Nearly two thirds of the hotels featured in The Sunday Times’ list of Best places to Stay have invested in environmental improvements – here’s why

If there’s one drum we’ve been beating since we launched in 2018, it’s how vital sustainability is to the long-term success of a hotel. Don’t look away! We know sustainability can be a bit… dry. But it’s important, and a recent article in The Times only backs that up.

The paper reported  that nearly two thirds of the hotels featured in The Sunday Times’ list of Best places to Stay have made “significant” investment in environmental improvements. Hotels, it said, now view green initiatives as a “commercial imperative” – a way of attracting guests back to properties, post Covid.  One hotelier, the paper reported, “likened it to an ‘eco arms race'”.

But it doesn’t stop there. Google recently announced it will be helping its users make more conscious decisions when it comes to their holidays, from partnering with Travelyst to show the carbon emissions of flights, to working with Green Globe and Earth Watch, amongst others, to tag sustainably certified hotels.

It’s an important step against greenwashing, as hotels will have to prove their sustainability credentials via third-party certification, rather than just claim they’re being eco (and yes, we are side-eyeing a few big brands here). And it’s important to note that this isn’t going away; it’s gone way beyond a quick-win trend.

The latest sustainability report from Booking.com has shown that customer demand is increasing. 29,000 travellers in 30 countries showed that the past year has seen a considerable sea change, with 61% saying that the pandemic has influenced them to travel more sustainably, and 81% saying they want to stay in sustainable accommodation.

So our message is the same as it’s always been: it’s never too early to start your sustainability journey.

We can help. We know how to talk about this stuff, and the simple steps businesses can take to improve – just get in touch with the team.