• Hotelbeds is launching a new initiative to identify, highlight and promote sustainable accommodation within its hotel portfolio.
  • Over 15,000 properties are already part of The Green Hotels Programme and are available from today to more than 60,000 B2B travel buying partners worldwide.
  • Additionally, Hotelbeds announces it has become a full member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the leading global authority in setting and managing standards for sustainable travel & tourism.

Palma, Spain, 27 October 2020 – Hotelbeds, the leading bedbank, has announced today the launch of The Green Hotels Programme, a turn-key solution to bring Hotelbeds and its partners to the green economy and accelerate the transition of the travel industry towards sustainability.

In order to focus on establishing a more responsible and sustainable business model, Hotelbeds now has over 15,000 properties within its portfolio certified as sustainable.

These hotels will now be easily identifiable to the more than 60,000 travel trade client partners of Hotelbeds and Bedsonline – including travel agents, tour operators, airlines and point redemption schemes – via this new green filter that will include details of certifications and offer tags.

As part of this initiative, Hotelbeds can confirm that it has become a full member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the leading global authority in setting and managing standards for sustainable travel & tourism.

To certify over 15,000 properties as sustainable, Hotelbeds has partnered with global sustainability certification companies to identify fully certified hotel properties following the criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) for hotels.

The criteria are 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.

Gareth Matthews, Marketing, Communications and CSR Director, at Hotelbeds said: “As the leaders in our sector, we have a clear responsibility to demonstrate to our stakeholders that we operate a responsible, transparent business model and that we take very seriously the environmental impact we have, alongside our commitment to economic and social development around the world. This new project responds to the very real demand that already exists amongst many environmentally conscious travelers, and we will provide simple and effective tools for our travel trade clients to make green choices effortlessly, driving and accelerating change.”

Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC, adds: “GSTC applauds Hotelbeds for the directions they’re taking with a systematic approach to sustainability by engaging with the GSTC framework. Systematic approaches require standards, which the GSTC Criteria provide as the global standard for sustainable tourism. We welcome this partnership and we look forward to supporting Hotelbeds influence real impacts in the marketplace.”

Hotelbeds takes Corporate Social Responsibility very seriously. The Company is focused on and committed to environmentally and socially sustainable business practices that recognize the short and long-term concerns of its stakeholders, whilst integrating sustainability and accountability into the business.

As such in 2019 Hotelbeds published its first annual Corporate Sustainability report, which can be accessed via the Corporate Sustainability section of the company’s website: https://corporate.hotelbeds.com/sustainability

About Hotelbeds

In a fragmented and complex travel landscape, Hotelbeds provides over 180,000 hotel properties across the globe with access to high-value, complementary distribution channels that significantly increase occupancy rates and optimise RevPAR – whilst not competing with the hotelier’s direct distribution strategy.

Hotelbeds does this by offering hoteliers access to a network of over 60,000 hard-to-access B2B travel buyers such as tour operators, retail travel agents, airline websites, and loyalty schemes in over 140 source markets worldwide. These channels provide hotel partners with returning guests that book further in advance, cancel less, spend more in-destination and stay longer.

In addition to accommodation, Hotelbeds is also the world’s largest B2B seller of travel ancillaries, offering 24,000 transfer routes and 18,000 activities, as well as attractions, tickets and car hire. Operating under the ‘Beyond the Bed’ product line, it provides both hoteliers and travel distribution partners with an efficient platform and powerful tools to easily integrate and commercialise its leading portfolio of high-margin products.

The company is headquartered in Palma, Spain.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hotelbeds

Twitter: @Hotelbeds

Facebook: Hotelbeds

Instagram: @hotelbeds_official

Hotelbeds Media Contact

PR, Media Relations & Corporate Affairs

Antonia Aguiló – a.aguilo@hotelbeds.com

About the GSTC

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources, while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.

The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for Accreditation of Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services; but it accredits those that do. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.

Information for media and the press: https://www.gstcouncil.org/about/for-the-press/