Cancun’s transformation from a quiet sandbar to one of the world’s top resort destinations has come with mounting environmental concerns. Since the 1970s, rapid hotel development has reshaped the coastline, straining ecosystems and infrastructure.

Studies, including from NASA’s Earth Observatory, have flagged the impact of unchecked growth, from polluted runoff and eroding beaches to waste volumes that outstrip what local treatment plants can handle.

Just down the coast, Tulum has surged in popularity, pitching itself as a more sustainable alternative. The 715-room Hilton Cancun offers a clear look at both sides of that sustainability challenge.

On one hand, the hotel is helping restore the mangrove forest that surrounds it by reusing treated wastewater. But on the other, it’s struggling to shift away from fossil fuels, a challenge facing many Mexican hotels operating under a national energy system still dominated by oil, gas, and coal.

The resort opened in 2021