Just under two thirds (65%) of European and US travel management and procurement leaders would prioritise hotels that have earned a validated sustainability certification, according to a survey by the GBTA and HRS.
Furthermore, 59% say they would elevate these properties in the displays in their corporate online booking solutions given to employees as they search for hotels.
The research, shared as the GBTA held its first Sustainability Summit in Brussels this week, also found:
- 48% said senior executives and leaders have the most influence on their company’s sustainability efforts, followed by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department (33%).
- There is a gap from Europe to North America as respondents consider taking action to drive more business travellers to sustainable hotels. Europeans (78%) are more likely to feature hotels with validated green credentials than those based in North America (61%).
- 36% say sustainability considerations will have a “moderate” to “major” impact on the hotel choices they will make for their lodging program in 2023.
- Another 36% shared that sustainability elements will have a “minor” impact, with 28% reporting that it will have “no impact” at all.
“With business travel coming back at a rapid pace, it’s vital for all industry participants to grasp the long-lasting changes to hotel procurement and booking that sustainability considerations are driving,” said Delphine Millot, GBTA Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Managing Director of the GBTA Foundation.
“The C-suite is leading the charge, as per this research. Accordingly, GBTA is highly engaged on sustainability to provide more research, advocacy, tools and educational events for our members – such as this week’s Sustainability Summit – to play our role in helping the business travel community seize upon best practices and technologies to help our industry reduce its carbon footprint.”
Martin Biermann, Chief Product Officer for HRS and a member of GBTA’s Sustainability Leadership Council, added: “The global megatrend of sustainability is accelerating in the everyday discussions taking place today that are reshaping the priorities of corporate lodging programs.
“We see that today via the traction of HRS’ Green Stay Initiative, which now has hotels representing 440-plus brands in 170 countries participating. It’s encouraging to see both corporate program leaders and hotel suppliers leverage technology to support this important cause at this crucial moment.”
The online survey of Canadian, European and US-based travel managers and procurement leaders took place from June 15-29, 2022.
A total of 187 respondents completed the survey, 74% coming from North America and 26% from Europe.
