When we featured The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa on our Top 5 Luxury Resorts of Bora Bora list, we made it plenty clear that the place is truly luxurious. What we didn’t realize then is that it is also utterly sustainable. Already listed on Conde Nast Traveler’s 2014 Gold List, recognized as one of the “World’s Best Beach Hotels” and for having one of the most “Beautiful Hotel Pools”, the hotel has now received Global Traveler’s Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Environmental Initiatives! After all, there have to be one of these to recognize unique environmental air-conditioning systems.
First in the world to feature an innovative, eco-friendly air-conditioning system, The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa uses very cold, deep-sea water to cool the hotel. Deploying a 7,874-foot pipe to a depth of more than 3,000 feet (the deepest ocean pipe in the world) off the reef of Bora Bora, the unique seawater air-conditioning system feeds the cold, deep-sea water through a titanium heat exchanger, transferring the cold into the fresh water circuit that then air conditions the hotel. The seawater is returned back to the sea and the system has zero impact on the environment.
Normally this might signal other issues but the air conditioner in question impeccable to the point of being quiet and requiring virtually no energy to bring the deep sea water to the surface. It reportedly produces no carbon dioxide or other green house gasses, and saves 90% of the electricity consumed by a conventional cooling system. So when you’re in Bora Bora, a stay at The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa would not only mean enjoying sundeck-ed overwater villas and turquoise waters but also creating a sustainable future for the environment. Now if only we could take this practice back to our apartments!
