How GCSTIMES Thinks About Greener Hotel Choices During Business Travel

In our previous articles, we explored hotel eco-certifications and how travelers may approach eco-certified accommodation choices. That naturally led to another question: How do we approach hotel selection for our own business travel?

As part of our internal Sustainable Business Travel Guide, we encourage employees to consider sustainability when selecting accommodations for work trips, while also balancing business needs and travel practicality.

Starting with Recognized Certifications

We pay attention to certification systems aligned with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), which helps establish recognized sustainability criteria across the hospitality industry. When available, hotels with internationally recognized sustainability certifications are encouraged.

These may include certifications such as:

• Green Key

• EarthCheck

• Travelife

Furthermore, in destinations where these are less available, we may also consider hotels with green building certifications, which often reflect efforts in energy efficiency, resource management, and sustainable building operations. Examples may include:

• LEED (Gold or Platinum)

• BREEAM

• Green Mark

• China Green Building Label

Looking Beyond Certifications

We also encourage employees to look at how hotels communicate their sustainability efforts in practice, including areas such as:

• Renewable energy use

• Water and energy-saving measures

• Reduced single-use plastics

• Waste management initiatives

• Local employment and community engagement

Many travel booking platforms now also provide sustainability labels or filters, making it easier to identify hotels that are actively communicating their environmental efforts.

Small Choices During the Stay

We also believe sustainability is shaped by everyday habits. Simple actions, such as reusing towels and linens, turning off lights and air conditioning when not needed, or bringing reusable bottles and cups, can be small but meaningful ways to reduce waste during business travel.

Sustainability as an Ongoing Journey

There is no single definition of a "perfect" sustainable stay, and approaches will naturally differ across destinations and hotel types. For us, the goal is simply to encourage more thoughtful choices where possible. As sustainability continues to evolve across hospitality, we see this as an ongoing learning process.