Ecostar

Ecostar, sustainability certification for hotels, expands globally

23-09-22

After little more than a year since its birth in Spain, Ecostars Ecological Hotel Rating, a sustainability certification for hotels that awards eco-stars based on their environmental impact, consolidates its global expansion and lands with force in other countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa.

The truth is that sustainability has become a factor increasingly valued by travellers, to the point of being a requirement when selecting accommodation, so it is increasingly important for hotels to have a seal that faithfully reflects and values the environmental impact generated by each hotel. In fact, according to the latest reports from Booking.com, more than 80% of travellers prefer to stay in a hotel with a sustainability certificate than in one that does not.

There are already almost a thousand hotels evaluated globally by Ecostars, with a very relevant presence in Spain, where it has already become the most widespread hotel sustainability certificate with more than 700 evaluated establishments (around 5% of the national hotel base), including chains such as H10, Ilunion, Vincci, Abba, HotelAtelier (Petit Palace + ICON), Soho Boutique, Artiem, Hoteles Santos, Hoteles Poseidón, Fuerte Hoteles, Concept HG, byPillow, Praktik, Guitart, Izán, Hoteles Andaluces con Encanto (HACE), Medplaya, Rusticae, Hospedium, ML Hoteles and HotelesVar; as well as hundreds of independent accommodations.

Internationally, in Europe it has already awarded its seal of approval to hotels in Portugal (including the Lisbon Heritage Hotels chain), Italy, the UK, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria and Andorra. Beyond our continent, it has certified in Latin America (Mexico, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica) and Africa (Tunisia). In addition, many new hotels are joining the certification process every day, making Ecostars the fastest growing hotel sustainability certification worldwide.

The Ecostars ratings, which rank hotels from 0 to 5 Ecostars according to their environmental impact, are awarded through a registered certification process in which multiple axes of sustainability are assessed: energy and water efficiency through a statistical model calculated through an algorithm, CO2 emissions, selective separation and recycling of waste, use of renewable energies, sustainable sources of energy and raw materials, social ethics and sustainable food (through the Ecofoodies - Sustainable Food Certification seal).

In addition, it should be noted that the Ecostars assessments are understood as a process and not as an end goal. It starts with the initial assessment, which provides the starting point of the hotel. Subsequently, within the Ecostars ecosystem, the criteria for moving up to the next levels are clearly defined, as well as the different tools and experts in the sector to achieve this, so that each hotel has visibility and a clear plan for continuous improvement. Every three years (if no early assessment is requested by the hotel, in case efficiency measures have been implemented before) the assessment is renewed, ideally with an upward trend.

The Ecostars certificate is recognised by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO/OMT) and is part of the Spanish Tourism Board and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), endorsing its relevance in the tourism industry.

According to José Luis Santos, CEO of Ecostars, "Ecostars is a global project, as it cannot be otherwise in the current tourism context. For this reason, we are very satisfied with the rapid expansion we are experiencing and the great acceptance of our valuation model among the hotel base. In our opinion, this is mainly due to the fact that it is free of charge and that the evaluation is extremely simple, while achieving a maximum degree of objectivity and integrity. It is also because of the differentiation it provides, as our highest rating (5 Ecostars - Platinum) is achieved by less than 1% of the hotels we evaluate. We are ready to work on our next goal in the coming months: to become the largest sustainability certificate in the world.

The certificate, which is easy to assess digitally, can be applied for by hotels free of charge via their website www.ecostars.org .

The average time from application to award is less than a week, thanks to Ecostars' automated digital assessment through its proprietary assessment algorithm.

Ecostar information

Ecostars® is a specific sustainability certification for hotels that awards eco-stars based on the environmental impact per stay that a hotel has and is a member of or recognised by international organisations such as the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO /UNWTO) and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), and national ones such as the Spanish Tourism Board.

The certification process is entirely digital and the average time from application to certification is just two days, all thanks to an automated process® owned by Ecostars, plus the participation of entities such as Ecoembes, FSC Spain and Ecofoodies. 500+ hotels have already been certified in multiple countries, making Ecostars one of the largest sustainability seals in the world.

Evaluation axes

The certification process is completely digital and the average time from application to certification is just two days, and evaluates the key sustainability axes in each hotel in order to measure the environmental impact of each stay, based on the following axes:

Energy: energy consumption (electricity and fuels) per stay, compared to benchmarks of similar hotels.
Water: water consumption per stay, compared to benchmark of similar hotels.
CO2 footprint: calculation and offsetting of CO2 emissions, through the UNFCCC's Climate Neutral Now ® programme.
Recycling: selective separation and recycling processes at the collection point, common areas and rooms, through Ecoembes®.
Products: use of products from sustainable sources, through FSC®, and reduction of single-use plastics.
Sustainable food: control of products from animal sources in food, through Ecofoodies®, and cruelty free.
Social: establishment of ethical practices in human and labour relations, at customer and employee level.

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