IHG launches low-carbon hotel programme
IHG Hotels and Resorts has launched a new ‘community’ of low-carbon hotels to raise awareness of sustainable operations and drive further adoption across its portfolio.
The Low Carbon Pioneers programme features ‘energy efficient’ hotels that have no fossil fuels combusted on-site, are backed by renewable energy and regularly provide verifiable energy data, according to the group.
Every property must also have an operational sustainability certification recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, such as Green Key, or a sustainable building certification, such as LEED, BREEAM or EDG.
The programme currently includes three properties – all based in Europe: Holiday Inn Express Madrid Airport and Iberostar Waves Cristina, both in Spain, and Kimpton BEM Budapest in Hungary. However, IHG plans to add properties across all regions in an effort to “test, learn and share findings” to encourage wider adoption of carbon reduction practices across its portfolio.
In a statement, the group said “almost all” of IHG’s top global corporate accounts are setting net-zero or carbon-neutral targets, and that hotels in the Low Carbon Pioneers programme will be “attractive to corporate clients looking to meet their own sustainable travel commitments”.