Multiple international hotel companies have joined together
to announce an initiative to set a common definition of hotel sustainability
"to drive responsible travel and tourism", according to a statement
from Radisson Hotel Group, which is part of the founding group.
Dubbed the Basic Sustainability framework, the initiative
aims to "deliver a common starting point for hotel sustainability
accessible to all hotel actors worldwide". The framework is in its
development phase and in the coming months the companies will work with the
World Travel & Tourism Council, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and
other key travel industry stakeholders to finalise sustainability actions
"with demonstrable positive impact" and share tools and best
practices "to ensure all hotels start on a pathway toward the targets of
the COP21 Paris Accord". Plans are to launch in March 2022.
The framework works as a complement to the Sustainable
Hospitality Alliance's Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality, announced on 3 November,
which aims to enable every hotel "to improve their impact, whatever their
starting point on their sustainability journey". It will encompass four
stages and tools to guide the industry toward a "regenerative impact on
our planet". It, too, aims to announce further details in March 2022.
Additional participating hotel companies in the Basic
Sustainability framework include Accor; Barceló Hotel Group; Huazhu and its
affiliate Deutsche Hospitality; Indian Hotels Company Ltd; Louvre Hotels and
Jin Jiang Hotels, owned by Radisson parent Jin Jiang International; Meliá
Hotels International; and Minor Hotels, including its NH Hotel Group.