HRS Group has joined as a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
HRS, a global corporate lodging and payment technology platform and developer of the Green Stay Initiative, is now a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. HRS’ focus on developing new technologies that efficiently serve business travelers and corporate hotel programs gives the company a unique vantage point that will benefit the GSTC community. HRS works today with 35 percent of the Fortune 500 on some element of their transient and/or meeting program.
HRS’ Sustainability Commitment & Reach Across the Business Travel Ecosystem
Through its Green Stay Initiative, launched in 2021, HRS provides a comprehensive, digital approach to helping companies make data-driven decisions that reduce the emissions tied to hotel stays. HRS technology enables companies to track and reduce their environmental impact through detailed sustainability data on hotels, including carbon emissions, water use, and waste management. The data is integrated into HRS’ procurement and booking systems, helping businesses leverage scientific methods to meet their sustainability goals. It is based on industry approaches, such as the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI), the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and work by the World Travel & Tourism Council.
HRS is also a signatory of The Climate Pledge, committing to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement targets. To support the hotel industry further, HRS launched the free Green Stay Knowledge Hub in February 2024, offering educational resources on an array of topics for hotel executives, covering timely trends, evolving regional requirements and the latest reporting formats and best practices to help hotels enhance their sustainability efforts.
HRS and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council
HRS’ participation in the GSTC will focus on expediting the process of identifying hotels with third-party sustainability-related accredited certifications. Once these certifications are validated, HRS can then leverage its proprietary automation to more easily facilitate the conveyance of each hotel’s sustainable attributes into the Green Stay Initiative. The end result: these credentialed sustainable hotels will be more widely exposed to hotel procurement leaders as they compete for corporate room nights.
Secondly, HRS will collaborate with the array of leading voices in the GSTC to stay on top of evolving regulations, deadlines and government proclamations (i.e. the upcoming EU Green Claims Directive) that will surely impact HRS’ growing global client base in the months and years ahead. Such information will then be included in HRS’ Knowledge Hub, as the company continues to expand the breadth of pertinent sustainability information freely available to the hotel community via this resource.
“HRS’ recently-released State of Sustainability Report brought forth a bevy of new statistics illustrating the progress companies are making in their quest to reduce emissions tied to their hotel programs via use of new technologies. By engaging with GSTC members and sharing the foundational elements driving this progress with a wider audience, HRS anticipates a wealth of creative avenues where new automation can facilitate truly meaningful steps for organizations seeking to reduce operational emissions. We look forward to contributing to these important conversations and initiatives with GSTC moving forward.” – Martin Biermann, Chief Product Officer, HRS
GSTC Welcomes HRS Group
“We are delighted that the HRS Group has become a part of our global network as a GSTC Member and are committed to promoting sustainable business practices. We wish HRS the best of success supporting managed travel programs through their Green Stay initiative,” says Randy Durband, GSTC CEO.
About HRS
HRS is a global technology company focused on leveraging Artificial Intelligence to create fully digital lodging experiences for corporations and their travelers. The company’s platform-based solutions are reinventing end-to-end travel management and the traveler experience for transient, meetings and workforce segments for Fortune 500 companies worldwide. HRS’ award-winning Green Stay Initiative enables hotels to showcase their sustainable attributes while helping companies on their quest towards NetZero travel. Dozens of Fortune 500 companies rely on the Green Stay Initiative for their sustainable procurement activities, while 600+ hotel brands in 175+ countries participate today. HRS has an unsurpassed network of ecosystem relationships, with secure API integrations to hotel suppliers, digital payment facilitators and booking solutions.
The Green Stay Initiative is the only technology–focused solution serving the global corporate hotel ecosystem aligned with the International Standards Organization (ISO – 14067) and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. A mere three years after its introduction, the Green Stay Initiative is used by 85 percent of the world’s relevant corporate-travel focused hotels, covering 600+ chains across more than 175 countries.
Find more information on Sustainability (hrs.com), www.hrs.com and on LinkedIn.
About GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are three sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators, and MICE Criteria for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events & Exhibitions. 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 GSTC’s assurance role for 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 provides accreditation to 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: www.gstcouncil.org/about/for-the-press/
Statements expressed in this announcement are presented for informational purposes only and should not be taken as an endorsement or recommendation by GSTC, unless clearly stated.
