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DarkSky approved resort certification: a low desert resort villa with warm shielded pathway lights beneath the Milky Way, no glare or sky glow on the horizon

DarkSky's Resort Label Starts at 67% Compliant Lighting

DarkSky introduced its Approved Resort label in 2026, with Desert Rock and Nujuma first. Here is what resorts must prove, change and report, and how to read it.

Portrait of Maya Okonkwo
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I've seen dark skies firsthand in the Atacama altiplano, Namibia's NamibRand Nature Reserve, and Morocco's Merzouga dunes; every other destination I write about is built from measured Bortle and SQM data, cloud climatology, and primary sources like park services and the International Dark-Sky Association.

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A resort can apply for DarkSky approval while a third of its lights still fall short of its own lighting plan, the written retrofit schedule that sets how each fixture must be shielded, warm and dimmable: at least 67% must conform at application[1]. That quiet bargain sits inside DarkSky Approved Resort, a category introduced in 2026[2] with Desert Rock and Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, as the first two certified locations[3]; both are part of The Red Sea, a regenerative tourism destination on the northwest coast of Saudi Arabia[4]. Book it for the lighting discipline, and treat the sky itself as something you still have to check.
First certified locations
2 resorts
Desert Rock and Nujuma were first to earn the new certification[3]
Minimum sky reading
20.5 mpsas
Or a site inside a designated Park or Sanctuary[13]
Recertification cycle
5 years
DarkSky rechecks each certified resort that often[31]

In this article

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Why resorts got a tier of their own

A resort may include hotels, lodges, cabins and villas[5], and DarkSky concluded that its existing standards did not fully fit destinations of that size[6], so it built a separate Resort tier. The Lodging program started in 2023 and the Resort certification followed in 2026[2]. The dividing line is scale. A lodge is a base for enjoying the surroundings, with an intimate setting and fewer facilities[7].
The program was developed with Under Canvas and Red Sea Global[8], whose properties took the first two places[3]. DarkSky's chief executive, Ruskin Hartley, says the resort rules recognise what larger hospitality destinations need while holding to the organisation's standards for protecting the night[9], and Red Sea Global says it builds responsible lighting into every stage of development[10]. Aims are cheap. What matters is what gets checked. The company has 15 resorts open across three destinations and says it will keep extending DarkSky compliance across its portfolio[11], so the tier may not stay at two names for long.

What a resort has to prove

A resort has to show four outcomes: a dark enough sky, a survey of the light-sensitive wildlife around it, lighting on a path to compliance, and guests who can get outside at night and learn something[12]. Each has its own test:
  • Sky quality: a measured reading of at least 20.5 magnitudes per square arcsecond[13], or a location inside a designated International Dark Sky Park or Sanctuary, or in the core of a dark-sky conservation area[14].
  • Wildlife: a written list of threatened or vulnerable species nearby that notes which are nocturnal or sensitive to light at night[15], plus mitigation such as removing luminaires, keeping light off sensitive spots or dimming on a timer[16].
  • Lighting: a Lighting Management Plan with a retrofit timetable, 67% conforming at the start, 80% by year two and 100% by year five[1][17].
  • Guests: safe night-sky viewing for everyone staying[18], and night-sky programmes wherever the resort routinely runs guest activities[19].
The sky test has two doors, and the second one matters: a resort inside a designated place does not need its own measurement. Readers who think in classes rather than magnitudes can translate with the Bortle scale, but DarkSky asks for the reading. The wildlife step is not decoration. Red Sea Global points to sea turtle hatchlings, which use the natural brightness of the night sky over the sea to find the ocean[20], and DarkSky reserves the right to decline a facility that meets the criteria but is proposed in a particularly sensitive location[21].

What changes on the ground

Most of the change is hardware: lower, warmer, dimmer and shielded. The rules put numbers on the fixtures resorts like best.
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  • Pathway lights: zero uplight, a colour temperature at or below 3000K, and dimmable to 10% of output[22].
  • Tree and plant up-lighting: the best practice is none, and the minimum allowance is 200 lumens per tree and no more than 3,000 lumens per acre[23].
  • Festoon and string lights in public common areas: 50 lumens per bulb at most[24].
  • Glare: luminaires that emit under 5% of their light at or above 80 degrees from nadir[25].
  • Windows: interior light controlled with window treatments, and a DarkSky card asking guests to close their curtains at night[26].
Uplit trees are a resort habit, and the standard's best practice is to light none of them. Fixtures are only half of it. The other half is what the sky looks like afterwards, and the stated outcome is modest: any light domes left are dim, restricted in extent and close to the horizon[27].
That is a bar a working hospitality site can actually clear, which is the point of a separate tier. A strict lodge standard would have priced out the pools and restaurants; a loose one would have meant nothing.

How the label is checked and kept

A certified resort has been through a review that typically takes DarkSky staff four to six weeks[28], then a site visit by DarkSky or its representative as part of the final review[29]. The visit is what separates the label from a badge a hotel awards itself.
After that the resort files an annual report covering sky quality, luminaire compliance and outreach, and a late report suspends the certification[30]. DarkSky recertifies each facility every five years[31]. A suspension can run up to 12 months while the resort fixes its deficiencies, and one that is never fixed ends in decertification[32].
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Parks and Sanctuaries run on similar machinery of annual reports, suspension and revocation, as how dark sky certification works shows. The reward on the resort side is modest and mostly commercial: the right to display the DarkSky Approved Resort logo and promote the distinction in marketing[33].

How to read the label when you book

Treat DarkSky Approved Resort as a credential for lighting practice and guest education, verified by a site visit and renewed on a five-year cycle[31]. It does not promise a telescope, a guided session or clear weather, and the sky test can be met by a place designation instead of a reading[14].

Confirm it on DarkSky's own site

Hotel pages borrow the DarkSky name freely. A listing in the places directory on darksky.org is the confirmation, and a logo on the resort's own site is not.
The trap is the phase-in. A resort needs only 67% of its lighting conforming at application[1], so a newly certified property can still have unshielded fixtures, and the 100% mark is a five-year destination[17]. For Desert Rock and Nujuma, the first two[3], that clock started with their certification. Four questions get past the brochure:
  • Which tier does it hold, Lodging or Resort?
  • What is in its Lighting Management Plan, and what share of the lighting inventory conforms today?
  • Was the sky criterion met by a reading or by a designated place nearby?
  • Do the night-sky programmes run on your dates, and are they included in the rate?

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A destination page such as AlUla stargazing rates the sky over a whole area, while this label rates one property's lights. Book the property for its lighting discipline and the destination for its sky. The Resort tier's first real test is its recertification cycle, when the annual reports show whether the 100% schedule held.

Frequently asked questions

What does DarkSky approved resort certification require?
A resort needs a dark-sky credential, a habitat report on light-sensitive wildlife, a Lighting Management Plan with a phased retrofit, and night-sky access and education for guests. DarkSky reviews the application, makes a site visit, and expects an annual report afterwards.

Does a DarkSky Approved Resort have to be inside a dark sky park?
No. The sky criterion can be met by a measured reading of at least 20.5 magnitudes per square arcsecond or by a location inside a designated Park, Sanctuary or conservation-area core.

Can a resort lose its DarkSky approval?
Yes. A late annual report suspends the certification, and a suspension of up to 12 months that is not remedied ends in decertification.

Sources

33 references Show
  1. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “At least 67% of the existing lighting inventory shall conform to the LMP at the time the application is submitted.”

  2. DarkSky International — Darksky international launches the worlds first darksky approved resort certification recognizing red sea globals desert rock and nujuma as the first certified resorts (opens in a new tab)

    “Founded in 2023 and expanded to include the Resort certification in 2026”

  3. DarkSky International — Darksky international launches the worlds first darksky approved resort certification recognizing red sea globals desert rock and nujuma as the first certified resorts (opens in a new tab)

    “Desert Rock and Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, at The Red Sea were the first locations to earn the new DarkSky Approved Resort certification under the expanded DarkSky Approved Lodging & Resort program.”

  4. DarkSky International — Desert rock resort (opens in a new tab)

    “Desert Rock is part of The Red Sea, a regenerative tourism destination on the northwest coast of Saudi Arabia.”

  5. DarkSky International — Lodging (opens in a new tab)

    “A resort may include one or more hotels, lodges, cabins, villas, or other types of accommodation.”

  6. DarkSky International — Darksky international launches the worlds first darksky approved resort certification recognizing red sea globals desert rock and nujuma as the first certified resorts (opens in a new tab)

    “DarkSky International recognized that the existing standards did not fully address the operational needs of large-scale resort destinations.”

  7. DarkSky International — Lodging (opens in a new tab)

    “A lodge primarily serves as a base for enjoying the surrounding environment and generally offers an intimate setting with fewer facilities.”

  8. DarkSky International — Lodging (opens in a new tab)

    “Developed in partnership with Under Canvas and Red Sea Global, the DarkSky Lodging & Resort certification program sets a new standard in the travel industry”

  9. DarkSky International — Darksky international launches the worlds first darksky approved resort certification recognizing red sea globals desert rock and nujuma as the first certified resorts (opens in a new tab)

    “Together, we developed resort-specific lighting best practices that recognize the unique needs of larger hospitality destinations while upholding DarkSky’s rigorous standards for protecting the night.”

  10. DarkSky International — Darksky international launches the worlds first darksky approved resort certification recognizing red sea globals desert rock and nujuma as the first certified resorts (opens in a new tab)

    “Red Sea Global is integrating responsible lighting into every stage of development to protect the ecological integrity of the night environment.”

  11. zawya.com (opens in a new tab)

    “RSG now has 15 resorts open across three destinations and will continue expanding DarkSky compliance across its portfolio”

  12. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “Guests have regular nighttime access, and are provided educational, or outreach materials about night sky conservation.”

  13. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “The facility must provide evidence of a dark sky reading not lower than 20.5 stellar magnitudes per square arcsecond (mpsas)”

  14. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “Be located within a currently designated International Dark Sky Park or International Dark Sky Sanctuary, or within the core of an International Dark Sky conservation area.”

  15. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “List of threatened, endangered, or vulnerable species around the Facility that identifies which are nocturnal or sensitive to human-generated light at night.”

  16. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “Mitigation measures can include removing unnecessary luminaires, ensuring that light is not falling on sensitive locations, and/or installing controls programmed to dim and/or turn off lighting at designated times.”

  17. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “The LMP shall describe a schedule wherein 80% of the lighting inventory will conform to the LMP within two years of certification, and 100% within five years.”

  18. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “The Facility shall provide safe viewing of the night sky or the nighttime environment to all guests.”

  19. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “The Facility routinely provides programs for guests to attend, these shall include programs related to the night sky and/or nighttime environment.”

  20. zawya.com (opens in a new tab)

    “sea turtle hatchlings, which use the natural brightness of the night sky over the sea to orient themselves toward the ocean”

  21. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “At its sole discretion, DarkSky may choose not to recognize a facility that meets the criteria but is proposed in a particularly sensitive location.”

  22. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “Use products with zero uplight. Color temperature <=3000K CCT. Dimmable to 10% of the total light output rating.”

  23. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “Limited to 200 lumens per tree, never exceeding 3,000 lumen per acre”

  24. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “Limited to 50 lumens maximum per lamp/bulb.”

  25. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “This can be achieved by using luminaires that emit less than 5% of their total light emission at or above 80-degrees from nadir.”

  26. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “Provide guests with a DarkSky educational card asking to close window treatments at night.”

  27. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “Any light domes present are dim, restricted in extent, and close to the horizon”

  28. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “DarkSky staff typically takes four to six weeks to complete an initial review and assessment of the application.”

  29. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “DarkSky or its designated representative will also conduct a site visit as part of the final review process.”

  30. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “Failure to submit the Annual Report in a timely manner will result in the suspension of the Facility’s DarkSky Approved Resort certification.”

  31. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “DarkSky will recertify each Facility _every five years_.”

  32. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “A Resort’s certification may be suspended for up to 12 months, during which time the Resort has a chance to remedy any deficiencies.”

  33. DarkSky International — Resorts guidelines (opens in a new tab)

    “The designation entitles the facility owners to display the DarkSky Approved Resort logo and to promote this distinction in its marketing and outreach collateral.”