospitality is not a place, service, person or product,” said Kristi Allen, the executive vice president of Ensemble Hospitality. “It’s the alchemy of how those elements join to create a unique experience, memory or feeling that guests never forget. We are focused on the delivery of this philosophy at our current and future properties, and sustainability is a big part of that strategy."
Guests and staff at Ensemble Hospitality properties are committed to reducing use of single-use plastics.
Credit: 2025 Ensemble HospitalityCurrently, the Ensemble portfolio includes 14 hotels in 12 markets in five U.S. states. These hotels generate more than $200 million in annual revenue collectively and employ more than 1,100 employees.
What Sustainability Looks Like at Ensemble Hospitality Hotels
Ensemble Hospitality first introduced its eco-friendly tourism program, Sustainable Travel with Ensemble, in 2024, aiming to reduce its overall carbon footprint and drive positive environmental change at the property level. The program focuses on five key initiatives including reducing energy consumption by 10% year over year, eliminating 90% of all single-use plastics, reducing water consumption by 5% year over year, incorporating sustainable food sourcing and reducing, reusing and recycling 10% of waste diversion.
Even before the initiative, sustainability efforts were well underway at Ensemble properties. They had eliminated use of plastic water bottles and replaced single-use, in-room amenities at Dream Inn Santa Cruz and Best Western Sedona. All their hotels continue to strive for the best green practices possible.
A rendering of La Bahia Hotel & Spa in Santa Cruz, California
Credit: 2025 Ensemble HospitalityTwo of Ensemble’s new hotel projects, La Bahia Hotel and Spa (opening in Santa Cruz, California, in 2025), and Waylen – Navy Yard (now in pre-development in Philadelphia), are being built to achieve LEED certification or its equivalent. Ensemble has received certifications in LEED ratings including one platinum, 9 gold, eight silver, one certified and three LEED equivalents.
Dream Inn Santa Cruz is another certified Green Key Global hotel in the portfolio.
Credit: 2025 Ensemble HospitalityAllen says that Ensemble’s sustainability efforts have been well-received by customers, as so many are interested in doing more for the environment. Guests are allowed to participate in property-level sustainable activities such as a local beach cleanup with Dream Inn Santa Cruz; a recent event removed 62 pounds of trash and two pounds of recycling in just one hour.
“By embracing sustainable travel practices, we can minimize our environmental footprint, support local communities and contribute to the preservation of natural resources in the markets we operate in,” Allen said.
What’s Next for Ensemble Hospitality
The future of Ensemble Hospitality is bright, with La Bahia Hotel & Spa opening in 2025. The property will offer 155 elegant rooms and suites, ocean-view dining and a full-service spa, making it a luxurious and sophisticated oceanfront retreat.
Ensemble is also renovating and transforming Sonoma County’s first resort on a working vineyard, Vintners Resort, in Santa Rosa, California. The property will be an intimate hideaway among redwood trees and colorful gardens. It will have a newly renovated pool and pool bar and one of Sonoma County’s first farm-to-table restaurants from award-winning chef John Ash, also known as the “Father of Wine Country Cuisine.”
