The use of nanoporous host materials for luminescent guests has been extended into the near-infrared (NIR). regime using sodalite derivatives containing rare earth ions and the tungstate group (see Figure). The emission intensities obtained for Nd3+ meet or even surpass commercial Nd glasses. While Nd3+-tungstate-modified zeolites do not yield significant luminescence, NIR emission occurs in the sodalites due to the low phonon frequencies involved and the exclusion of water in particular.