Dunton Destinations takes sustainable hotels to the next level
Every hotel these days exhorts guests to help the environment by reusing their towels. But how many of these establishments make all their yogurt, cottage cheese and cream cheese in-house, thus cutting down on #5 plastics by 70 percent? In an escalating sustainability competition, Dunton Destinations, a luxury resort and lodge operator in the Colorado Rockies, is way ahead of most hoteliers.
The company operates three vacation properties in Colorado and one on the remote Mustique island in the Caribbean. The Colorado properties include Dunton Hot Springs, formerly a 19th-century mining town in the San Juan Mountains; Dunton River Camp, a glamping experience 4 miles downriver from the hot springs; and Dunton Town House, an inn in downtown Telluride. All are fueled by electricity generated from 100 percent renewable energy.
Staff at the Colorado properties make candles in-house, using sustainably sourced vegetable wax and blending in therapeutic essential oils. This cuts down on packaging and shipping waste. Whey, a byproduct of the aforementioned dairy foods made in Dunton kitchens, is fed to chickens at nearby Bountiful Ridge Farm. Eventually, some of these chickens will end up on Dunton plates, bringing the whey full-circle. In-ground composting troughs that will hold 20 cubic feet of cardboard and organic waste are now being developed.
Dunton was established as a town in 1885 and reached its peak population of around 300 in about 1905. But the gold and silver boom played out, leaving the town deserted by 1918. Soon after, some ranchers bought the whole town and turned it into a cattle ranch. In the 1970s and ’80s, people operated Dunton as a dude ranch. In 1994, the current owners bought Dunton and spent the next seven years revamping the town into a resort. Nowadays, the staff are the only full-time residents. The town of Cortez is about 35 miles south. Two nights per month, Dunton staff drive down the mountain to volunteer serving food at The Bridge, Cortez’s homeless shelter.
Far off in the Caribbean, the fourth Dunton property, called the Pangolin, also has a social conscience. Named for the Asian mammal also known as “the scaly anteater,” Dunton donates 3 percent of all rental revenues from its Mustique island property to Tikki Hywood Foundation. The foundation raises awareness of pangolins and other lesser known endangered animals.
Written by Teresa Bergen
Photography by Edoardo Rossi and Dunton Destinations
