Over the past fifteen years, Demänovská Valley has grown faster than any other mountain resort in Slovakia. With that growth came new challenges, limited infrastructure, strained power capacity, and the responsibility of protecting the surrounding national park. Our sustainability program, Nature & Družba: The Valley of Tomorrow, was created to address these challenges head-on. It’s not about asking guests to “save the planet” with signs and slogans. It’s about measurable actions that make a real difference.
1. We generate our own solar power
When the valley’s electrical grid reached its limits, we chose a different path. Instead of requesting a larger connection to the power grid, we invested in building our own energy system, solar panels paired with a large-scale battery storage solution. The solar panels generate electricity throughout the day, while the battery stores excess energy for the evening, when the hotel is at its busiest and the wellness center is operating at full capacity.
The first phase of the project has been running since December 16, 2025, and during its first months of operation it has already saved 24.81 MWh of electricity. Our goal is ambitious: by 2030, we aim to operate entirely on electricity that we generate and store ourselves. The idea that a hotel accommodating 500 guests, home to the largest hotel wellness center in the Liptov region, can one day run entirely on batteries charged by the sun proves that even in the heart of a national park, tourism and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.
2. We’re reducing water consumption
We’ve installed water-saving aerators on every faucet and shower throughout the hotel to limit maximum water flow without compromising comfort. So far, this has saved 817 cubic meters of water that never had to be drawn from the public water supply. By the end of 2026, our goal is to cut our drinking water consumption by 50%.
We’re also making better use of rainwater. Today, it’s collected and used to irrigate our gardens and young trees. By 2030, we plan to build rainwater retention tanks, connect them to the hotel, and use the collected water for toilet flushing. In a hotel of this size, toilets account for a significant share of daily water use—and there’s simply no reason to flush them with drinking water.
Zero-waste breakfast without plastic usage.
3. Lowering our emissions
We’ve upgraded our heating system from a combination of wood and natural gas to a modern, high-efficiency gas-only system that meets the strictest emissions standards. The final phase of this transition is scheduled for 2026, when the last four older boilers will be replaced with the most advanced models currently available.
4. The best waste is the waste we never create
Our approach to waste starts with prevention rather than recycling. Soft drinks are delivered exclusively in returnable glass bottles. Bread arrives in reusable crates that the bakery collects and refills the next day. At breakfast, individual pâté cups have been replaced with reusable ceramic serving bowls. Single-use juice cartons have given way to large dispensers where guests can pour their own drinks. In our conference facilities, you won’t find capsule coffee machines or disposable cups. Together, these changes have reduced our waste by approximately 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) every year.
Trees planting 2026
5. We compost right here in the valley
By 2030, we aim to reduce our total waste by 40% and process all organic waste in our own on-site composting facility. That means food waste from our kitchens won’t have to be transported in and out of the valley. For a hotel operating two restaurants every day, that eliminates the need to move tons of organic waste each year.
6. We’ve almost eliminated paper
We’ve replaced printed guest information with digital screens and QR codes instead of paper brochures. Invoices are delivered electronically rather than by mail. It may seem like a small change, until you add up how much paper a hotel goes through over the course of a season.
7. Lights that turn off automatically
Every guest room uses a key-card energy system. Insert your room card into the slot by the door, and the lights and power outlets become active. Take the card with you when you leave, and everything switches off automatically. Even guests who never remember to turn off the lights at home end up saving energy here, without having to think about it. On top of that, 90% of the hotel is equipped with energy-efficient LED lighting.
8. We share the ride to work
Instead of every employee driving to work in their own car, we provide shared transportation by minibus. As a result, instead of 40 cars traveling into the valley each day, only one or two minibuses make the trip.
We use local ingredients and work with local suppliers.
9. We protect the animals and insects that belong here
A national park sounds beautiful, until a bear comes looking for food near your waste containers at night. That is why our waste facilities are secured in a way that prevents bears, deer, and foxes from being attracted to the hotel. An animal that finds a food source near a building will keep coming back, and that never ends well, especially for the animal itself. The hotel grounds also feature an insect hotel, providing native forest species with a safe place to overwinter and lay their eggs.
10. We have planted hundreds of trees
Every year, we organize tree planting and clean-up events, inviting our guests, employees, and their families to take part. We select tree species based on what naturally grows at this altitude, helping to protect the landscape and reduce soil erosion. Planting one hundred trees of a species that does not belong here might make for a nice photo, but it would not be the right approach. During summer, guests can also find ingredients from our own garden at breakfast—meaning one less delivery truck has to make the journey up into the valley.
Trees planting 2026
Why we do all of this
The answer is less noble than you might expect, and that’s exactly why we believe in it. Our product is the nature outside your window. Guests are not buying a room with a nice wallpaper; they are buying the valley itself. If the valley is damaged, people will stop coming here. Protecting what surrounds us is not an extra feature added to our business, it is the foundation of our business. We want to show that environmentally responsible measures can also bring financial savings, and that a sustainable approach can benefit everyone.
