The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched the Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics) verification scheme.
Announced at ITB Berlin, Basics will enable tourist accommodation providers from around the world, regardless of their size, to begin their sustainability journey.
Basics, an industry-wide supported initiative, is a globally recognised and coordinated set of criteria that all hotels should implement as a minimum to drive responsible and sustainable Travel & Tourism.
Basics emerged as a result of a clear demand from a group of influential global hotel brands and whilst there a great number of sustainability initiatives, Basics focuses on an achievable starting point.
It will encourage all hospitality businesses to begin their sustainability journeys and redefine the non-negotiables of sustainability in the industry.
Made up of 12 key criteria, the Basics are achievable for all hotels to implement as a bare minimum. They serve as a stepping-stone to more complex sustainability schemes and even greater sustainability.
Basics has also been recognised by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance as the starting point for a net positive industry, who announced the latest version of the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality.
Verification Scheme
In order to ensure the validity of the programme, WTTC partnered with Green Key and SGS to develop a simple online verification system to allow hotels to provide evidence and ensure they are following the Basics.
The verification scheme enables hotels and other tourist accommodation to be officially verified for meeting eight of the 12 criteria in the first year and demonstrate their commitment to working toward all 12 of the criteria by year three.
Together, the criteria ensure the sector is eco resilient and adaptive to the changing needs of the planet.
Six major international hotel groups, collectively representing tens of thousands of sites from around the world have now joined Basics as inaugural partners. The first hotel groups include well-known brands such as Accor, Jin Jiang International, Louvre Hotels Group, Meliá Hotels International, Meininger, and Radisson Hotel Group.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said
“We are incredibly proud to have launched the verification scheme for Hotel Sustainability Basics. The initiative is a response to the sector’s need for a baseline for hotels and other tourist lodgings to start their sustainability journeys.
“Our research shows that most business owners are aware of their responsibility to the environment but many sustainability practices such as efficient water use initiatives are patchy. Basics fills the gap by creating that level playing field for the sector.
“It is testament to the need for such a scheme that already thousands of hotels from around the world have already signed up to Basics and are beginning their verification processes from today.”
Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President of Sustainability, Security & Corporate Communications at Radisson Hotel Group said “Hotel Sustainability Basics is filling a new and unanswered demand in the hotel industry: to provide a solid, trusted, and clear label for essential hotel sustainability. It’s important we define responsible travel to preserve the planet and protect communities. With Hotel Sustainability Basics we offer the traveller a clear sustainable stay option for all types of hotels around the world.
“Radisson Hotel Group commits to implement Hotel Sustainability Basics in all its 1,100 hotels by 2025. We do this together with our shareholder Jin Jiang International, their affiliate Louvre Hotel Group and other major hotel groups and destinations around the world.”
