Sustainable hotel tenders: travel buyers surveyed by HRS and GBTA

On the sidelines of the conference GBTA Europe organised in Brusselsand the first Sustainability Summit, the GBTA and HRS unveiled the results of a study carried out last summer in three markets: Europe, the United States and Canada. The aim was to identify the importance attached to sustainable development in travel programmesand particularly in the choice of hotels to welcome business travellers on their journeys.

The first lesson to be learned from this study, which was conducted mainly in North America, is leadership in terms of eco-responsibility. One out of every two travel buyers (48%) believes that it is their management team within the company that has the greatest influence on the company's commitment to sustainability. The CSR department was cited by a third of respondents (33%), while the quorum of employees themselves came third (only 5%), ahead of human resources (3%).

What about the practices put in place by these decision-makers to make travellers more responsible when booking hotels? Unsurprisingly, the majority of respondents (59%) want to see establishments recognised by sustainable certifications included in their tools (OBT). And 65% of travel buyers want to highlight these establishments with a dedicated icon. This trend is particularly pronounced among European travel buyers (78%). A point that prompts the authors of the report to point out in passing that " GBTA and industry research shows that sustainability is a more important concern for companies in Europe than in North America, although this concern is increasing in North America. ".

Nevertheless, travel purchasers are not prepared to make a clean sweep of the least environmentally-friendly establishments. Only 34% of them are considering such a measure. What's more, while sustainable concerns are gaining ground, companies still have a long way to go. In particular, the HRS-GBTA study highlights the fact that almost a third of the companies surveyed do not inquire about the sustainable aspects of suppliers when inviting hotel tenders. And when they do, one company in two (48%) ignores this parameter when making their choice. Finally, travel buyers who only select eco-responsible establishments or brands are still very much in the minority (7%)...

However, the authors of the study prefer to see the 'green' half-full, highlighting the positive momentum in the business world, as evidenced by the growing importance of the label set up by HRS. " The global trend towards sustainability is gathering pace in today's day-to-day discussions, which are redefining the priorities of accommodation programmes within the company. "believes Martin BiermannChief Product Officer of HRS and a member of the GBTA's Sustainability Leadership Council. " We're seeing this today with the growth of the HRS Green Stay initiative, which now involves hotels representing more than 440 brands in 170 countries. It is encouraging to see that corporate programme managers and hotel suppliers are using technology to support this important cause at this crucial time. "continues Martin Biermann. Delphine Millot underlines: " With business travel making a rapid comeback, it's essential that everyone in the industry understands the lasting changes that sustainability issues are driving in hotel purchasing and booking. ". The first vice-president of the GBTA in charge of sustainable development, adds: " According to the study, management is leading the charge. As a result, the GBTA is very committed to sustainability to provide more research, advocacy, tools and educational events for our members - like [last week's] Sustainability Summit - to play our part in helping the business travel community grasp the best practices and technologies to help our industry reduce its carbon footprint. ".