Development of Design criteria of Ecolodges in the north of Iran (the case of Golestan province)

Ecolodges have a wide range of positive and negative impacts on the environment and local community, during design, construction, and operation methods. The aim of this study was development of a set of criteria in the design phase of ecolodges and evaluation of some of them in the northern Iran (Golestan province). We used data collection and field survey including questionnaire and criteria checklist to do research such as average Friedman and T-test using SPSS software. After that, we screened and classified the collected criteria into four subgroups (environmental, economic, cultural, social and infrastructure). The results shows that as a whole, the design phase is not in good situation and only its socio-cultural subgroup seems be in appropriate condition. Ecolodges of the province can use the results and criteria to match with sustainability goals of ecotourism accommodations.