Sustainability in the hotel industry combines three areas: regulatory compliance, environmental performance, and ESG management. The main tools for demonstrating and improving a hotel’s performance include certifications such as BREEAM, LEED, WELL, Green Key, and Biosphere. The choice depends on the type of property, its stage of development, ESG objectives, the owner’s profile, and the expectations of investors, operators, and guests.
Hotel sustainability is no longer just a reputational choice— it is a regulatory imperative with a direct impact on compliance, asset valuation, and access to financing.
The most telling statistic comes from Booking.com’s 2025 Sustainable Travel Report: 84% of travelers prioritize sustainability in their booking decisions, and 53% say they are fully aware of tourism’s impact on local communities. On the supply side, platforms such as Booking and Expedia already filter and highlight only properties with third-party certifications, eliminating self-declarations.
And on the regulatory front, the pressure is mounting. This is the big picture that any Sustainability Director at a hotel chain should have on their desk.
What is hotel sustainability?
Hotel sustainability involves integrating environmental, social, and governance criteria into the design, construction, renovation, and operation of a tourism facility.
In practice, this involves addressing aspects such as:
- energy efficiency and decarbonization;
- water consumption and management;
- waste management;
- responsible materials and procurement;
- indoor environmental quality;
- guest and employee health and well-being;
- relationships with the local community;
- biodiversity;
- climate risk management;
- regulatory compliance and transparency;
- monitoring and tracking of ESG indicators.
Therefore, a sustainable hotel is not defined solely by having a certification. Certification is a tool for measuring, verifying,and communicating a specific level of performance within a system with defined criteria and methodologies.
What sustainability regulations apply to hotels in Spain?
Sustainability in the hotel sector has evolved from a voluntary initiative to a cross-cutting regulatory imperative. Although much of the regulation is not specific to the sector, hotels—due to their high energy, water, waste, and construction intensity—are among those most directly affected.
a) CSRD: a framework to be revised in 2026
The CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) requires hotel groups and tour operators of a certain size to report their ESG performance under the European ESRS standards. It was amended in 2026 as part of the European Omnibus I package, narrowing its scope. The revised framework focuses on companies with more than 1,000 employees and annual net revenue exceeding 450 million euros. It is expected to be phased in for medium-sized companies over the next few years.
Important: Even if your company is not yet directly subject to these requirements, the ESG criteria it establishes remain relevant to investors, financial institutions, large corporate clients, and value chains.
b) European Taxonomy: Defining Which Activities Can Be Considered Sustainable
The European Taxonomy establishes a common system for determining which economic activities can be considered environmentally sustainable.
It directly influences access to green financing and institutional investment. Banks are offering lower interest rates and greater liquidity to hotel projects with recognized certifications.
For the hotel sector, the Taxonomy is particularly relevant in the context of investments, building renovations, energy efficiency, and sustainable financing.
Sustainable certification alone does not automatically make an activity sustainable for the purposes of the Taxonomy, but certain technical criteria and evidence used in certifications can be useful as part of a broader strategy for evaluating and documenting the asset.
c) EPBD: Energy Efficiency and Renovation of the Hotel Stock
The revision of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) establishes a framework to accelerate the renovation and decarbonization of the European building stock.
The impact on the existing hotel stock throughout the European Union is direct and significant: managing this timeline without a strategy will result in cost overruns and asset devaluation.
Among other measures, the new directive introduces minimum energy efficiency standards for non-residential buildings—determined by each Member State—and establishes a phased strategy for renovating the building stock. The general transposition deadline was May 29, 2026.
For existing hotels, this underscores the importance of understanding the building’s energy performance and planning renovation investments with a medium- and long-term perspective.
d) EmpCo Directive (Consumer Empowerment)
Directive (EU) 2024/825 on consumer empowerment and greenwashing (EmpCo) for the green transition strengthens European rules against greenwashing and certain commercial practices related to environmental claims.
It establishes that claims such as “eco-friendly” or “carbon neutral” that are not backed by official certifications may be considered misleading advertising.
For the hotel industry, this change reinforces a clear trend: claims about sustainability must be backed by verifiable information and communicated accurately.
At the national level, Law 22/2021 on Climate Change and the PNIEC 2021–2030 establish binding decarbonization commitments, including the calculation of the carbon footprint for companies with more than 250 employees.
In addition to this national framework, there are various regional and local regulations, which are particularly relevant for a sector with a high concentration of assets in destinations such as the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Andalusia, and the Valencian Community.
What sustainability certifications are available for hotels?
Not all sustainable certifications for hotels evaluate the same criteria. The choice should be based on the specific objective to be achieved and the scope to be certified.
| Certification for Hotels | Main Focus | Application in Hotels | What It Helps Demonstrate |
| BREEAM | Environmental performance of the building | New, retrofitted, and existing buildings according to the scheme | Environmental performance |
| LEED | Building sustainability | Design, construction, renovation, and operation | Environmental performance and efficiency |
| WELL | Health and Well-being | Hotels and Other Indoor Spaces | Environmental quality and human well-being |
| Green Key | Sustainable Tourism Management | Operation of Tourism Facilities | Environmental management and best practices |
| Biosphere | Tourism Sustainability | Tourism Businesses and Destinations | Sustainable Management with Environmental and Social Dimensions |
The question shouldn’t simply be “What is the best certification for a hotel?” but rather “Which certification best aligns with the goals of my property?”
- BREEAM for Hotels: BREEAM is a building sustainability assessment methodology that addresses various aspects of environmental performance. Depending on the applicable scheme, it can be used for new construction, renovation, or existing buildings. For a hotel, BREEAM can be part of a strategy aimed at improving the property’s environmental performance and providing an independent, structured assessment.
- LEED for hotels: LEED is one of the most internationally recognized certification systems for sustainable buildings. In the hotel sector, it can be used for new construction, renovation, and certain operational models, depending on the certification system. Its international recognition is particularly relevant for owners, operators, and investors with international portfolios.
- WELL in Hotels: WELL focuses on the health and well-being of people within built environments. In the hotel sector, these aspects can help enhance the guest experience and differentiate certain properties, especially those with a focus on well-being, health, or wellness tourism. WELL does not necessarily have to replace LEED or BREEAM. In fact, a combined certification strategy can address both the building’s environmental performance and the health and well-being of its users simultaneously.
- Green Key Certification: Green Key is a certification program specifically geared toward the tourism sector and lodging and food service establishments. Its focus is on the environmental management of operations and the implementation of best practices in areas such as resource consumption, waste, environmental management, and awareness. Because of its sector-specific focus, it may be particularly relevant for establishments seeking to structure and communicate their sustainability practices in day-to-day operations.
- Biosphere Certification: Biosphere is a certification system focused on sustainable tourism that incorporates environmental, social, cultural, and economic dimensions. It can be used as a tool to structure the sustainability commitments of companies and tourist destinations and to communicate their progress more systematically. Its approach complements certifications focused primarily on buildings by offering a broader view of tourism activities.
ESG in Hotels: How It Applies to a Tourism Asset
A well-designed ESG strategy doesn’t stop at the corporate level: to generate real results, it must translate into concrete actions for each asset and its operations.
E — Environmental: environmental performance
The environmental dimension includes aspects such as:
- At the company level: ESG strategic plan, calculation and reporting of the corporate carbon footprint—Scopes 1, 2, and 3.
- At the asset level: energy efficiency, water management, and decarbonization, with international certifications such as BREEAM and LEED, and sector-specific certifications such as Green Key and Biosphere.
S - Social: people and well-being
The social dimension encompasses guests, employees, and the local community.
Designing spaces that ensure:
- indoor air quality,
- thermal comfort,
- natural lighting,
- sustainable materials.
All of this enhances the guest experience, productivity, and talent retention.
WELL certification is the benchmark for highlighting these aspects. And a commitment to the community ensures the “social license” to operate—an area where Green Key stands out for its sector-specific approach.
G - Governance: Management and Compliance
Governance enables the integration of sustainability into business management through:
- analysis of physical and climate risks,
- corporate ethics and transparency,
- legal compliance,
- responsible procurement policies,
- monitoring systems,
- maintenance plans.
This is the aspect that allows organizations to anticipate regulatory requirements and ensure business continuity.
How can a hotel implement an ESG strategy?
Based on the experience gained from projects such as those with Iberostar, Grupo Europa Center, Grupo Reside, ZEM Hotel Altea Hills, Grupo Trocadero, Grupo Moraval, and Merkel Activos, there is a clear pattern for how to structure a successful ESG strategy for the hotel industry:
- Dual materiality and initial assessment: what the environment demands of your company and what impact your company has on the environment.
- A corporate ESG strategic plan aligned with CSRD/ESRS and your business model.
- Corporate carbon footprint —Scopes 1, 2, and 3—as a baseline for the decarbonization plan.
- Asset-level audit and improvement plan: energy efficiency, water management, HVAC, and materials.
- Selection of the appropriate certification based on the objective: BREEAM/LEED for asset value, Green Key/Biosphere for end-use, and WELL for wellness.
- Implementation, monitoring, and reporting with actionable KPIs and auditable data.
Complete Guide: Hotel Sustainability as a Value Strategy
At ZeroConsulting, we have spent 20 years working with hotel groups, funds, and investors to design and certify sustainability strategies.
Our experience includes projects for organizations such as Iberostar, Grupo Europa Center, Grupo Reside, ZEM Hotel Altea Hills, Grupo Trocadero, Grupo Moraval, and Merkel Activos.
The goal is to help each organization identify which actions make the most sense for its portfolio and how to turn sustainability into a measurable strategy aligned with business needs.
We’ve compiled all the information —a detailed regulatory framework, GSTC criteria, a technical comparison of certifications, and our portfolio of projects in the sector—into a 14-page guide that you can download for free.
If you’re already working on an ESG plan and would like a second opinion on certifications or on CSRD/EPBD compliance as it applies to your portfolio, book a 30-minute exploratory session with one of our consultants.
