Patagonia’s Impact Lodge Reports

“Sustainable” is the most-used and least-checked word in luxury hotel marketing. Hotel AWA, a lodge on Lago Llanquihue in Chile’s Lake District, has given advisors something firmer: an independent certification, a published score, and an impact report released on 29 September that is largely written by the staff who do the work.

The certification

AWA says it was the first hotel in Chile to earn B Corp certification. B Corp is a status awarded by B Lab, a non-profit, to companies that pass an audit of their social and environmental performance and publish the result. B Lab’s public directory confirms that AWA’s operating company was certified in April 2020 and now scores 81.9, against a minimum of 80 points under B Lab’s assessment. That is a number advisors can show a client, rather than a claim they have to repeat.

The lodge also holds one MICHELIN Key and is a member of both Virtuoso and Leading Hotels of the World, according to their listings.

What the report says

The Impact Report 2026/27 is organized around three pillars: the local economy and culture, carbon reduction, and team growth. According to the release:

• Energy: solar power, an electrified kitchen and pellet heating have replaced fossil fuels across the property. AWA targets an 80% cut in emissions by 2030 against a 2022 baseline. Guest-facing single-use plastics are gone.
• Food: most ingredients travel less than 100 km, and much of the produce comes from the lodge’s organic garden.
• People: women lead most of senior management and hold most board seats, and half the team is from the surrounding region.
• Community: guided routes built around basketry, wool and the area’s colonial-era heritage put guests in front of local artisans; a weekly market and an annual fair showcase women entrepreneurs.

The garden and grounds lead, the head of people and culture, oyster farmers and weavers all contribute sections. “Sustainability is not what we do around the edges of hospitality. It is the hospitality,” said Jimena Fuentes Hernández, AWA partner and head of people and culture, in the release.

The product

The lodge sits at kilometre 27 on Ruta 225, the road from Puerto Varas to Ensenada, about 20 minutes from town and 50 minutes from Puerto Montt’s airport, with views of Osorno Volcano. The release describes 25 rooms and a private villa (the MICHELIN listing gives a lower count, so confirm inventory). Its all-inclusive program pairs each booking with a private guide for hikes, cycling, riding, kayaking and scenic flights across the lakes, volcanoes and fjords of northern Patagonia.

According to the release, rates start at $650 per room for bed and breakfast based on double occupancy, and the all-inclusive rate is $1,900 per person for two nights. The release does not name the currency; confirm with the lodge.

If you’re travelling: AWA is a base for the Chilean Lake District rather than the far south. The craft routes and the garden are the parts most hotels can’t copy.

For advisors

• Who to pitch: clients who ask for “sustainable” stays and want proof; active couples and families who want a guide included.
• When: the lodge is in the southern hemisphere, so northern winter is its summer; ask about shoulder-season rates.
• What to send: the B Lab directory link and the impact report’s executive summary are easier for clients to read than a brochure.
• Pair with: Torres del Paine or the Atacama for a two-region Chile trip.

Sources

• Andrea Schnoor Communications for Hotel AWA, ‘AWA Releases Its First Impact Report Co-Written by the People Who Live It’, press release, Puerto Varas, 29 Sept 2026
• https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/hotel-awa/ (B Lab directory: certified April 2020, B Impact score 81.9, Los Lagos Region, operating company Operadora Piedra Linda)
• https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/hotels-stays/puerto-varas/hotel-awa-9290 (one MICHELIN Key; certified B Corporation)
• https://bcorporation.com.au/blog/unpacking-the-b-impact-score/ (80-point minimum)
• https://hotelawa.cl/en/location/ (Ruta 225 km 27; 20 minutes from Puerto Varas; about 48 km and 50 minutes from Puerto Montt airport; 20-hectare site)
• https://www.lhw.com/hotel/Hotel-AWA-Puerto-Varas-Chile (Leading Hotels of the World listing)
• https://www.virtuoso.com/travel/luxury-hotels/17905568/hotel-awa (Virtuoso listing)