With regulations like the European Union’s Green Claims Directive cracking down on unsubstantiated environmental claims, hotel and tourism operators are finding that the right sustainability certifications are no longer nice-to-haves; they are essential to compliance, risk mitigation, and competitive differentiation — and central to building customer trust. Yet, the vast number of certifications presents a challenge.

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Differing standards, requirements and costs make it difficult to determine which certifications are worth the investment, requiring decision-makers to carefully evaluate market expectations and regulatory obligations as they evolve.  

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Here are five key factors that hotels, travel, and tourism companies should consider when assessing which certifications will give them a strategic advantage:

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#1. The Complexity of Sustainability Certifications for Hotels

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Hotels face a unique set of challenges when it comes to sustainability certifications: they must account for various considerations, including energy consumption, waste management, water conservation and guest education. Thus, many brands opt for multiple certifications to cover different areas of their operations, but the principle of "the more, the merrier" does not necessarily apply here. Certifications serve different purposes based on who is requesting them. An investor might prioritize financial returns, while a government entity or large corporation might request that employees choose eco-certified hotels for all business travel. Each certification should align with the strategic goals of the hotel or tourism operator.

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Additionally, not all certifications are suitable for every hotel. Some certifications, like LEED or BREEAM, are more focused on the building's environmental performance, whereas others, like Green Globe, address broader operational practices that include community impact, guest education and supply chain management.

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Though there is value in all properties within a hotel group pursuing the same certifications (more on that below), hotels should pay close attention to what their competitors are doing. Certifications like Green Key and EarthCheck, for example, are highly recognized within the tourism sector, making them particularly valuable for hotels in competitive markets.  

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For properties that have yet to obtain certifications, , a good way to kick off that journey is by using a tool using like Hotel Sustainability Basics, which is a globally recognized set of sustainability indicators that all hotels should implement at a minimum. By first completing Hotel Sustainability Basics, hotels will be better positioned to pursue certifications with more complex data requirements.  

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#2. Certification in a Changing Regulatory Landscape

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With the EU Green Claims Directive (GCD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) elevating sustainability reporting to financial reporting status, the bloc has proven its leadership regarding corporate sustainability and transparency. The GCD will help eliminate greenwashing by ensuring that environmental claims can be verified, reshaping the sustainability certifications market. This encourages greater alignment with government-backed initiatives like CSRD while pushing dubious claims out of the market.

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In this context, hospitality companies committed to  GCD compliance should pursue certifications that are independently accredited by third-party organizations, have demonstrated a collaborative approach to upholding industry-recognized standards for sustainable tourism and prioritize data transparency.  

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This is where BeCause really stands out. As the only sustainability data management platform built exclusively for the hospitality sector, BeCause streamlines and centralizes the data flow between hotels and certification bodies, serving as the hub for all sustainability data. Every metric and measurement running through the BeCause platform is traceable and verifiable, significantly reducing the human error associated with manual sustainability data practices. With its emphasis on data transparency, BeCause enables certification frameworks to meet the rigorous standards of independent accreditation and hotels to comply with today’s stringent legislative requirements.

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#3. Standardizing Certifications: A Strategic Choice

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One of the primary considerations for hotel chains is whether to standardize certifications across all properties or allow each location to pursue its own. From a brand recognition perspective, having a standardized certification across properties can build consumer trust. For example, a guest who stays at a Green Key-certified property in one country will know what to expect at other properties within the same chain. Standardization also improves implementation efficiency; once the criteria for certification are understood, best practices can be shared across properties, simplifying the process and making it less costly to get certified at scale.

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Through an AI-powered sustainability data management platform like BeCause, a standardized certification policy also allows corporate managers to benchmark the sustainability performance of each property, identifying strengths and areas for improvement across the portfolio.  

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The downside to this strategy is that it may not account for local environmental laws, realities, or guest preferences. For instance, a certification focused on reducing water usage may be less applicable in regions where water scarcity isn’t the most pressing issue. Ultimately, this means that global hotel chains must balance the desire for uniform certification with the practicalities of regional adaptation.

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#4. Leveraging Certifications for Revenue Impact

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Despite the investment required to obtain sustainability certifications, measuring whether these certifications lead to tangible returns, particularly in room revenue, is important. While guests are increasingly interested in sustainable travel, an attitude-behavior gap remains. Many travelers express concern for sustainability, but their actual booking choices may still be driven by location, price, and amenities.

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However, as sustainability continues to be a deciding factor for a growing segment of the market—especially millennials and Gen Z—hotels can differentiate themselves and attract more eco-conscious guests through certifications. In recent years, platforms like Booking.com have recognized this market demand by integrating a “sustainable hotels” filter that allows travelers to search for eco-certified properties. While certification alone may not directly translate into higher bookings, it can play a role in positively influencing decisions when combined with other factors and help improve guest satisfaction.

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#5. Benchmarking and Future-Proofing

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Data management and benchmarking tools provide significant advantages for hotels aiming to navigate the maze of sustainability certifications. By centralizing sustainability data collection, BeCause, for instance, automatically finds similarities within the certifications and overlaps the data requests, helping to streamline the future certification acquisition process; in other words, any data collected can be mapped to several certification standards, creating efficiencies, reducing workload and cutting some of the costs associated with certification. And as certification criteria evolve, hotels will need a robust system to track changes and adapt.  

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With all this data in one central hub, BeCause allows certifiers and hospitality companies to create meaningful benchmarks. These benchmarks offer strategic insights into how properties measure up to industry standards, making it easier to identify strengths and areas that need improvement for more informed decision-making.

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Selecting the proper sustainability certification is a critical decision for hotels and tourism operators alike. By prioritizing credible certifications and utilizing BeCause to simplify data collection and ensure compliance, hotels can solidify their position as sustainability frontrunners, build guest trust, and stay ahead of meeting regulatory expectations.

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