A new hotel certification regime will allow travel agents and travel management companies to select properties based on green criteria through the Sabre GDS.
Sabre Holdings said the development of the Eco-Certified Hotel Programme comes as demand for eco-friendly hotels rises and builds on the success of the Green Hotel Directory on its Travelocity website.
A new certification regime has been developed with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, a coalition of United Nations bodies, research and academic institutions and NGOs.
Harald Eisenaecher, EMEA senior vice president of Sabre Travel Network, said: “The overwhelming response we got from consumers to the Travelocity Green Hotels Directory prompted us to add it to the GDS.
“This trend of eco-friendly hotels and green travel is here to stay. We are the first GDS to have eco-certified hotels, we are the first to respond to this need.”
Although doubts persist about the degree to which consumers actually opt for a green option if it is more expensive than alternatives, many corporate travel policies are starting to compel travelers to choose hotels with good environmental credentials.
Eisenaecher added: “With leadership comes responsibility. Sabre is focused on the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the travel industry and is committed to providing customers with products and services that help promote these same long-term values throughout their businesses.”
The Eco-Certified Hotel Programme covers 4,700 properties globally that have been certified and will be clearly marked in the GDS so agents can identify them via an icon and unique amenity code.
Nearly 2,000 of Sabre’s corporate and agency customers can specify eco-certified hotels in the request for proposal (RFP) process by using Sabre Hotel RFP tool.
Sabre believes hoteliers with an eco-certificate will enjoy greater profile and said third party endorsement of environmental performance has been found in studies to be important for 40% of respondents.
The GDS also claimed the robust nature of the certification has helped to set industry standards for eco-friendly hotels and will help address accusations of ‘greenwashing’ against the travel industry.