Skift Take

Populus’ in-house environmental strategies will help it stay carbon neutral. The team’s off-site plans will take things a step further, but they don’t include the carbon credit shortcut.

Elizabeth Casolo

Denver’s new Populus hotel, opening this summer, aims to be a “carbon-positive” hotel and an example of environmentally conscious hospitality. But two things make this hotel stand out: Populus plans to do this without buying carbon credits or focusing on LEED certifications.

Populus’ team intends to blend contemporary style and natural elements, with the building boasting views of the skyline and mountains. The hotel has 265 rooms and suites, a rooftop, two restaurants, a coffee bar, and event spaces.

The idea of carbon-neutral hotels isn’t new. How Populus is going from neutral to positive, though, is different. Think of carbon positive as one step beyond carbon neutral. The hotel’s developer, Urban Villages, considers carbon-positive status as sequestering — collecting and storing — more carbon in soil and biomass than is produced across the building’s lifespan.

Offsetting the initial emissions

While Urban Villages tried to limit the carbon emitted while building the hote