Single-Use Plastic-Free Hotels: How Travel Distributors Can Appeal to Sustainable Travellers

Sustainable travel has become the buzzword of the last few years in the travel industry, and while it’s important to keep pushing towards an industry where sustainability is at the core of all business models, it’s also just as important to aim for more. 

Single-use plastic-free hotels and experiences are essential when we’re thinking about making tourism a force for good, which is a goal that lies near and dear to us at Hotelbeds, part of HBX Group.

In line with this year's World Environment Day, with the theme 'Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Future', it is with increasing urgency that the global travel distribution system address the environmental impact of their operations, especially the presence and reliance on single-use plastics.

Why? Plastic pollution and the prevalence of single-use plastics are among the main challenges facing the planet and the tourism industry, as plastic waste decreases the visual appeal of destinations, pollutes the natural environment, and can contribute to poor human and wildlife health. 

Tourism isn’t the only victim when it comes to single-use plastic waste, but the tourism industry itself is a large contributor to plastic pollution, and it’s time that the industry tackles this problem from the inside - just like our Sustainable Hotels Programme, which now offers around 18,000+ sustainable hotels; 6300+ of which are single-use plastic-free.

Read on for key reasons why travel distributors should be offering sustainable, single-use plastic-free hotels in today's travel landscape, and how Hotelbeds, as part of HBX Group, enables seamless distribution of sustainable travel and single-use plastic-free hotels.

Meet The Demands of Today’s (and Tomorrow’s) Traveller

Highlighting more sustainable hotels and travel options at the start of the booking process encourages travellers to make eco-friendly choices. This collaborative effort within the industry can help transform the typical traveller into a more sustainable one.

So, who is it that you are trying to attract with these sustainable travel offerings?:

• Over 80% of global travellers consistently identify sustainable travel as an important factor (according to recent Statista reports).

   

• Gen Z and Millennials: are highly focused on transparency and eco-certifications. These travellers are the most likely to engage in conservation activities, book properties that prioritise sustainability or travel that is immersed in community heritage, natural biodiversity, and authentic, meaningful experiences.

   

• Coincidentally, Gen Z is the demographic that spends the most on travel, indicating that, despite inflation, travel remains a top priority in their lives. Thus, providing sustainable travel options can help attract and retain these high-spending customers.

• Additionally, Millennials comprise about 20% of the world’s population, but contribute around 25% to global consumer spending, which represents significant purchasing power.

And with the forecasts that the global sustainable tourism industry is expected to skyrocket over the next decade - due to the increasing impact of eco-conscious travel, verified carbon-reduction frameworks, community-led local tourism and shifting global regulations - there is significant uplift available for businesses who implement successful sustainable tourism opportunities, and who actively partner with businesses and brands with sustainability at the forefront of their business models.

Hyatt: Why Does Sustainability Awareness Matter for Hotels?

Going single-use plastic-free can be a challenging task for any business in the travel industry, but there is proof that such an aim is not only attainable but significantly rewarding for businesses that do, but that sustainability doesn't have to be inaccessible.

With this in mind, Hyatt and HBX Group have partnered to co-create a guest-facing awareness campaign designed to integrate sustainability into the hotel experience.

This collaboration with Hyatt and HBX Group reflects the broader industry dynamic, where partnerships across the tourism value chain become essential to meaningful change within the industry. Initiatives like this can extend beyond individual impact and contribute to a more consistent sustainability approach and narrative across businesses, destinations, and travel experiences.

Our Sustainable Hotels Programme

This rising demand for sustainable hotels and experiences is also something we’ve clearly seen at Hotelbeds in the last few years.

As part of our parent company, HBX Group, our Sustainable Hotels Programme started in 2020. Today, this collection of hotels certified as sustainable consists of 18,000+ memorable hotels, resorts and accommodations in stunning destinations around the world. This represents 13.7% of our directly contracted hotel portfolio.

Similarly, our collection of single-use plastic-free hotels has expanded significantly from 500 to 6300+, with new properties around the world taking up the pledge to reduce and eliminate single-use plastics from their operations.

Additionally, all of these sustainable hotels are easily accessible through the ‘Sustainable Hotels’ filter in our Booking Engine. This feature refines searches to highlight hotels that have identified themselves as plastic-free or have participated in our Sustainable Hotels Programme, achieving some of the highest industry certifications for sustainability practices.

Only hotels that have attained industry-certified sustainability levels, such as the Hotel Sustainability Basics certificate from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) or the GSTC Industry Criteria from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), or or that have sustainability programmes aligned to these criteria, are displayed in our ‘Sustainable Hotels’ filter on our travel booking platform.

This combined with the powerful, data-driven and user-friendly nature of our Booking Engine, which helps streamline daily tasks for travel providers, means it is easier than ever for travel providers to find the most relevant properties for eco-conscious travellers in just a few clicks.

Avoid Losing Business As Travel Goes Sustainable

As more and more travellers are putting their money where their beliefs are, there is the potential risk that current hotspot destinations producing plastic waste will be left behind by an increasingly eco-conscious market. 

And for the communities which are so dependent on the revenue generated by tourism, as well as the travel distributors, like you, who are dependent on securing bookings from travellers themselves, keeping up with client demand is key.

In fact, there are examples from all around the world, and across many different sectors within the industry, that demonstrate the growing appetite for plastic-free and sustainable travel opportunities:

• Recycling initiatives aimed at reducing landfill waste have gained significant momentum. For instance, since its launch in 2016, the Refill Not Landfill initiative based in Cambodia has expanded to 19 countries, including Thailand, Laos, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Myanmar, and New Zealand, successfully saving thousands of tons of plastic from the oceans. Additionally, we are partnering with key hotel partners on recycling initiatives that convert discarded pool floats into fabrics.

   

• Circular economies are becoming more common, exemplified by Basecamp Maasai Brand (BMB), where discarded mosquito repellent bottles and plastic tanks are transformed by Maasai women into handcrafted necklaces, bracelets, and key rings. Programs like these provide economic benefits to local communities, help preserve cultural heritage, and simultaneously reduce plastic waste in popular tourist destinations, creating memorable experiences for visitors, and sustainable practices for locals.

   

• Demand for regenerative tourism and volunteering schemes significantly exceeds the industry's capacity to deliver restorative experiences. It remains an underserved segment of the travel industry and represents a crucial area for achieving much-needed sustainability and social responsibility goals for both local and global communities.

  Plus, regenerative tourism has become a key touchpoint for luxury travel, where value lies in authentic connection and positive impact. Consider using the Luxury Collection, a select portfolio of 11,500+ exceptional hotels, accessible via the Hotelbeds Booking Engine, to capture bookings from discerning travellers looking for authentic and responsible travel experiences.

That said, while as many as 85% of global tourists want more single-use plastic-free alternatives, many travellers can also be quick to respond negatively if these alternatives are not convenient. 

However, innovative solutions in destinations and embedded into travel experiences mean that sustainability becomes accessible and convenient for everyone. 

If popular locations do not begin to implement sustainable initiatives which are accessible and integrated into the in-destination experience, and if travel distributors do not promote sustainable hotels and experiences in these regions, the risk of suffering a drop in business as customers choose sustainable alternatives becomes very real.

And with around 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic entering aquatic ecosystems (lakes, rivers, seas) around the world every year, reducing the impact of single-use plastic pollution as a result of tourism has never been more important, especially in coastal and island destinations. 

As our head of Environmental, Social and Governance, Carlota Galvan suggests:

"Considering that around 90% of the plastic in the oceans comes from land-based sources and that the annual damage of plastics in marine ecosystems amounts to approximately $13 billion a year, it is essential to be proactive on the issue."

So, the motivation is two-fold for travel sellers to offer and promote single-use plastic free and sustainable alternatives to travellers at the very beginning of their travel plans. Not only to help fight the destructive impact of plastic waste, but to continually meet the needs of todays’ traveller, without compromising the traveller of tomorrow. 

What’s the first step? 

Accessing a portfolio of thousands of sustainable hotels to offer your clients. And with 6300+ plastic-free hotels, and 18,000+ sustainable hotels participating in our Sustainable Hotels Programme, we at Hotelbeds are in a prime position to offer exactly what your customers are after.

What are Practical Ways to Help Travellers Avoid Single-Use Plastics?

• Use our ‘Sustainable Hotel’ filter - utilise the 'Sustainable Hotel' filter in the booking engine to quickly find hotels that are certified sustainable, or have taken steps to eliminate single-use plastics from their operations. Doing so is a convenient way to capture the approximate 85% of travellers who suggest that sustainable travel is important to them, at the point of booking.

   

• Invest in ‘give back’ projects for your company - like tree planting, such as our Hotelbeds Forest. Or beach clean-ups, like those organised by our parent company HBX Group, in destinations as far-reaching as Shanghai, Mexico, and Mallorca.

   

• Partner with single-use plastic-free tour operators - collaborate with tour operators who actively reduce single-use plastic waste in their experiences. This can include encouraging travellers to bring their own reusable bottles, or ensuring that plastic-free food and beverage items are provided when necessary.

   

• Offer travel experiences with embedded sustainability - such as tours that utilise eco-friendly transportation options, such as electric vehicles, public transport, or bicycles; or experiences that offer regenerative tourism and give-back experiences, operated by local inhabitants and business-owners to maximise their impact.

   

• Curate an end-to-end travel itinerary with businesses that have reduced or eliminated single-use plastics. Booking with businesses that are recognised for their sustainable operations at every touchpoint, including airlines and cruises, ensures that sustainability is normalised at the point of booking. This creates more embedded sustainability through the supply chain.

   

• Consider partnering with a sustainable reward programme. Nearly half (42%) of all travellers would be more inclined to travel sustainably if they could earn reward points doing so. Real-world initiatives like rewards help to bridge the gap between intention and booking decisions.

What’s more, according to our platforms, tour operators and travel wholesalers are paving the way when it comes to booking sustainable hotels and experiences in some of our most popular destinations around the world. Which means, that when it comes to influencing travellers to make sustainable choices, travel distributors are essential.

Promoting single-use plastic-free hotels is just the first step of many; but it’s certainly a start.