Six Senses to operate world’s first carbon-positive resort in Norway

Six Senses has partnered with hospitality company Svart Eindorm to open the world’s first-ever carbon positive resort in Norway. 

Expected to open in 2024, Six Senses Svart will be located above the Holandsfjorden fjord at the foot of the Svartisen glacier in Norway’s Arctic Circle. 

Described as a ‘futuristic showcase for sustainability’, the property will combine technological innovation and organic materials that use the least embedded energy.

Six Senses claims that the building will be the first to be designed and built to the highest energy-efficiency standards in the northern hemisphere.

It will feature ground-breaking technology that will enable the property to harvest enough solar energy to cover the hotel as well as adjacent operations and the energy used to construct the building, with enough left over to go back into the grid.

Entirely self-sustaining, the resort will also have its own waste and water management and recycling systems as well as renewable infrastructure. 

The ring-shaped property, inspired by Norwegian fiskehjell – an A-shaped structure used for drying fish – will even be built on poles above the waters so as to minimise the impact on the land. 

“Sustainable properties call for extraordinary creativity, and Six Senses Svart takes us to a whole new level in terms of pushing boundaries,” said Six Senses CEO Neil Jacobs.

“The concept has become bigger than the project itself, as it will provide a futuristic showcase for what can be achieved in terms of sustainability and energy solutions, and therefore a blueprint within our hospitality industry and the development sector in general,” he added. 

Svart Eindorm owner and CEO Jan-Gunnar Mathisen said: “To enhance the vision of Svart, we have established a Net-Zero Lab, a vehicle for developing and taking to market the technology created by us in a joint effort with Six Senses to reach the common goal for net-zero travel.

“This means the guest journey will have zero environmental impact from start to end. The mission is to achieve common ground for all stakeholders, pushing the technology to the next level to benefit the resort and the industry at large.”

Taking a beat 

Aiming to encourage guests to ‘take a beat’, the resort will feature 94-bedrooms and a zero-waste dining venue, a bar, experience and fitness centres, and a spa that will an integrated approach to wellness with several sensory treatment suites as well as a biohacking lounge offering vitamin IVs and compression boots. 

The spa will be equipped with state-of-the-art  and wearable technology, including Svart Touch; a specially developed concept that will further elevate the brand’s pioneering wellness approach. 

According to Six Senses, Svart Touch, which uses non-invasive touchless technology,  will essentially serve as a personal wellness concierge for every guest, adapting the room to suit the guest’s state of mind and providing intuitive options to ‘evoke a deeper sense of wellbeing’.

In addition, the resort will offer several education programmes such as Eat Well With Six Senses, Sleep Well With Six Senses, Grow With Six Senses, as well as edutainment programming based on the brand’s six dimensions of wellness for younger guests. 

“Six Senses Svart is redefining the travel experience through technological innovation, ground-breaking design and exceptional guest wellness journey by creating a carbon-neutral visionary destination where we can showcase the core pillars of what modern hospitality design and operation can achieve,” said Svart development director Ivaylo Lefterov.