Gli Ambasciatori Ecoluxury

The Collection
Ambassadors

"I have had the privilege of meeting many entrepreneurs – pioneers in the creation of environmental and cultural protection and conservation projects – who are making extraordinary efforts, which are all the more exemplary in such difficult times.

They are true examples of responsible business, without whom the Ecoluxury Collection would have no reason to exist.

Owners and managers of accommodation facilities who have been ahead of their time, transforming themselves into exemplary models of sustainable hospitality."

Enrico Ducrot CEO Ecoluxury

Daniele Kihlgren

Daniele Kihlgren, born in Milan to Swedish parents, is the creator and founder of the Sextantio Group.

The third child in a family of cement entrepreneurs, in the late 1990s he decided to restore a ruined medieval village, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, perched atop the rugged mountains of Abruzzo, transforming the entire village into a ‘spread-out hotel’. He subsequently carried out a similar project in the Sassi di Matera and developed a small holiday village on an island in Lake Kivu in Rwanda, on the border with the Congo.

For more than ten years, through his Foundation, he has been running a health insurance scheme in Rwanda, thanks to the proceeds from the management of the Sextantio ‘albergo diffuso’ properties and the generous contributions of friends and acquaintances.

→ Sextantio Santo Stefano di Sessanio

Francesca Planeta

Francesca Planeta was born in Palermo into a family that has been committed to innovation in agriculture for seventeen generations. In particular, following in the footsteps of her father, Diego Planeta, she is one of the leading figures in Sicily’s wine renaissance.

Building on the values that have always characterised the family, Francesca now brings a contemporary vision and a forward-looking perspective, having led the Planeta winery alongside her cousins Alessio and Santi since 1995.

After completing her classical studies and two master’s degrees in corporate communication in London and Milan, followed by a brief stint in the marketing department of a major company in the food and drink sector, Francesca Planeta chose to return to Sicily in 1995 to help build the family’s winery, bringing to bear not only her professional calling, expertise and experience, but also her desire to share in the grand project of revitalising Sicilian wine on the international stage.

From the very beginning, Francesca took charge of the company’s marketing and communications, going on to oversee hospitality, culinary and cultural projects across the five regions – Menfi, Vittoria, Noto, Etna and Capo Milazzo – where the wine and olive oil production has developed.

→ La Foresteria Planeta

Michael Lutzeyer

In 1991, Michael Lutzeyer went camping with his family near Gaansbai, South Africa, where a ‘Farm for Sale’ sign drew his attention to the most incredible view of the fynbos-covered slopes overlooking Walker Bay.

In 1994, Michael decided to sell his investments in Cape Town and develop a bed and breakfast on the site for local visitors, little knowing that it would soon attract people from all over the world.

Since then, through a combination of hard work, enthusiasm, vision and a close-knit family, the Lutzeyers have transformed the reserve into a world leader in innovative luxury tourism, changing the lives of community members and preserving 2,500 hectares of botanical and wildlife treasures.

In 2003, the family established The Grootbos Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation working to conserve the critically endangered fynbos, which also focuses on training and skills development for surrounding communities.

→ Grootbos Private Nature Reserve

Claude Graves

Claude Graves has been living between Indonesia and Kenya since 1974.

In 1989, he moved to Sumba, a remote island in central Indonesia, where he co-founded, established and managed both Nihiwatu and the Sumba Foundation, creating a model of sustainable tourism that has been recognised and awarded internationally.

Claude has successfully used the revenue generated by the hospitality business to support the local community: water wells, education through the funding of numerous schools, innovative technologies in the hotel’s energy systems, and much more besides.

In February 2013, Claude stepped down as managing director of Nihiwatu to devote all his attention and energy to the Sumba Foundation.

Claude is undoubtedly one of the people who has most inspired the Ecoluxury model and all the benefits it brings.

Colin Bell

Colin Bell is a leading environmentalist and one of the first conservationists to launch the ‘Green Safari’ model in Africa.

After completing his economics degree, rather than entering the world of finance, he began working as a safari guide in Botswana in 1977.

In 1983, he co-founded Wilderness Safaris, which has become one of Africa’s leading safari tour operators.

For over 30 years, Colin has helped establish various camps and tourist lodges in seven different countries with the aim of protecting thousands of hectares of nature reserves.

He was also among the first to recognise the need to collaborate with local communities and involve them in tourism and environmental conservation projects, thereby laying the foundations for sustainable tourism in Africa.

One of his greatest achievements was successfully reintroducing both white and black rhinos to the Okavango Delta.

In 2005, Colin sold his shares in Wilderness and founded two further organisations: Great Plains Conservation and Natural Selection Safaris.

He has also written two books – *Africa’s Finest* and *The Last Elephants* – in which he reaffirms his belief that wildlife enriches our lives and makes us better human beings, inspiring us to become more considerate and mindful of preserving unspoilt natural environments for future generations.

→ Wilderness Retreats in Africa

José Koechlin

José Koechlin is a pioneer of sustainable tourism in South America.

Each Inkaterra hotel has a specific mission within the world of sustainable, high-end tourism, and together they are regarded as models of hospitality. Indeed, the hotels are situated in environments that are completely different from one another: ancient cities, the Amazon rainforest, the Pacific coast, agricultural areas and archaeological sites.

José has chaired numerous tourism and conservation boards, served as President of the Sociedad Hoteles del Perú, and been a member of the board of directors of Conservation International (Washington D.C.), bringing enormous value to their respective sectors in Peru.

José has sponsored major research into the flora and fauna of the Amazon basin, discovering more species of ants at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica than anywhere else in the world.

He is responsible for creating the world’s largest collection of native orchid species (372) and for housing 18 unique species of hummingbird in their natural habitat at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.

The Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel is also home to the Andean Bear Rescue Centre, one of Koechlin’s projects which rescues bears affected by human activity and reintroduces them to their natural habitat. José is the most active ambassador for a model of sustainable luxury tourism in Peru.

→ Inkaterra in Perù

George Dominic

George Dominic is one of the visionary figures who has helped to make the world a better place.

He runs the CGH Earth Experience Hotels group alongside his brothers in southern India.

Ever since he opened his first hotel, environmental protection and respect for people, animals and cultures have always been key values for him. Responsible tourism reflected the Dominic family’s philosophy long before ecotourism became widespread.

George Dominic’s ancestors were farmers and knew full well what it meant to depend on the environment and respect nature.

The family used only what they could give back, and their guiding principle was ‘respect for the earth and for all the creatures that inhabit it’. Today, sustainability reflects the core values of the CGH Earth group: promoting regional communities, protecting the environment and respecting local ethics. The acronym for Clean, Green and Healthy Earth has become the name of the CGH Earth group. All the resorts have been built in the traditional style, using local resources and recycled materials.

Every resort must bring benefits to local communities, recognising their local culture and supporting their economic and social development. CGH Earth recruits and trains local people, empowering them to be themselves in order to create an authentic atmosphere.

Their employees – and women in particular – are encouraged to take on positions of responsibility and are offered genuine prospects for career progression within the group’s resorts. According to George, “living sustainably is a way of life that seeks to reduce the use that an individual or society makes of the earth’s natural and personal resources”.

Consequently, CGH Earth resorts are managed according to the basic principle of the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. In this way, the hotel group helps to reduce resource consumption, which is why it chooses suppliers who have reduced their use of plastic and utilises modern water systems and energy-saving light bulbs.

Furthermore, the CGH Earth group is striving to move away from fossil fuels as much as possible, increasingly turning to biogas or renewable energy sources.

George believes that his journey has only just begun and is convinced that he and his brothers have a new mission: to take CGH Earth global and help spread a new mindset that benefits the planet and all living things on it.

→ Coconut Lagoon

Marcello Murzilli

In the 1980s, Marcello Murzilli founded the clothing brand ‘El Charro’.

After selling his fashion company, he sailed round the world on a refurbished 1937 Scottish cutter.

Marcello is a visionary, constantly seeking to redefine the concepts of luxury and hospitality.

He settled on the Pacific coast of Mexico, where he built and ran Hotelito Desconocido for 14 years. The hotel was recognised in London as one of the world’s top five eco-resorts.

He returned to Italy and, in 2013, opened Eremito, a new concept in luxury tourism for solo travellers and one of the first ‘Digital Detox’ hotels in Italy.

Since 2006, Marcello and his son Matteo have believed in Ecoluxury and have helped the brand to develop and improve.

→ Eremito in Umbria