The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa received a "Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Environmental Initiatives" recognizing the resort's unique seawater air-conditioning system from Global Traveler, a monthly magazine for business and leisure luxury travelers, on May 1, 2014, during the publication's Second Annual Leisure Travel Awards ceremony at the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica, Calif.

The full list of winners, voted by readers, and special achievement awards, named by the magazine's editors, is available in Global Traveler's second annual Leisure Lifestyle Book.

The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa was the first in the world to feature this innovative, eco-friendly air-conditioning system that uses very cold, deep-sea water to cool the hotel, deploying a 7,874 foot pipe to a depth of more than 3,000 feet (the deepest ocean pipe in the world) off the reef of Bora Bora. The pipe feeds the cold, deep-sea water through a titanium heat exchanger, transferring the cold into the fresh water circuit that then air conditions the hotel, before returning the seawater back to the sea. The system has zero impact on the environment, is quiet, requires virtually no energy to bring the deep sea water to the surface, produces no carbon dioxide or other green house gasses, and saves 90% of the electricity consumed by a conventional cooling system of similar capacity. This translates to a reduction of CO2 emissions that is the equivalent of approximately 2.5 million liters of fuel oil imports per year to French Polynesia.

InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa is located on a virgin beach on Motu Piti Aau with breathtaking views of Bora Bora's majestic Mount Otemanu. Known for its exemplary service to its guests, the resort features a number of unique attributes, including: 80 luxurious overwater villas each with a split-level terrace and sundeck for easy access to the turquoise waters of the lagoon; two of the finest culinary experiences in French Polynesia at its restaurants Reef and Le Corail; and the first overwater wedding chapel with glass bottom floor in French Polynesia.

In addition to its environmental award from Global Traveler, the resort was also listed on Conde Nast Traveler's "2014 Gold List," recognized as one of the "World's Best Beach Hotels" and for having one of the most "Beautiful Hotel Pools." InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa was also honored recently on the list of "Top 25 Hotels for Romance in the South Pacific" and as one of the "Top 25 Luxury Hotels in the South Pacific" by TripAdvisor. The resort has also achieved "EarthCheck Silver Certification."