Home Publisher's Point of View TripAdvisor Expands GreenLeaders Outside U.S., Begins Posting Green Comments

TripAdvisor Expands GreenLeaders Outside U.S., Begins Posting Green Comments

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What do Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Greece, Luxembourg, and Iceland have in common? They are now all part of the territory in which lodging establishments can participate in TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders program. TripAdvisor expanded its program beyond the United States this past week.

For those of you not familiar with GreenLeaders, it is a green lodging recognition program that requires completion of a survey documenting green practices. Properties can earn one of four levels of recognition—Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. The level of achievement, along with green practices, are shown prominently on the property’s listing on TripAdvisor.

I spoke with Jenny Rushmore, Director of Responsible Travel at TripAdvisor, about the expansion of GreenLeaders. First of all, she said the program is approaching 4,000 participants in the United States, where interest is still strong. Together, Europe and Canada have the potential of adding more than 4,000 additional participants.

A Lot of Work Behind Expansion

Jenny said the TripAdvisor team has been working a year now on the Europe/Canada expansion. GreenLeaders in Canada and Europe is not exactly the same as that in the United States. “Lots of different folks helped us adapt the survey,” Jenny said. “We worked with a lot of organizations.” Some of those include the Carbon Trust, U.K. Green Building Council, International Tourism Partnership, and Spain Green Building Council. TripAdvisor also partnered with global and local chains to customize GreenLeaders.

Each country now has its own site to go to for information and to begin the survey process. For example, hoteliers in Canada can now go to http://green.tripadvisor.ca. Those in the United Kingdom: http://green.tripadvisor.co.uk.

One of the most intriguing parts of GreenLeaders is the ability for travelers to comment on a participating property’s green practices. Since GreenLeaders was officially launched in the United States almost a year ago, those comments have not been published. Jenny told me that is beginning to change. Now, about 10 percent of the thousands of comments related to U.S. GreenLeader properties have been published. To see an example of one, click here. You will notice the “Green Features” part of the review appears below the main part of the review.

A Few Sample Comments

Jenny told me the green comments that have been coming in have been, for the most part, positive. Here are a few samples of comments posted by guests:

“Absolutely excellent. Love that you are using geothermal heat. And reusing towels and sheets a second day is just logical.”

“One of the many reasons we chose this hotel is for its environmental practices as we all strive to live as green as we can at home. Being able to swim in the mineral pool instead of chlorine is wonderful.”

“I have to say I was so excited to see somewhere where protecting the environment was just as important as how their guests are treated. For this reason I would definitely go back and support this.”

It will be interesting to see if GreenLeaders ramps up as quickly outside of the United States. I suspect it will. It will be just as interesting to see the green comments coming in from travelers as they are posted—and how hoteliers respond to those comments.

What do you think of GreenLeaders so far? I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com, or by phone at (813) 510-3868.

Earth Hour & Earth Day Activities

Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 29. Earth Day this year is Tuesday, April 22. What are you planning for your guests and staff this year? I would love to know. Events will be highlighted here in the coming weeks. Send your Earth Hour and Earth Day plans to me at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. I can also be reached at (813) 510-3868.

Who is Your Sustainability Champion?

Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (216) 848-1406, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Looking for Guest Columnists

Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (216) 848-1406, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Planning Advertising for 2014?

Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2014. Many excellent spots are available on the website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2014 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.

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As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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