Kind Stays, Lasting Impact: From Forests to Sea Otters to DEI
The boutique inns and hotels, luxury resorts, and glamping sites that makeup Kind Traveler's collection of Every Stay Gives Back (ESGB) properties have heard the call and are doing their part. That includes continuing to steadfastly support local nonprofit organizations dedicated to environmental protection and funding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work in their communities at this vital time.
Planning a getaway for 2025 or beyond? Here's a snapshot of some of the ESGB properties focused on helping to shape a better future, where you can put your vacation dollars to work for good causes.
Mar Vista Farm + Cottages | Gualala, California | Non-profit supported through ESGB: Redwood Coast Land Conservancy
If exploring California's legendary northern Sonoma County and southern Mendocino coastline has been on your bucket list – places known for their wild and stunning beauty, towering redwood forests, and striking coastal bluffs – then you'll want to put Mar Vista Farm + Cottages on the itinerary.
Located just outside the tiny community of Gualala along a magical, verdant, and tree-lined stretch of Mendocino's "secret coast," Mar Vista Farm + Cottages deeply embodies the ethos of the richly beautiful region it calls home.
The property is run by husband and wife team Christopher and Deanna Boettcher, a duo dedicated to being mindful stewards of the planet. The local non-profit supported by Mar Vista is Redwood Coast Land Conservancy (RCLC), an organization dedicated to preserving, restoring, and sharing the natural beauty of coastal southern Mendocino and northern Sonoma Counties.
Through Kind Traveler's ESGB community impact program, $2 per stay at Mar Vista goes to the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy. Additionally, Mar Vista matches every $2 collected, doubling the positive impact of your visit. As a result of these efforts to date, 45 California native trees have been planted along the local Bonham Trail.
"Without Mother Earth, we have nothing," adds Boettcher, sharing a favorite quote of hers about the importance of being good stewards of the planet from Frank Duveneck: “I never owned the land. I simply held it and took care of it for a little while. It belongs to the animals, birds, trees, and flowers. They’re the ones who own the land."
"If everyone felt this way, we wouldn’t be in such a dire situation," says Boettcher.
Related: Sip, Stay, and Give Back: A Kind Traveler's Guide to Sonoma County
Ocean Inn at Manzanita | Manzanita, Oregon | Non-profit supported through ESGB: North Coast Land Conservancy
Offering a unique lodging experience along Oregon's picturesque coast, Ocean Inn at Manzanita sits just steps from seven miles of beach. Right around the corner from the inn, guests will find the small town of Manzanita, where there are shops, galleries, restaurants, and a farmer's market every Friday afternoon.
The property features 10 beautifully appointed guest rooms – eight suites (some featuring ocean views and decks facing the ocean) and two kitchenette units.
A visit to Ocean Inn at Manzanita supports the work of the North Coast Land Conservancy, which is focused on conserving Oregon’s coastal lands and waters and supporting a fully functioning landscape where healthy communities of people, plants, and wildlife all thrive.
The Inn donates $2 from every guest stay to the North Coast Land Conservancy. And it takes just $10 to care for an acre of protected land for one month. As a result of the Inn's ESGB support of the conservancy, more than 90 acres of protected land were cared for over one month.
"At Ocean Inn, we are committed to sustainability and environmental consciousness," Janice Zagata of Ocean Inn at Manzanita told Kind Traveler.
Support for the North Coast Land Conservancy is one way the hotel engages in environmental protection.
The property also provides its guests with Green Natüra Eco-Conscious Amenities bath products and spearheads its own Ocean Steward Program. Through this effort, the Inn encourages guests to collect microplastics from the nearby beach. Microplastics are the tiny plastic particles resulting from commercial product development and the breakdown of larger plastics. Guests who help collect these plastics during their stay are provided a credit from Ocean Inn at Manzanita for a future reservation.
"It may be a small contribution, but we believe every act matters," says Zagata.
"We believe that championing sustainability is more important now than ever as we continue to witness changes in our climate and weather patterns and worrying increases in our pollution levels," adds Zagata. "We're so lucky to be located on a small section of Oregon's over 400 miles of public beaches and are proud to share our home with our guests. Unfortunately, we observe many of these changes daily as we feel our ocean getting warmer, watch as birds and sea life become sick, and deal with the repercussions of rising sea levels that erode our coastline, just to name a few."
Dunton Hot Springs | Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado | Non-profit supported through ESGB: The Bridge Shelter
A small, exclusive resort located deep in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, Dunton Hot Springs features stays in exquisitely furnished, hand-hewn log cabins surrounded by nature. Days at the property can be spent hiking trails, indulging in massages, or perhaps the main event here – soaking in healing hot springs, which feature a mix of dissolved iron, manganese, and lithium.
There are many ways to indulge in the springs when visiting, including inside a restored 19th century Bathhouse, under the stars at the source, or in a pool outside the Bathhouse.
The local organization supported by Dunton Hot Springs is the Bridge Shelter, which provides seasonal shelter, along with opportunities for day labor and transitional housing for adults seeking greater independence. The shelter's mission is to "create a space for civility, community, and hope." Its efforts have been vital to the transitional housing community in Cortez, Colorado, where it serves as a critical intermediary step for those moving from homelessness to permanent housing.
Dunton Hot Springs contributes $1 per night from every stay booked with the property to the Bridge Shelter.
Related: 7 Sustainable Wellness Vacations That Immerse You in Nature
The Good House | Desert Hot Springs, California | Non-profit supported through ESGB: The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert
The Good House is a boutique oasis set in Desert Hot Springs. The luxe property (featured in Travel + Leisure’s 2023 Most Beautiful Places to Visit in California) features seven bespoke suites, each offering something slightly different than the next. Some stylish rooms even include a private outdoor patio, dining set, and hammock ideal for curling up with a book or simply dozing.
The property is tucked inside a picturesque desert landscape where fresh-flowing mineral water that runs through the property provides the ambient soundtrack for your stay. Spend your time here relaxing on a daybed or soaking in the property's geothermal heated mineral pools (The alkaline mineral water at The Good House is drawn from a 600-year-old well.)
Along with these fabulous reasons to visit, The Good House supports The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert. The property contributes $2 per night from every stay to the center, which offers a variety of programming and works to create a safe and welcoming environment for all members of the LGBTQ community. Thus far, $5,192 has been raised from guest stays at The Good House. Those funds have translated into 20,768 meals for individuals facing food
Wildflower Inn | Gold Beach, Oregon | Non-profit supported through ESGB: Elakha Alliance
The Wildflower Inn is Gold Beach’s newest, locally owned boutique hotel. The property, which features eclectic decor inspired by the beauty and elegance of the Pacific Northwest, is owned by Jenni and Rocky Burns.
The couple, born and raised in the area, created Wildflower Inn to offer a comfortable, stylish place for visitors to enjoy and fully appreciate the picturesque region they call home.
The Wildflower Inn is located along iconic coastal Highway 101, in the heart of Gold Beach, just across the street from the beach and the County Fairgrounds.
Sea otters have been missing from Oregon’s ecosystem for 110 years due to the 19th-century fur trade. However, they are a keystone species critical to maintaining the productivity and diversity of kelp forests. And without sea otters actively keeping the urchin population in check, kelp forests could turn into barren marine deserts, leading to a significant drop in biodiversity.
The Wildflower Inn donates $1 per night from every stay to the Elakha Alliance to help support its work. To date, the hotel has raised $456 to help support the Alliance's efforts to provide education about the cultural and environmental significance of sea otters.
"It’s more important than ever to protect the things we love," adds Burns. "Visitors come to our area to enjoy the wild and beautiful nature many of us take for granted. Our livelihood and our passion for the outdoors relies on a healthy, sustainable ecosystem that can thrive for not just us but for generations to come."
Author Bio: Mia Taylor is an award-winning journalist and editor. She has been writing and editing professionally for 20 years and holds an undergraduate degree in print journalism and a graduate degree in journalism and media studies. Her career includes working as a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fortune, Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Parents, and Health.