Hotels can repurpose unsold rooms for social causes like supporting unpaid carers, creating community value at minimal cost while strengthening ESG credentials.
Airbnb, in partnership with Women’s Aid and MOPAC has today launched its latest emergency accommodation programme in the city of London. Survivors and their children experiencing abuse will have access to free emergency accommodation in Airbnb properties across London, when specialist emergency accommodation is not available. To ensure the privacy and safety of survivors, Airbnb has implemented a specialised booking flow that protects their anonymity. Survivors will be connected to appropriate accommodation through Women’s Aid’s member services, and will receive essential one-to-one support services such as legal advice, advocacy and translation and help with practicalities like transport through Women’s Aid, helping them to recover and move on with their lives.
Nationwide movement Walk for Wellbeing has reached an incredible milestone this year, raising over half a million pounds for UK charity Hospitality Action since its launch in 2020.
There’s been a lot of buzz in the media recently claiming that France’s Loi Climat & Résilience will force all hotels to obtain eco-certification by 2026. But a closer reading of the legislation reveals a different picture.
RIU Hotels & Resorts dedicated a total of €3,171,135 to social investment in 2024 as part of the first roll out of its Proudly Committed strategy. The company’s 104 actions with 88 strategic partners directly impacted 55,624 people and indirectly impacted 82,644 people. Childhood represented 71% of the investment, followed by Biodiversity (22%) and Local community (7%).
Visiting a holiday park, ranging from lodge parks to caravan parks or glamping yurts, is a favoured holiday choice for the UK domestic market. Estimating the market size for UK holiday parks is complex due to overlapping categories. However, Mintel estimates the holiday centres and parks segment revenue to be valued at £3.5bn in 2024 – a 20% growth from pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, there were 4,754 holiday parks and campsites operating in the UK, accounting for 320,901 pitches, with the highest number in South West England. The sector further supports c. 230,000 full time jobs across the UK.
RIU Hotels & Resorts goes one step further in its commitment to its communities, announcing its first social collaboration in the United Kingdom together with the charity All-Child. The hotel chain will support their Impact Programme, which is designed and delivered by specialised professionals known as Link Workers. These professionals play a vital role building a trusted relationship with vulnerable children and young people, and being the link with their families, schools and the community, guaranteeing personalised and ongoing support. This initiative is part of the Impact Programme's delivered in South Westminster, London, which has also been home to the Riu Plaza London Victoria hotel since 2023.
Essendi, a leading hotel owner and operator in Europe, announced a strategic partnership with Workplace Pride, a global nonprofit organization committed to greater LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace, during Pride Amsterdam 2025. The partnership will be officially formalized during the tenth annual INK goes PINK party at INK Hotel Amsterdam, one of Essendi's hotels. With this, Essendi underscores its continued commitment to inclusion and diversity within the hospitality sector in Western Europe.
As the longtime General Manager of TUI Magic Life Candia Maris Resort in Crete and the recently appointed General Manager of Santo Collection on Santorini – both under Metaxa Hospitality Group, I’ve seen firsthand that no matter a hotelier’s reason for embracing sustainability, the rewards – for the property, our guests, and the broader community and culture – are well worth the effort.
Whitbread, the UK’s largest hospitality company and owner of Premier Inn, has expanded its Thrive programme—a pioneering, employer-led initiative supporting young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) into work—into the Liverpool City Region.
As part of its Proudly Committed sustainability strategy, RIU Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with TIRME, Mallorca Environmental Technology Park, to guarantee the supply of 100% renewable electricity generated locally in all of its hotels in the Balearic Islands.
The German travel market is in great shape for the 2025 summer season, with demand for holiday travel bigger than ever. However, under the impact of a weak economy and rising prices, the consequences of climate change are increasingly being ignored. ITB Berlin, the World's Leading Travel Trade Show, puts the latest developments into perspective and focuses on the latest challenges and opportunities in the travel market.
Tracy Wilkins, operations director at BWH Hotels, Great Britain’s largest group of independent hotels, on how UK Sustainability Reporting Standards will impact hoteliers
MOB HOTEL, the visionary hospitality concept founded by Cyril Aouizerate, is reinventing the way we travel and stay through four unique destinations across France. More than just hotels, each MOB location serves as a living space, blending affordability with prices starting from €76, community spirit, and environmental responsibility into a singular experience rooted in local life and global values.
Projeto Biodiversidade and BIOS Cabo Verde, two environmental conservation organisations from Cape Verde, have presented the outcome of the 2024 loggerhead sea turtle nesting season. Both of these organisations receive support from RIU Hotels & Resorts, the hotel chain that operates six establishments in the destination and is involved in biodiversity protection and conservation initiatives as part of its Proudly Committed sustainability strategy. The births took place in the hatcheries set up by these organisations on the islands of Sal and Boa Vista, which help make Cape Verde home to one of the world’s most important nesting populations of this species.
UN Tourism has welcomed Vienna as the newest member of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO). With this, Vienna becomes part of a global alliance of 46 destinations dedicated to monitoring tourism’s economic, environmental and social impact at the destination level.
In just two years, RIU Hotels & Resorts has doubled the amount of local products used at its hotels in the Balearic Islands. This figure stood at 5.7% in 2023, before increasing to 7% in 2024 and reaching 10% in 2025. This amount is calculated as a percentage of the hotels’ total spending and represents a significant milestone for the chain, which intends to continue increasing the proportion of local products used in the coming years as part of its Proudly Committed sustainability strategy, supporting the community and reducing the company’s scope 2 carbon emissions.
Accor proudly announces the launch of its white paper, Sustainable Expansion of Greek Tourism, an industry report exploring how sustainability can drive long-term growth and resilience in Greece’s tourism sector. In 2024, Greece welcomed a record-breaking over 35 million international visitors, reaffirming its status as one of the world’s top travel destinations.
BWH Hotels is enabling its 230 independent UK hotels to take control of their carbon footprint with the launch of a new carbon calculator.
Preserving local communities and fostering meaningful connections are central to the Group. By cultivating strong relationships with local stakeholders, integrating Heartists® and aligning our operations with the unique needs and challenges of each community, we promote more responsible travel practices. This approach encourages our guests to experience a deeper, more authentic connection to the destinations they visit. For our team members, these efforts create opportunities to contribute positively to their own communities, often in partnership with organizations attuned to local needs, giving greater meaning to their daily work.