A new study by HRS disproves the idea that sustainable hotels drive higher rates.
The State of Sustainability in Corporate Travel report, the second undertaken by the global corporate lodging and payment technology platform, shares data and trends on how corporate travel programmes are addressing sustainability and how hotel suppliers are evolving to align with these requirements.
Analysis across multiple programmes reveals that many HRS Green Stay Champion hotels – properties recording superior metrics tied to carbon, water and waste – are managing to reduce emissions while offering lower average daily rates than their peers.
According to HRS data, its clients achieved an average 24% reduction in emissions and 5% savings in average daily rates in the first nine months of 2025.
One client shared that Green Stay Champion hotels in its global programme reported a 50% lower CO₂ footprint per room night – and 10% lower ADR – than non-Green Stay properties.
The report notes that travel leaders are increasingly relying on AI-optimised data to set targets, detect gaps, and recommend programme actions, from rates in sourcing and policy to shop/compare and rebooking.
Backed up by four corporate case studies, the report shows that hotels providing complete, verifiable sustainability data win more bookings.
Data showed acceptance rates for Green Stay properties have risen from 53% in RFPs for 2025 to 56% in RFPs for 2026, illustrating that sustainability alignment is no longer optional but a baseline expectation in corporate sourcing decisions.
Advanced Green Stay hotels, which represent the most relevant and scalable segment of participating suppliers, are capturing an increasing share of contracted volume.
Their presence has grown from 69% of room nights in 2025 RFPs to 74% in RFPs for 2026.
“The story isn’t ‘less sustainability,’ it’s ‘smarter sustainability,’” said HRS CEO Tobias Ragge.
“Leaders in the study hit targets by operationalising data, aligning it with traveller choice, and focusing on preferred hotels and other partners. AI is rapidly expediting both the analysis of data and opportunities to seize based on the results. With this synchronisation, savings, compliance, and sustainability move together.”
Launched in 2021, HRS’s Green Stay Initiative is used by hundreds of companies – including dozens of global organisations – to help report, remove and reduce emissions in procurement and booking processes.
