Two recently-announced hotels have given travellers a glimpse into the next frontier of the hospitality industry and sustainability has emerged as the key driving force.

　　Two recently-announced hotels have given travellers a glimpse into the next frontier of the hospitality industry and sustainability has emerged as the key driving force.

　　The eye-catching and futuristic-looking projects were built on one common principle - climate resilience. Both projects integrate sustainable energy sources and systems, and are designed to withstand the future threat of worsening climate change such as sea level rises.

　　The Grand Cancún

　　Located at the northern section of Cancún’s touristic zone, along the Caribbean coast and near some Mayan archaeological sites, the Grand Cancún eco-resort is a destination in itself that will contain several hotel amenities as well as a wind farm, desalination plant, and ocean waste facility among others.

　　The Grand Cancún, designed by green architect Richard Moreta Castillo, is an offshore marine platform that will enable the Mexican city to address their energy problems and reduce their fossil fuels dependency.

　　The ambitious project, which heralds the 50th founding anniversary of Cancún in 2020, also alleviates water scarcity, minimises overdevelopment on the coast and helps control marine pollution.

　　To do all this, the primary undertaking was designing the massive complex on stilts. Castillo decided to forego constructing an artificial island by land reclamation to avoid damaging the underwater ecosystem.

　　The entire platform is then covered with solar panels to provide energy for the resort, and the city using the surplus of energy generated.

　　The bulk of the platform, aside from housing the underwater hotel, also has marine laboratories, research centres, and an inverse-osmosis desalination plant that will provide clean drinking water. Rainwater and wastewater will also be collected and respectively reused and purified through recycling facilities.

　　Another highlight of the Grand Cancún is its underwater energy farm that will harvest 47MW of tidal, current and wave energy. Plus, the eco-resort will use technology that can extract, clean and purify waste gathered from the ocean.

　　Building on these different levels at the base is a serpentine-like tower rising to the sky. This unique-looking tower containing the residential blocks is not simply for aesthetics; its design actually contains wind turbines that can generate 40MW/h of renewable energy.

　　With self-sufficiency as the guiding principle and a high regard for preserving natural resources, the Grand Cancún aims to be an iconic project for the city and strengthen its sustainability.