Sustainable Accommodation

Sustainable Accommodation

Travellers can be quick to choose their accommodation when travelling, and often go for the cheapest as well. Yet when considering your accommodation options, it’s wise to take into consideration the following areas. 

Staff: does the property hire local people or are they bringing in staff from outside regions or worse overseas. Look for properties that train local staff in roles, which offer long term education and positions to help them improve themselves for future career opportunities. By hiring and training locals, this ensures people remain local to their community without having the need to travel vast distances for work, whilst providing secure income to support their families. 

Carbon emissions: what emissions are produced during your stay, does the property provide renewable energy options to guests, what environmental friendly initiatives does the property offer, is the property transparent in its mission to combat climate control. 

Waste management: are single use items provided such as individual shampoos, or are refillable dispensers used. Look for properties that aim to reduce overall waste and follow some of the 5 R rules (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot). 

Local produce: aim to find properties that use locally grown and produced food, rather than imported food from international locations. Gathering and cooking with locally grown produce benefits local farms with income to in turn support their families, ensuring longevity. 

Accommodation: why not try various styles of local accommodation options unique to destinations of; treehouse, casa, farm stay, get, house boat, ryokan, home stay, overnight trains, igloo, guest house, small hostel, boutique hotels, just to name a few!

Read the “About” section on property website to see if they offer sustainable solutions, read guest reviews for feedback, or contact the accommodation property to ask about the various areas mentioned above. Some properties may also be accredited from GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) which is a good indication of their sustainable commitment. 

Try to take the time to research your property to ensure sustainable accommodation is achieved, being aware this will take time and not to always jump to the cheapest accommodation property or the easiest to book.