Booking.com helps travellers make informed decisions when looking for sustainable accommodation
The experts at Booking.com know that as much as the new Barbie movie would have us all believe “life in plastic is fantastic,” when it comes to sustainability, climate change and the environment, it’s often the exact opposite — especially when it comes to the travel industry.
Which is why Booking.com, one of the world’s leading digital travel companies, introduced its Travel Sustainable program as a way to help lessen travel’s environmental footprint and support efforts to lower carbon emissions.
We hope this information will be helpful for planning your next trip with sustainability in mind. Subscribe below to be alerted to the next article as soon as it’s published. We pride ourselves in writing informative articles with interesting tips. If you found this article informative, please share and leave any comments, questions or suggestions below.
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Booking.com Travel Sustainable Travel Report 2023
According to research completed by Booking.com Travel Sustainable Travel Report 2023, 76% of travellers say they intend to make more effort to travel more sustainably — though 29% of those respondents also noted they don’t know how to find sustainable travel options.
Booking.com wants travellers to think about their choices when it comes to sustainable travel. Photo: Andreas Aux Pixaby
Expanded Travel Sustainable program on Booking.com
The expanded Travel Sustainable program provides travellers with transparent and credible information, which then allows them to make more informed decisions when trip planning. Partners can choose from 32 sustainability practices selected for their high-impact potential and are validated by independent sustainability experts. The practices are visible on property pages in all the languages Booking.com supports.
With an ongoing aim to provide travellers with easy-to-understand information, Booking.com has introduced three distinct badge levels to its Travel Sustainable program, which are visible once they click the “Sustainability” link found within the filters.
Level 1 Travel Sustainable Badge
This new entry-level designation for the Travel Sustainable badge indicates a property has implemented some impactful sustainability practices. When searching for accommodations on Booking.com, travellers will see a logo including one green leaf and a list of all practices that have been implemented.
Level 2 Travel Sustainable Badge
Accommodations receiving the Level 2 version of the Travel Sustainable badge have made considerable investments and efforts to implement impactful sustainability practices. The Level 2 badge is indicated by two leaves, as well as a full display of all practices that have been implemented.
Level 3 Travel Sustainable Badge
The Level 3 Travel Sustainable badge is reserved for those accommodations that have made even larger investments and efforts to implement impactful sustainability practices and is indicated by a symbol including three leaves.
Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver received Booking.com highest Travel Sustainable Level 3 badge
Fairmont Pacific Rim, a waterfront hotel in Vancouver, B.C., is an example of a property that’s worked hard to qualify for Booking.com’s Level 3 badge and beyond.
During a recent tour of the hotel, Kim Carmichael, spa director at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, pointed just some of the many sustainable changes the hotel has made to its spa amenities and toiletry selection, including a move to bamboo toothbrushes, wood-handled razors and reusable laundry bags.
Kim Carmichael, spa director at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, says the spa has moved to reusable sandals as a way to reduce waste. Photo: Sandra Thomas©
“We’ve also made some changes to our pedicures and actually removed our disposable sandals and now use something that can be reused every treatment,” said Carmichael. “And, we changed our paraffin wax. It used to be individually wrapped and now it comes in containers and we’ve converted to have more of an eco-friendly shea butter.”
Booking.com has given Fairmont Pacific Rim its highest ranking for sustainable practices. Photo Sandra Thomas©
As well, Carmichael notes the cleaning towels in the fitness centre are now compostable, as are the shower caps, and the reusable glass bottles found in each room have replaced 650 kg of plastic from their operations annually. The 36,000 plastic key cards the Fairmont once used have also been replaced by cherry wood cards, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Booking.com has given Fairmont Pacific Rim its highest ranking for sustainable practices, including in its food and beverage departments. Photo Sandra Thomas
The same practices and philosophies have also been implemented in the food and beverage side of the hotel’s operations, which means all takeout containers are now fibre based and, even the bartenders have gotten into the act, by sourcing locally grown and produced ingredients as a way to lower their carbon footprint.
To date, more than 1.25 million accommodations listed globally on Booking.com have shared at least some information about the sustainability practices they have in place and are proudly displaying those accomplishments as part of their listings.
Hybrid and electric vehicles
Booking.com isn’t stopping with accommodation and recently added filters to help travellers find hybrid and fully electric rental cars in 60 countries.
Carbon emissions information for accommodations and flights
As part of Booking.com’s new partnership with climate tech company CHOOOSE, carbon emissions data for accommodation bookings in Europe are now displayed on the platform in an effort to understand where and how to present this information, so it’s useful for customers in their decision-making process. The aim is to explore how to best integrate offsetting options as part of the booking process in an understandable way. The new features initially launched for accommodation options in Europe, with a plan to expand globally.
Booking.com is also providing information about the carbon emissions associated with flight options on the platform.
“As we optimize and develop our Travel Sustainable program further, our ambition is to continue making it easier for everyone to make more sustainable choices for their next trip,” said Danielle D’Silva, Head of Sustainability at Booking.com. “We’re examining every part of the trip on our platform and actively looking for ways to provide more information to travelers in a credible and trusted way. Whether it’s an apartment for a weekend getaway, an electric car for their upcoming road trip or carbon emissions data about a flight, our aim is to nudge our customers and partners towards these more responsible options and do our part to ensure a healthier future for our planet and industry.”
D’Silva adds while accommodation has always been Booking.com’s first priority, the company understand the need to support other areas of the travel industry in reducing emissions and providing customers with greater choice in sustainable experiences.
“This will begin by helping our taxi, rides and car rental partners showcase their sustainability efforts, while also developing a new filter feature for flights that enables travellers to book the journey with the lowest CO2.”
We hope this information will be helpful for planning your next trip with sustainability in mind. Subscribe below to be alerted to the next article as soon as it’s published. We pride ourselves in writing informative articles with interesting tips. If you found this article informative, please share and leave any comments, questions or suggestions below.
Search for accommodation around the world by using Booking.Com or book a sightseeing tour using Viator. Any commissions earned will help keep this website running.
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