PALMA, SPAIN—Hotelbeds, the world’s leading bedbank, has welcomed global hotel chains IHG Hotels & Resorts and Accor to its Green Hotel Program, further strengthening its commitment to sustainable tourism.
IHG and Accor are the latest industry players to join the Program which was launched in October 2020 to identify, highlight, and promote sustainable tourism within the Hotelbeds portfolio.
Their properties join thousands of hotels who are now certified as sustainable and promoted as such to Hotelbeds’ 60,000 travel trade clients via the ‘green filter’ that also includes details of certifications and offer tags.
The Green Hotels Program is a turn-key solution to bring Hotelbeds and its partners into the green economy and accelerate the transition of the travel industry towards sustainability—a topic whose importance has increased dramatically in light of the COVID pandemic.
Hotels Meet GSTC Criteria
To certify the +15,000 properties included in the Program, Hotelbeds partnered with global certification companies to identify fully certified hotel properties following the criteria set by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the leading global authority in setting and management standards for sustainable travel and tourism.
The criteria is organized around four main themes—effective sustainability planning, maximizing social and economic benefits for the local community, enhancing cultural heritage and reducing negative impacts on the environment.
This latest announcement comes just a few weeks after Hotelbeds became one of the first travel companies to join Amazon and The Climate Pledge Commitment to become net zero carbon by 2040 as well as actively participating in the World Travel & Trade Council’s Sustainability Workforce.
Gareth Matthews, Marketing, Communications & CSR Director at Hotelbeds commented: “It’s great news that we can officially welcome IHG Hotels & Resorts and Accor to our Green Hotels Program. They are obviously huge players in the industry and their involvement demonstrates the importance now being placed on sustainable tourism in line with the changing preferences of travelers.
“Giving our travel trade clients the ability to easily filter searches for green hotels is becoming increasingly important both for them, but also for hoteliers and chains such as IHG and Accor. As leaders in our field, we have a responsibility to make sure the services we offer are bang up to date with the booking trends we see.”
Paving the Way Toward Positive Hospitality
Markus Keller, SVP Sales & Distribution from Accor added: “As a global industry player, Accor aims to pave the way towards positive hospitality. Through its sustainable program, Planet 21, the Group has always been committed to reducing its impact and offering more sustainable experiences to hotel guests. Representing one step further to raise awareness for a greener economy, we are glad to see Accor certified hotels joining The Green Hotels Program which promotes the industry’s efforts.”
Karin Sheppard, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Europe at IHG Hotels & Resorts commented: “Caring for our people, communities and planet is at the heart of our purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good, and we know that guests share our passion to protect the beauty and diversity of the world around us. We’re proud that our IHG Green Engage environmental management program has been recognized by Hotelbeds’ Green Hotel Program, making it simple for those looking to access sustainability information when deciding where to stay.”
