Platform Helps Travelers Identify Eco-Friendly Hotels

Green Key Global, a hotel and lodging industry sustainable certification program, has partnered with business travel technology company Tripkicks to enable business travelers to reduce their impact on the environment.

Tripkicks is an add-on to SAP Concur, and provides travelers with insights and guidance as they book their trip, so they can make informed decisions. 85% of global travelers want to travel sustainably after the pandemic,[1] interest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities have emerged as a primary consideration for both business travelers, and their employers. 

[The Post-COVID Renewal: The Shift To Sustainable Offerings in The Hospitality Sector]
 

Sustainability for the Planet

Hotels and restaurants are touting their better-for-the-planet positions.

Booking.com launched its Travel Sustainable badge, a sustainability measure that will provide information to travelers to make more sustainable travel choices. Chipotle aims to reduce its carbon emissions 50% by 2030. Also leading the charge is Panera Bread, which has a goal to become climate positive by 2050.  According to HT’s 2020 Customer Engagement Technology Survey, few were focused on recycling and environmental sustainability in 2020, but operators cannot and should not forget the importance of the environment to their guests and to the overall future of the hospitality industry. 

The Green Key Global and Tripkicks' partnership allows business travelers to easily identify hotels that have demonstrated a commitment to the environment, through a Green Key Eco-Rating, on Tripkicks platform. This rating is determined through a comprehensive self-assessment which analyses environmental performance in key areas of hotel operations, including corporate management, housekeeping, food and beverage, conference and meeting facilities, and engineering.  Each assessment area has a specific point value based on the environmental and social impacts, including guests, employees, management, and the local community.

Hotels that have a Green Key Eco-Rating will be identified by Tripkicks with a highlighted leaf icon, which displays more information about that property or certification. 

This functionality is immediately available for companies that use Tripkicks through its integration with SAP Concur.

 1 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report – Brands and the Coronavirus