Marlon Brando's Eco-Friendly Island Paradise

Far away in the South Pacific Ocean, a hotel with a heavyweight name is blazing the trail to solve the biggest problem in luxury travel: the environmental impact. The Brando Hotel is located on the island of Tetiaroa, roughly halfway between Australia and South America and just 30 miles north of Tahiti. Marlon Brando bought the island after filming a movie there and committed himself to protecting the pristine environment, a mission that still guides his namesake hotel today.

Airplane emissions, overdevelopment, and guzzling up resources are just a few of the realities of travel that, if left unchecked, will only worsen. Thankfully, The Brando is a beacon in the tourism world not just for reducing its footprint, but for creating a positive impact. Each guest is given a reusable water bottle, coral-friendly sunscreen, and a beach cruiser to use upon arrival, but that’s only scratching the surface.

Powering a 5-star resort on a far-flung tropical island is no easy task, so The Brando makes use of the two resources that never run out: the sun and the sea. Thousands of solar panels along the airstrip provide renewable energy without taking up more space than necessary. Air conditioning is hyper-efficient thanks to cold water pumped up from the depths of the ocean that cools the entire property.

Perhaps The Brando’s most innovative concept is proving that indulgence and conservation aren’t diametrically opposed. Each villa comes with its own pool, a Michelin-starred chef runs the kitchen, and past guests include the likes of Barack Obama and Oprah, so calling it opulent is an understatement. But this is forward-thinking decadence, and hopefully a glimpse into the future of travel.

Marlon Brando dreamed of preserving not just his island but also the planet at large, and the hotel’s Ecostation is his dream realized. This active research center houses environmental scientists from around the world who are performing cutting-edge studies to battle the effects of climate change. The island may feel like a pinpoint on the Earth, but the solutions being developed here are meant for a global scale.

One of the highlights of The Brando is the Green Tour, allowing guests to peek behind the scenes and see exactly how these technologies work—and why they’re so important. Learning is also adapted for younger scientists at the Lagoon School, a kid-friendly educational program using the island as a classroom to teach young travelers about protecting marine life and conservation.

Chat with an Origin travel curator today to start planning your trip to The Brando and to find out how you can reduce your emissions while traveling.