Certified Commitment to Sustainability: ILLA Experience Hotel Verifies Its Carbon Footprint

Travelers looking for luxury, experiences, and/or cultural and/or sustainable tourism will find a unique choice in the historic district of Quito. ILLA Experience Hotel is a lovely boutique hotel in the San Marcos neighborhood of Quito, set within a restored 17th century mansion.It offers upscale accommodations with varying levels of environmental efficiency and responsibility.

ILLA Experience Hotel will officially provide 3rd party verification of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2024. Their sustainability efforts will qualify for international certification, not only providing travelers a luxury experience, but that is authentic and sustainable.

Are you interested in luxury hotels providing elegance and sustainability? Then keep reading!

Key Takeaways

• Allocated Carbon Footprint: Third-party verification of GHG emissions under the following standards ISO 14064-1:2019 and the Ecuadorian Carbon Zero Program (PECC).
• Data Penetration accuracy: 98.6% of the reported data was validated with a confidence level of 95%, pertaining to indirect and direct emissions.
• Ongoing Improvement: There were corrective actions and improvement opportunities for continual advancement in sustainability.
• Luxury with Responsibility: Over time, the legacy of quality and luxury coexisted with a variued respect of the environment.

Latin Trails and ILLA Experience Hotel Promote Luxury With Responsibility

Latin Trails is a firm believer that luxury can exist alongside sustainability and care for our planet. Therefore, along with ILLA Experience Hotel, our exclusive boutique hotel in Quito, we promote luxury tourism that is responsible, measurable, and transparent. We are pleased to note ILLA Experience Hotel has recently done its due diligence and gone through an external verification of its carbon footprint and sustainability commitment.

ILLA Experience Hotel is located in the historic San Marcos quarter in Quito’s Historic Center, in a restored mansion constructed in the 17th century. ILLA Experience Hotel features only 10 rooms, each room is designed and inspired by a different period in Quito’s history, colonial, republican, and modern – combining luxury, comfort, and authentic cultural experiences while not losing sight of their commitment to the environment.

Third-Party Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GEI)

To demonstrate effective accountability towards sustainability, ILLA Experience Hotel pursued verification of its carbon footprint with a 3rd party to ensure credible systems and result for the reporting period of January 1 to December 31, 2024 under the following standards:

• NTE INEN-ISO 14064-1:2019
• Ecuadorian Zero Carbon Program (PECC)
• Assessment according NTE INEN-ISO 14064-3

An independent, outside party conducted the verification in order to ensure transparency and truthfulness.

“If you do not measure, you cannot improve.” was a key reason measuring our carbon emissions was a transparent first step.

– Sustainability Team, ILLA Experience Hotel

Verification Process: How It Was Conducted

The validation process took place in two main stages:

Stage 1: Initial assessment

• Strategic analysis of the information provided.
• Classification of the organization as:
• Low risk.
• Small scale.
• Low complexity (according to reported sources).
• Selection of a representative statistical sample of the available data (supported by document F-55).

Stage 2: Verification and audit

• Interviews with personnel responsible for the GHG inventory.
• Verification of the traceability of data and information sources.
• Documentary review of reports, records, invoices, and evidence.

Results: Carbon Footprint 2024

In 2024, a carbon footprint of 12.22 TCO₂e was reported captured the following four categories:

• Category 1 – Direct GHG emissions: examples are solid waste (common and plastic).
• Category 2 – Indirect emissions from imported energy. Examples: electricity
• Category 3 – Indirect emissions associated with transportation. Examples: customer transportation
• Category 4 – Indirect emissions from products used. Examples: solid waste (common and plastic)

The verification also identified opportunities for improvement, such as the correct inclusion of all detected sources and the justification of exclusions (e.g., refrigerants).

Closing of Findings and Continuous Improvement

The ILLA Experience Hotel officially closed all detected non-conformities (evidence into document F-43) on October 23, 2025, and is moving toward the final verification opinion in the Zero Carbon Program.

“Measuring our footprint is just a start. We want to reduce it, not simply report it.”

– Sustainability Team, the ILLA Experience Hotel

Latin Trails is proud to endorse and support this effort, showing that luxury tourism can be conscious, measurable, and transformational.

Conclusion

At Latin Trails, we believe that real luxury is about respect; respect for the local culture, respect for communities, and respect for the planet itself. The ILLA Experience Hotel, as indicated in the name, is a true representation of value.

To measure its carbon impact is not simply an exercise in futility; it is a commitment to accountability. Sustainability is not simply talking about it; it is measuring it, being audited for it, and acting on it. ILLA Experience Hotel’s movement in line with international standards and Ecuador’s Zero Carbon Program shows that luxury can be transparent, balanced, and transformational.

At Latin Trails, we promote experiences that leave a mark on the traveler, not on the planet.

ILLA Experience Hotel is one of them.

FAQ

1. What was the Carbon Footprint Verification score for Hotel ILLA Experience?

The Carbon Footprint Verification score obtained by ILLA Experience Hotel was 12.22 TCO₂.

2. What emissions were quantified?

• The audit of emissions covered direct emissions (generators, fuel, lubricants)
• Indirect emissions for energy imports (electricity)
• Indirect emissions from transportation (client transfers)
• Indirect emissions from products used (solid waste and plastics)

3. What’s next after verification?

ILLA Experience Hotel has a continuous improvement plan in place, to address all emissions, correct any anomalies as needed, and fulfill sustainability commitment along with the support of Latin Trails.