Introducing The First B Corp Retreat In Argentina With Las Balsas
Interview and edit by Rebecca Woolford, Senderos
In a secluded spot enveloped by native Patagonian forest, Las Balsas has been gazing across the glacial waters of Lago Nahuel Huapi since its opening in 1988.
The first hotel in the world with both the Relais and Châteaux seal and *B Corp accreditation, and the first hotel in Argentina to be given B Corp status, Las Balsas is one of a kind.
When Sebastian Tuvio (see below) stepped into the role of becoming Las Balsas’s General Manager, he envisaged taking the hotel to new heights with a commitment to sustainability. Shifting the mindset of a seasoned team wasn’t going to be easy, but with passion and hard work, Sebastian turned to the BCorp framework to guide the hotel into a new era.
Discover in the interview below, a slow food movement, a purple pepper which grows wild in wetlands, and what’s next for Las Balsas.
*Involving a rigorous certification, a B Corp company has voluntarily met the highest standards for social and environmental performance. One of the key pillars of certification is transparency, and Las Balsas impact reports can be downloaded here.
At age 22, you left home in Argentina for New Zealand, starting your career in hospitality as a hotel cleaner, today you’re the general manager of Las Balsas. What inspired you to leave and then return?
“A three-month summer trip with friends to Queenstown New Zealand was a pivotal point, it changed the trajectory of my life and career path.
I moved to Queenstown in 2005, it was a hub of so many different cultures, not just from people working in the hospitality industry, but also people visiting from all over the world. It was another 10 years before I decided to return to Argentina.
My wife and I returned for a family trip in 2015. We fell in love again with Buenos Aires, then decided to go down south to Ushuaia, which is a great place to live and we’ve been in Argentina ever since.
Today I’m the general manager of Las Balsas, overlooking Lake Nahuel Huapi. I’m very thankful to be living in Patagonia and to have the opportunity to work in such an amazing place.”
As part of your vision and ambition for Las Balsas you led a three-year long assessment which resulted in the hotel achieving BCorp status. What can you tell us about it?
“It was a great experience. I knew it was going to be a lot of work from the very beginning and that it was going to be a real challenge. We all learned so much through the process, I personally and professionally grew a lot.
The 3 year long assessment gave me the tools to set new goals in the business. As a BCorp, we now have a much deeper appreciation for others who have put in the effort. B Corps are businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency, and continually ask what else can we do?
BCorp influences how we approach everything and it gives us the structure to see ourselves and what we do here in a different light. It also gave us the know-how to better communicate what we were already doing, such as the treatment of 100% of black and grey wastewater, the plant then reuses at least 90% of the hotel’s wastewater, and is used for our gardening, orchard irrigation and composting needs.
Las Balsas is a boutique hotel which overlooks a beautiful lake that was built back in 1988. In 1995, Las Balsas became the first Relais and Châteaux property in Latin America, which is about great culinary service, and where ‘luxury’ is about the attention to detail for each guest. But I wanted to go beyond this…
When I took on the role of general manager, I asked how we can do better? How can we be true custodians of this place? This led me to the BCorp assessment.”
Las Balsas is the first hotel in the world to be both B Corp certified and have the seal as a Relais & Châteaux property. Can you share what this means to not only the guests, but local communities and to the place itself?
“It’s a great achievement to be a hotel with both globally recognised standards: world class service, facilities, comfort, great food, and sustainability at the centre of everything we do.
When we first started communicating to the local community what we were doing and why with BCorp, it was so well received that other surrounding hotels in the town started asking questions and considering how they might follow. Which has been incredible. Some of these hotels feel 10 or so years behind in their journey, but at least they’re starting somewhere.
I don’t believe there is yet another B-Corp hotel in Argentina, but it’s gaining pace which is really exciting to see. I have monthly meetings with various general managers of hotels from all over Argentina who are asking questions about what we’re doing here.
We release an impact report every year. At 120 pages long, full of data, it’s not an easy or light read. It shares what we’re doing and how we are moving forward, how we’re learning and even the failures. We then simplify all that information for our guests and potential customers, as well as other hotels to inspire them.”
You’ve recently finished an ambitious expansion project that you approached through the BCorp lens. How did the framework influence what you did or didn’t do?
“It was a two year long project which increased the capacity of the hotel with 10 modern villas at Las Balsas. We’ve always been seen as a big house by the lake, so with these new villas it’s a complete change in concept.
We had to consider questions like: How do you add a hotel room in the middle of the forest with a lower impact? What materials should we use? How do we make the villas feel modern, whilst staying true to the Patagonian style?
One example of how it changed our approach was the focus on sourcing local materials and workers. When you consider our remote location, this quickly becomes a huge challenge. It’s not just about finding the right people to take on such a project, when you commit to hiring locally, the training and development of people is a key part.
If you look at the design of the villas, the stilts they are placed on instantly stand out, this was to reduce the impact of the construction and building. With wall-sized windows and private balconies, these eye-catching glass-and-wood structures immerse guests in the dramatic landscapes of the Argentine Lake District.”
Guests at Las Balsas are surrounded by 20 hectares of native forest. What sort of wildlife calls this protected forest home and how does the hotel support that ecosystem?
“Back in 2018 we partnered with BirdLife International from the UK, and NGO Aves Argentinas. They gave us the support we needed to better understand the flora and fauna at Las Balsas and this precious ecosystem.
We have between 120-130 species of birds, which guests enjoy as they explore the grounds. It’s so abundant because it’s remained protected and untouched for so long. You also have to take into account that we’re surrounded by two national parks.
This Nature Reserve is an official member of the “Red de Reservas Naturales” (Nature Reserve Network) of the historic 105-year-old naturalist organisation Aves Argentinas.
In contrast, we’re surrounded by a small town that has been growing for the last 20 years, and is not showing any signs of slowing down. Las Balsas holds this space and protects it from development. The hotel places value on preserving nature reserves like this, if the hotel wasn’t here then who would protect it?”
Most people are familiar with slow travel, what is the slow food movement and how does Las Balsas champion it?
“Slow food means taking the time to understand the food that you have in front of you. It’s story, history, connection to the environment, and why it’s there. It goes beyond the flavours.
Like slow travel, slow food is an invitation to slow down, if only for a short while, be present and connect with your surroundings. We share this concept, and way of life with our guests on a daily basis.
A couple of years ago when walking around the property we came across the Canelo pepper growing naturally in the surrounding wetlands. It’s hard to source and rare to find. Speaking with biologists, we took time to understand its importance, how it got here, and its role in the ecosystem. Wild animals such as rabbits and hares eat it too.
Canelo has a unique, ancestral value to the ancient, indigenous Mapuche people, where the plant is placed at the center of sacred places in culture’s rituals and religious ceremonies
The Canelo pepper looks like a pepper but its fruits are purple. Their flavour is initially sweet and fruity. Our head chef combines it with our Patagonia Lamb, for example, and all this culture, connection comes together in a dish to create something very special.
Our head chef serves Patagonia lamb, in different shapes, cuts, and seasons with Latin American flavours, connected to the history of Patagonia, with the Canelo pepper. He creates culinary experiences that are Las Balsas on a plate!”
Food can be a great way to invite people visiting a place to think differently about it, to open their minds. Can you give an example of how you’re doing this?
“When most visitors think of Argentina, they think about beef. That’s how Argentina has been showing itself to the world for many decades. It’s really hard to change this…
We provide a vegan menu to guests who request it, and we try to offer dishes that don’t play into the stereotype of what this place has to offer in terms of ingredients like beef.
We continue to educate ourselves as a team on plant-based dishes. We honestly could do more to engage all types of guests and look forward to exploring this further. It’s something that culturally takes a lot of time, not just to communicate to guests and suppliers, but to internalise it.”
Las Balsas encourages guests to connect with ingredients through slow food, but beyond this disconnect to reconnect with themselves. What do you do that many hotels around the world don’t do?
“We do something distinct here at the hotel.
Upon arrival we welcome you, sit you down, we ask you if you’d like to drink something, and one of the first things we share is that all guests are asked to put their phone on silent mode, and we encourage airplane mode.
We do have an internet connection here, but we are very proactive and vocal about painting a picture of disconnecting, which often begins by turning off your phone, and picking up a book, a real book, not an audio book, or tablet.
Get a real book, sit down in so many of the spaces that we have, talk to our team or do nothing but sit quietly looking at the view of the lake… it sounds simple, but I’ve seen it in guests that by disconnecting to reconnect, to remind ourselves what it is to be present can be life-changing.”
What’s next for Las Balsas?
“Las Balsas has a great and exciting future ahead. We’re looking into getting a Michelin star or two in the next year and we’re in the early stages of building a conference room.
For Argentina, in the private sector, we need to start working together, we have so much potential as a tourism destination. We also have so many smart, hardworking people in this country that are looking for opportunities to make a difference.
Discover more about this iconic and special hotel at Las Balsas>
Senderos’ stories celebrate the positive impact travel can bring to both people and places, and our partner Las Balsas is no exception.
< Back to stories