Green hotel certifications provide a trusted benchmark for sustainability, helping hotels prove their commitment to the environment while boosting guest confidence. From Green Key to EU Ecolabel, these certifications demonstrate how your property meets recognized environmental standards and helps prevent greenwashing.
What are “green hotel certifications”?
Green certifications and green hotel labels began gaining momentum as tourist & travelers demand for sustainable travel grew. Today, they are recognized benchmarks across the industry, used not only to validate environmental action but also to strengthen trust and reputation.
Green hotel certifications are a trusted way for guests, businesses, and booking platforms to verify that a hotel meets high sustainability standards. These certifications help identify accommodations that reduce their environmental impact, support ethical practices, and improve transparency, all while enhancing the guest experience.
Avoid hotel greenwashing: choose third-party certification that guests can trust
As sustainable travel becomes more mainstream, the number of hotels claiming to be “green hotels” has grown, but not all these claims are grounded in action. That’s why independent third-party certification is more important than ever. It validates a hotel’s sustainability performance through strict, transparent standards, and serves as a mitigator against greenwashing, the practice of making misleading or unverifiable environmental claims.
Not all certifications are created equal. Some hotels display sustainability labels based on self-assessments or low-bar criteria, which may appear impressive but offer little real accountability. In these cases, a hotel may seem "certifiably green" on paper, while its operations tell a different story, undermining trust and damaging credibility with increasingly aware travelers.
By choosing third-party certification, hotels demonstrate measurable action, not just ambition, and show guests the promises are supported with proofs.
By working with an accredited certification body like Green Key, EU Ecolabel, EarthCheck, Green Globe, Green Seal, Ecologo and Nordic Swan hotels go through a structured sustainability certification process that audits their operations against defined sustainability criteria. Criteria are focused on specific aspects of hotel sustainability, from the use of eco-labeled cleaning products to energy and water use to waste management and community involvement with a leaning towards tackling climate change. Once these are met, the hotel receives an official certificate, a credible badge of excellence that guests can trust.
Why sustainability certifications matter more than ever in tourism
Sustainable travel is no longer just a trend; it’s a growing expectation. Around the world, travelers are actively seeking ways to reduce their impact, and they’re looking for hotels that help them do so. According to the Booking.com Sustainable Travel Report 2024, 83% of global travelers say sustainable travel is important to them, and 75% want to travel more sustainably in the next 12 months. That desire is increasingly influencing how and where they are booked. Today, sustainability isn’t just a line in your brand story, it’s a filter travelers actively use.
They filter “sustainability certification” search results like they would for star ratings or amenities.
Platforms like Booking.com and Google Hotels now highlight third-party certified properties with visible badges and filtering options, making it easier for conscious travelers to find accommodations that match their values, just like selecting by star rating or free Wi-Fi.
The impact of sustainability certification is clear:
- 65% of travelers say they feel better about staying in a property with a sustainability certification
- 45% find certified accommodations more appealing
- And 67% believe all booking platforms should use the same sustainability certification systems1
These certifications go beyond marketing - they build trust and differentiate your property in a crowded marketplace. However, travelers are also becoming more critical.
That’s where credible, third-party certification comes in. It turns vague sustainability claims into verified action. It helps guests feel confident in their choice and feel good about their stay.
Why certification matters for hotels
For many hotels today, sustainability is not just value, it's a strategic advantage. Pursuing green hotel certification can open the door to new opportunities and help strengthen your hotel’s position in an increasingly competitive market.
Earning an official green hotel certification has become one of the most effective ways for hotels to make their sustainability efforts visible and credible. Green hotel certifications are more than just a stamp of approval - they are a promise to your guests, your teams, and the planet. They demonstrate real action, build trust, and unlock visibility across the platforms your guests already use to search, filter, and book.
Certification helps hotels:
- Build trust and boost bookings
- Strengthen their brand reputation
- Gain access to sustainable travel programs and tenders
- Reduce operational costs through efficiency improvements
- Stay compliant with emerging regulations
Whether you choose Green Key, Green Globe, the EU Ecolabel, Nordic Swan or EarthCheck - what matters most is making your sustainability journey transparent, measurable, and visible.
Green cleaning in certified hotels
Cleaning and hygiene play a critical role in achieving and maintaining green hotel certifications. To meet certification standards, hotels must ensure that the majority of daily-use cleaning products in guest-facing areas carry a recognized ecolabel, such as the EU Ecolabel (Flower) or Cradle to Cradle. These labels guarantee that a product has been independently assessed for its environmental impact across its entire life cycle, from raw materials and packaging to use and disposal.
A key requirement across most certifications is the minimization of harmful substances, including pesticides, paints, disinfectants, and chemical cleaners. Where possible, these are replaced with safer alternatives, and all remaining chemical use must be carefully managed and documented. This approach supports a broader move toward green cleaning, a method that prioritizes health, sustainability, and safety. It involves non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products, efficient dosing systems, reusable materials, and practices that reduce waste and exposure to harmful residues.
In short, sustainable cleaning is not just a technical requirement; it’s a visible and impactful way for hotels to demonstrate their environmental commitment, protect guests and staff, and contribute to a healthier planet.