All the energy used in the hotel comes from renewable sources, helping the property stay carbon neutral. Plastic bottles holding soap and shampoo have long been eliminated, but now, plastic water bottles have also been replaced by glass options in every guestroom. EK Hotel also has its own rainwater treatment plant. Additional environmentally friendly practices can be found in the kitchen, with the restaurant using local ingredients that are delivered fresh with recyclable packaging; dairy products like yogurt also stem from cows raised on regenerative pastures free of pesticides and fertilizers.

Involvement in a number of special programs help EK Hotel make a difference not just within their own building, but in the community and world beyond as well. Tree planting initiatives support the indigenous community in Vaupes, a section of the Colombian Amazon while an inclusion and anti-discrimination policy has earned EK Hotel the Colombian Diversity Chamber’s FriendlyBiz certification. Additional efforts focus on promoting tourism in Bogota, protecting Colombia’s cultural and artistic heritage, and preventing the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

Despite having been built 10 years ago, EK Hotel has a contemporary design that also happens to be sustainable. Certified gold by the global Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, the structure itself has been deemed better for people, business, and the environment than most. Some features that helped the hotel qualify for this honor include energy-efficient enhancements, water conservation efforts, and waste reduction in addition to the use of sustainable building materials. Green buildings use, on average, 26% less energy and 30% less water.