HICAP 2026 SUSTAINABLE HOTEL AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Singapore – The organizers of the 36th edition of Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) are pleased to announce the winners for the HICAP 2026 Sustainable Hotel Awards. HICAP will be held 20-22 October 2026 at the Fairmont Singapore & Swissotel The Stamford.
The annual HICAP Sustainable Hotel Awards are designed to recognize hotels in the Asia Pacific region creating innovative new methods, strategies, and technologies to face today’s sustainable development challenge, while providing tangible examples of sustainable best practices that can be replicated and adapted across the region.
In the category of Biodiversity Action & Education, the winner is Four Seasons Resorts Maldives in the Maldives. Twenty-five years of sustained conservation and training underpin Four Seasons Resorts Maldives’ biodiversity achievements at Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru. Since 2001, the Reefscapers partnership has grown to more than 9,000 coral frames, with long-term monitoring informing restoration research. Teams relocated 28,000 corals during the 2024 bleaching event; turtle centres have cared for over 500 turtles and released more than 280. This cumulative work now includes coral spawning and larval settlement, alongside research analysing 77,574 coral colonies. Marine Discovery Centres turn fieldwork into education for guests, schools and young Maldivians. The wider apprenticeship programme has produced 1,058 Maldivian graduates since 2001. A Baa Atoll internship introduces students to marine science, while a new four-year pathway with Maldives National University combines academic study with resort fieldwork. Guest coral sponsorship and practical learning sustain participation, linking decades of ecological work with the development of local conservation skills to protect the islands’ future.
In the category of Building Renovation, Preservation, Adaptive Reuse and Conversion, the winner is 1 Hotel Melbourne in Australia. On Melbourne’s Birrarung waterfront, 1 Hotel Melbourne brings the city’s maritime history into hotel life. Heritage-listed Goods Shed No. 5 houses dining, events and public spaces within the 277-room hotel’s precinct. More than 2,000 heritage elements were restored or repurposed, including bluestone pavers, timber purlins, doors and windows. Across the hotel and residences, over 4,500 square metres of reclaimed timber preserve stories of Melbourne’s industrial legacy and history: former wharf piers became guestroom signage, while Metro Tunnel trees became reception furniture. Culture and ecology inform the interiors. The REGENERATION art collection includes Australian and First Nations artists, with Yhonnie Scarce’s The Ray Fin tracing eel migration into the Birrarung. Weathered materials retain the waterfront’s industrial character, complemented by planting inspired by local landscapes. The adjoining Seafarers Rest park reconnects visitors with the river. Together, these interventions give the restored site an identity rooted in Melbourne’s history, culture and natural environment.
In the category of Positive Community Impact, the winner is Uga Ulagalla in Sri Lanka. The three core pillars of Uga Ulagalla’s community support strategy say it all: Water, Women, Wildlife. They emphasise the importance of these very crucial subject matters in this part of the world. The resort’s first reverse osmosis facility, established in Athungama in 2021, initially served approximately 800 residents. Four years later, the programme operates ten plants across villages, temples and schools, supported by ongoing maintenance and independent water-quality testing. Today, it supports the health of more than 10,000 people in the surrounding area. Uga Ulagalla’s commitment extends further. Two community electric-fencing projects protect three villages across 8.4 kilometres while supporting coexistence with elephants. A women-led beekeeping initiative has enabled ten participants to complete their first harvest, with ten more expected to join. Funded through occupied-room contributions, waste-sale revenue and guest donations, these initiatives demonstrate a meaningful and lasting partnership between the resort and its surrounding communities.
In the category of Sustainable Design, the winner is Auko Eco-Wellness Lodge in Vietnam. Auko Eco-Wellness Lodge makes adaptation to flooding central to its design beside Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Buoyant foundations allow selected ground-level lodges to rise with floodwater, while canopy accommodation and bamboo walkways sit above historical high-water levels. Structures, vegetation and drainage patterns are planned together to limit excavation and disturbance. The 30-key project holds an EDGE Advanced Preliminary Certificate (issued December 2025). Its assessment predicts approximately 64% energy savings, 47% water savings and 56% less embodied carbon in materials against the baseline. Deep overhangs, insulation and cross-ventilation address the humid climate, with air conditioning limited to sleeping areas. Solar system is designed to supply 47% of annual electricity demand, while the treated wastewater system supplies irrigation for the property. Reclaimed fishing-boat timber and local bamboo reduce material demand. Lightweight modular construction enables repair and adaptation over time, embedding climate resilience into the property’s structure, resource systems and relationship with the landscape.
We would like to express our gratitude to those who served on the judging panel Chiara Calufetti-Lim, WATG; Matthew Carlisle, Cundall; Lyndall DeMarco, Only Sustainability Pty Ltd (Honorary Chairman); Mark Eckstein, Hervé Houdré and H2 Sustainability Consulting; Robert Hecker, Horwath HTL; Eric Ricaurte, Greenview (Chairman); Masaru Takayama, Global Ecotourism Network; and Claire Whitely, Independent Sustainability Consultant.
A special thank you to our 2026 HICAP Deal of the Year and Sustainable Hotel Awards sponsor Preferred Travel Group (Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Beyond Green).
For additional information on HICAP or the awards programs, visit the website. The 36th edition of HICAP will take place 20-22 October 2026 at the Fairmont Singapore & Swissotel The Stamford.