NATHROP, COLO.—Real West Travel Inc., a Colorado-based Internet travel service, will go “live” on February 15 with an online booking system for eco-friendly lodging based in the western United States. The company will provide end consumers the option of booking direct with eco-friendly lodgers while promoting the benefits of becoming eco-friendly to other lodging businesses. The new reservation system will list qualified properties that show they are making a positive effort to help the environment.
Real West Travel works on a commission-based model, and listing and setup are free. All hotels, B&Bs, ranches and other lodges in the western United States can participate if they earn a minimum eco-friendly rating based on a 13-point system. Properties will be rated (1 to 5) and recognized only for the eco-friendly measures they choose or are able to take. While a one out of five rating is relatively easy to achieve, it is something to be proud of as it indicates that the property is doing more to help the environment than some 90 percent of their competitors.
The website www.realwesttravel.com is marketed internationally and domestically. Bilingual (English and German) text and booking is available, with more languages to come.
