A new online booking service operating out of Europe is the first to rank hotels based on green practices, and even offsets carbon emissions at no added cost.
“There are many green hotel certification labels with different focus, quality and credibility out there,” GreenHotelWorld founder Robert Boer said. “Our Green Rating algorithm helps the eco-conscious traveler to search and filter through these labels and select hotels based on their certified and verified green practices.”
Criteria that can be ranked include environmental protection, social responsibility, support for local economy and preservation of cultural heritage.
GreenHotelWorld has partnered with myclimate, a voluntary carbon offset company, to offset CO2 emissions of its users’ bookings.
“At the end of each year, we ask myclimate to audit our bookings and determine if we have compensated sufficiently based on our estimated average of 26.6 kg per overnight stay,” Mr Boer said.
“We are really happy with the projects myclimate has selected for us in India, Kenya and Nicaragua, because they combine CO2 compensation with poverty alleviation.”
Technology team leader Jonas Casanova said the goal was to “make green travelling the new status quo and that next to location, price and availability, the hotel’s green practices become as important”.
