Eco-certification shouldn’t be a mystery to hoteliers or guests
With many options from which to choose, getting a green label for your hotel can seem like a daunting as well as expensive task these days. And guests also need assurances that their stays are actually as green as you say they are.?
"Consumers are finding it hard to know whom to trust,” said Caroline Da’lin, Bidroom's Commercial VP. Currently, guests cannot rely on the information provided by hotels as there’s no standardization in the industry’s measurement of sustainability.”
Further adding to this disconnect is the number of certification bodies worldwide (<200).
Most follow the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GTSC) criteria, based on four main pillars:?
This information is available to the public, meaning hotels also follow this criterion, but the number of properties recognized as eco by these standards is too few (<6,000 vs 800,000 hotels worldwide).?
Major booking platforms have integrated their own certification programs to introduce eco-labels to signpost guests to accommodations they can trust. However, with no third-party audit or clearly recognized practices, many could be considered greenwashing.
Certification systems:?
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First-party certification
Second-party certification?
Third-party certification
Third-party certification provides hotels with a framework, increased consumer trust, cost savings, acknowledgment, and a globally recognized eco-label – a powerful marketing tool.
“Long-term, it won’t be enough to do a self-declaration,” said Finn Bolding Thomsen, Deputy CEO of eco-certification program Green Key, confirming “GSTC standards are of another level.”
Bidroom partners with EarthCheck, among others, a world-leading GSTC recognized benchmarking, certification, and business advisory group specializing in sustainability and destination management. As a result, Bidroom flags certified hotels on their booking platform as eco-certified properties. Since September 2021, Bidroom members are able to easily search for eco-label hotels using a simple filter.?
For additional information on sustainability in the hospitality industry, download Bidroom’s white paper titled Sustainability in hospitality: where the industry is now and what the future holds.