Experts Share Ways to Make Your Hotel Stay As Sustainable As Possible

Experts all agreed on one tip: Spend your money on hotels with environmental initiatives.
The lobby at The Hotel Britomart, New Zealand’s first ‘5-Green-Star’ hotel. Monica Humphries/Insider
The most impactful way to have a sustainable hotel stay is by choosing an accommodation that embraces green initiatives, sustainability and travel experts told Insider.
Paloma Zapata, the CEO of Sustainable Travel International, which works with local governments, businesses, and nonprofits to provide sustainable travel opportunities, said she vets a hotel based on its practices around water, energy, culture, nature, and waste management.
For example, has the hotel made commitments to limit its food waste, hire local employees, and use energy from sustainable sources?
This can often be challenging to evaluate, and experts said that travelers should look for specifics beyond a hotel claiming that it’s sustainable.
“A lot of these places just do the bare minimum, and they call themselves a sustainable hotel,” Zapata said.
For example, getting rid of straws or swapping light bulbs for LED lights is good, but that doesn’t make a hotel inherently sustainable, since it could still have an enormous carbon footprint.
Zapata suggests starting the vetting process by taking a look at the hotel’s website. Most sustainable hotels are transparent about their goals and practices, and it should be clearly stated on their websites.
Experts said you can also look for hotels that have certifications or awards. Some of these include the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Certified B Corporation, Green Globe, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and WELL Building Standard.
“The labels can be a place to start,” Sarah Faith, a content and communications manager at Responsible Travel, a UK travel company that evaluates trips and vacation providers on their sustainability measures, said, but she added that guests shouldn’t book solely based on certifications. Certifications can have different regulations, and they can be costly for smaller resorts and hotels to acquire.
Gregory Miller, the executive director of the international nonprofit Center for Responsible Travel, agreed.
“If they’ve made a commitment to the communities, to the destination, and they understand that they’re part of the community, that is what’s important,” he previously told Insider.
And if you still have unanswered questions, Faith said travelers shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to the hotel.
“A hotel who is generally responsible and doing stuff will want to answer your questions and will be happy that you’ve asked,” Faith said.