Why Travel Distributors Should Offer Single-Use Plastic-Free Hotels

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 as a TravelTech leader.

Of course, sustainability, environmental concerns and the travel industry have long been connected within both positive and negative discourse. However, plastic pollution and the prevalence of single-use plastics is one of 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 40,000 sustainable hotels, 5500 of which are single-use plastic-free.

Here are just a few reasons why travel providers should be offering sustainable, single-use plastic-free hotels to your clients.

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

While today’s traveller is increasingly sustainably minded, it’s the traveller of the future who will be next in line to take the industry even further and minimise the impact of tourism on the environment. 

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.

Our CEO, Nicolas Huss, emphasises that "travellers are now more aware of their carbon footprint and impact on the environment than ever before." Research supports this idea, showing that approximately 43% of global travellers are willing to pay more to ensure their stay has a reduced environmental impact.

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

• The majority of Gen Z wants to travel sustainably and are three times more likely to engage in volunteering or regenerative travel projects while visiting other countries.
• 82% of Millennials express a desire for trips that have minimal environmental impact.
• 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 retain these high-spending customers.
• Additionally, Millennials comprise about a quarter of the world’s population and contribute around 17% to global consumer spending, which represents significant purchasing power.

And with the global sustainable tourism industry valued at 3.12 trillion in 2024 and growing all the time, there is significant uplift available for companies, organisations and providers who implement successful sustainable tourism opportunities and who actively partner with those in the travel industry with sustainability at the forefront of their business model.

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

In fact, 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 has since announced two global partnerships with Green Key and Green Globe certifications. 

Going single-use plastic-free can be a challenging task for any business in the travel industry, but here's proof that such an aim is not only attainable but significantly rewarding for businesses that do. 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.

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, initially offering 15,000 properties to travel sellers and eco-conscious travellers. Since then, it has expanded significantly to around 40,000 sustainable hotels, reflecting an impressive 84% growth over 2022 compared to the previous year. 

We also observed a notable 30% increase in the number of travellers booking sustainable and single-use plastic-free hotels on our platform during the 2022-2023 period, with interest continuing to rise. Currently, our portfolio includes 5500 plastic-free hotels, with new eco-conscious accommodation options being added regularly.

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), 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 which are 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 providers, like you, who are dependent on securing bookings from travellers themselves, keeping up with client demand is key.

When it comes to the increasing demand for sustainable and plastic-free travel, an impactful study in Mallorca showed that 84% of surveyed travellers said they would be willing to pay more for an experience that's free of single-use plastics.

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, and the importance of remaining ahead of the curve to avoid losing out on critical revenue 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.

   

• Regenerative tourism and volunteering schemes are increasingly in demand, serving as essential avenues for positive-impact and eco-conscious tourism practices while offering significant opportunities for tourism businesses. A recent report by Red Sea Global (RSG), the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute, Wave, and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation highlighted that the demand for eco-conscious experiences and travel significantly exceeds the industry's capacity to deliver restorative experiences. This emerging economy, valued at an impressive $2.5 trillion, is expected to double by 2030. 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.

   

• In response to this need, our parent company, HBX Group, has organised several impactful clean-up activities around the world, in places as far-reaching as Shanghai, Mexico, and Mallorca. A standout event was our collective volunteer effort on International Plastic Free Day 2024, during which 133 volunteers dedicated 223 hours to collecting 444.58 kg of waste!

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

However, innovative solutions, such as those offered by the Zimbabwean-owned company EcoDrop, provide accessible and convenient options for everyone. By installing refill stations around Victoria Falls, the airport, the town, and the UNESCO World Heritage site, this initiative allows both visitors and residents to purchase a refillable bottle. Each bottle comes with a code that can be scanned at any of the refill stations to refill the bottle. This not only serves as a unique souvenir but also addresses the issue of the production and consumption of single-use bottles by granting access to water refills for pre-purchased bottles.

Evidently, if popular locations do not begin to implement green initiatives which are accessible and integrated into the in-destination experience, and if travel providers 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 13 million tonnes of plastic entering the waterways 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 13 billion dollars 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 5500 plastic-free hotels, and 40,000 sustainable hotels participating in our Sustainable Hotels Programme, we at Hotelbeds are in a prime position to offer exactly what your customers are after.

Become Part of a Forward-Thinking Industry 

Single-use plastic free. Carbon Neutral. Climate Positive. 

When you think of these terms, you think of the future. You think of the shape of the travel industry as it is in the minds of those that want to change the industry for good; you think of the next wave of generations who are the most vocal and outspoken about climate change and all the ways that individuals, industries and businesses need to offset the impact on the environment as a matter of urgency. 

Global and institutional incentives are also a great way to actively combat plastic waste and join forces with brands and organisations taking it upon themselves to make travel a positive force.

As an example, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI), which is co-led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), requires national and local governments, companies, and supporting organisations in the tourism sector to actively commit to reducing plastic pollution and shift towards plastic circularity (reusing and upcycling products rather than disposing of them) by 2025. 

While the ‘Future of Tourism’ coalition includes six NGOs who are encouraging key industry names to uphold 13 regenerative principles, such as circular economy, and including sustainable local supply chains in the definition of economic success, rather than just relying on GDP. 

These are critical developments from the industry itself, meeting the rising demand for something more than just sustainable travel. 

Plus, incentives like this are a practical way to support travel providers like you, as you reduce plastic waste in the daily practices and partnerships that you have, while still maintaining health and quality protocols for the end traveller.

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 have designated themselves as ‘sustainable’ or ‘single-use plastic free’ and possess the appropriate sustainability accreditation.
• Offer eco-friendly tours - provide tours that utilise eco-friendly transportation options, such as electric vehicles, public transport, or bicycles.
• Invest in ‘give back’ projects - like tree planting, much like our adjoining company Hotelbeds is dedicated to planting tens of thousands of trees in the 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 eco-conscious 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 and ensuring that plastic-free cutlery is provided when necessary. There are numerous ways for operators to maintain high-quality experiences without relying on plastic.
• Encourage travellers to book transport from businesses that have taken steps to eliminate or reduce single-use plastics. For instance, American Airlines has been recognised for the second consecutive year on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), while Air France-KLM has been identified as the most sustainable airline group globally using the same index.
• Promote eco-conscious cruises - Offer cruises that have significantly reduced or entirely removed single-use plastics. Hurtigruten was the first cruise line to ban single-use plastics in 2018. More recently, Virgin Voyages has also eliminated them, with Beyond Tours, Cunard, and P&O following suit by 2022.
• Consider partnering with a sustainably minded reward programme. Approximately 42% of travellers surveyed indicated that they would be more inclined to travel sustainably if they could earn reward points for making environmentally friendly choices.

Being a part of the movement is only going to bring positive responses from the high-value sustainable traveller and boost your success as a leader of the sustainable charge.

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, when it comes to influencing travellers to make sustainable choices, travel providers are essential!

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

Plus, ensuring that more sustainable hotels and travel opportunities are front and centre for travellers at the beginning of their booking journey, encourages and enables more sustainable choices – allowing the industry to work together to transform the ‘traditional’ traveller into a sustainable traveller.