Plastic-Free Hotels: A Practical Guide to Attracting Eco-Conscious Travellers

Sustainable travel has become a significant concern for travellers around the globe. As hotel guests grow increasingly aware of environmental issues, they expect the companies they support — including hotels — to reflect these values and prioritise sustainability in their operations.
 

In line with World Environment Day 2025, which this year focuses on the critical issue of ending plastic pollution, it’s more important than ever for hoteliers to confront the challenge of single-use plastics. Taking action now demonstrates a genuine commitment to sustainability — one that today’s eco-conscious guests expect and value.
 

This article aims to support hoteliers interested in embracing sustainable practices and attracting travellers who actively seek out environmentally responsible accommodations. We’ll explore why plastic-free hotels are gaining preference, how your property can benefit, practical tips to eliminate single-use plastics, and a real-world success story from a leading hotel group.
 

We’ll also explain how to showcase your sustainability credentials to our network of over 60,000 travel distributors.
 

Why do guests prefer plastic-free hotels?

It’s no secret that there has been a paradigm shift that has influenced the lifestyle of millions of people, affecting all areas of life, including travel and leisure.
 

Sustainable travel has become a significant concern in today’s world, and there are many ways to support the cause. Focusing specifically on one of the main issues – single-plastic use –, we believe that hoteliers have a great potential to become a force for good.
 

Guests believe it as well, and by paying attention to their concerns and catering to their needs, your hotel could benefit from improved positioning in front of eco-conscious travellers…and increase your room nights.
 

• People now expect the brands they engage with to reflect their values. This includes how hotels address sustainability. According to Statista, 81% of travellers state that sustainable travel is important to them, and 74% want travel companies to offer more sustainable options. Furthermore, 65% say they’re more likely to book accommodation with recognised sustainability certifications.
  
  Also worth noting: 56% of people consider reducing single-use plastics a personal priority, and these habits often extend to their travel choices.
   
• Beyond meeting guest expectations, ignoring plastic pollution can have reputational consequences. A hotel’s credibility may suffer if there is no clear commitment to reducing plastic waste. That’s why sustainability — particularly when it comes to plastic — isn’t just good ethics; it’s good business.
   

How can plastic-free initiatives benefit your properties?

Whether you manage a boutique hotel or a major chain, transitioning away from single-use plastics takes effort — but the benefits are considerable.
 

Helping the planet is reason enough, but there are other compelling advantages:
 

• A clearly defined sustainability strategy can differentiate your hotel from competitors.
   
• Certification through recognised programmes boosts your visibility and credibility among eco-conscious travellers.
   
• Your property could become eligible for our Sustainable Hotels Programme, giving you access to increased visibility across our global network of travel distributors.
   

In addition, governments around the world are introducing stricter regulations around plastic usage. By taking proactive steps now, you’ll stay ahead of compliance requirements and avoid costly last-minute changes.
 

However, all these benefits depend on communication. If you don’t clearly share your sustainability initiatives — including the elimination of single-use plastics — you may miss the opportunity to connect with your ideal audience.
 

As mentioned in our article on the importance of green hotels, only one third of hotels are communicating their sustainability efforts, such as implementing alternatives for single-use plastics. To make an impact, you need to let travellers know what you’re doing — and why it matters.
 

No matter what the size of your hotel, small actions can make a big change. Are you lacking in ideas? Keep reading, as we provide you with some valuable tips.

Practical steps for hotels to embrace sustainability

There are certain items that you can replace or reduce in your objective to become a plastic-free hotel.
 

However, there’s one thing that you should take into account to help you reach your goal in the most seamless way possible: it’s necessary to educate your suppliers and employees to better understand how important this purpose is and how they can easily commit to it.
 

For example, you could start by creating a working group where employees from the departments using single-use plastics participate. In this working group, it would be beneficial to identify all single-use plastics in your operations and try to propose alternatives.
 

But it doesn’t stop there: it’s also important to chat with your suppliers and explain your aim to reduce plastic in your properties. They may be able to help you with the task by giving you ideas of which options they have available, such as multi-use items or products made of responsible materials.
 

Here are a few practical changes to begin your plastic-free transition:
 

6 Essential tips for eliminating single-use plastics in hotels

1. Remove plastic water bottles. Offer refillable glass or metal bottles, and install modern water bottle filling stations for guests — fast, efficient and eco-friendly. Modern versions of these stations can refill a one-litre bottle in 10 seconds to minimise queues, whilst other stations cut off the water after 20 seconds to prevent wastage.
    
2. Switch to bulk bathroom amenity dispensers. Offer shampoo and gel packaged in wall-mounted refillable dispensers, or consider providing these amenities only on demand. Switching to plastic-free hotel amenities, such as toiletries, is one of the easiest changes to implement, but is also a change which will be first recognised by your guests!
    
3. Offer non-plastic slippers that are washed in-house and reused. Replace items such as stirrers, shoe shiners, razors, combs, sewing kits, and plastic packaging materials with sustainable alternatives, or remove them altogether.
    
4. Use recyclable paper for wrapping bathroom amenities, reusable bathroom cups, reusable fabric laundry bags, and paper containers for takeaways, among others.
    
5. Offer biodegradable rubbish bags that are more environmentally friendly alternatives. Make sure that they’re truly biodegradable.
    
6. Choose tableware and cutlery made from durable, biodegradable materials. For example, cut down on plastic straws and replace them with ones made of bamboo.
    

For extra support, consider partnering with sustainability consultants who specialise in reducing single-use plastics in hospitality settings.
 

Accor Hotels: A Successful Case Study In Going Plastic-Free

Some major hotel chains have already made a step forward in order to tackle this issue. One good example is Accor Hotels, which joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) in 2022 and have since announced two global partnerships with Green Key and Green Globe certifications. 
 

As previously mentioned, going plastic-free could be a challenging task. But here’s the proof that such an aim is both attainable and rewarding. In the following video, Jordane de Villaret Bentinck, VP of Sustainability Communications & Change at Accor, explains the actions the chain has implemented so far and how they have been received by customers. 
 

Enhancing plastic-free communications with our sustainable hotels programme

We’re getting close to the end of this article, and we don’t want to finish it without helping you to communicate your plastic-free efforts.
 

Whether your hotel is just beginning its sustainability journey or has already implemented changes, it’s vital to share your progress. Let the world know you’re committed.
 

Our Partner Portal will be your ally: to gain a prime position in front of over 60,000 travel agents and their clients, mark your hotel as single-use plastic free by following these steps:
 

• Log into the Partner Portal
• Select ‘Hotel Info’
• After clicking ‘About Hotel’, scroll to the section titled ‘Things to Keep in Mind’
• Tick the ‘Single-use Plastic Free’ box
   

But you can take one step further when it comes to communicating your commitment to sustainable practices. Hotelbeds’ Sustainable Hotel Programme aims to identify and provide enhanced visibility to partner hotels that are certified and accredited according to the rigorous criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) or that have sustainability programmes aligned to these criteria.
 

To date, the Sustainable Hotels Programme portfolio contains over 40,000 properties certified as sustainable. Have a look at this step-by-step guide on how to join this hotel sustainable initiative, and begin to cater to a real demand by helping travel bookers to identify those properties committed to sustainability.
 

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be visible under the ‘Sustainable Hotels’ filter in our Booking Engine. But this won’t be the only benefit – you’ll also be eligible for relevant, sustainability-focused campaigns, in which we will push sustainable hotels to our clients.
 

If you have already registered your property with Hotelbeds, access here and select this filter now.
 

Still need to register your hotel with us? It's easy, free, and in a short time, your property will be seen by a worldwide network of 60,000 travel distributors.
 

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