IHG Hotels & Resorts launches industry first “Low Carbon Pioneers” programme

LONDON – IHG Hotels & Resorts, a global leader in hospitality, announces the launch of its Low Carbon Pioneers programme, which brings together energy efficient hotels that have no fossil fuels combusted on-site* and are backed by renewable energy.

This group of low operational carbon hotels is the first community of its kind in the industry and will help IHG test, learn and share findings on sustainability measures. The ambition is to inspire other properties to join the programme and also help encourage wider adoption of carbon reduction practices across IHG’s estate. The first Low Carbon Pioneer hotels span different IHG brands and locations at these properties:

• Holiday Inn Express Madrid Airport, Spain
• Iberostar Waves Cristina, Spain
• Kimpton BEM Budapest, Hungary

Each Low Carbon Pioneer hotel will feature sustainable solutions such as high-efficiency heat pumps for heating and hot water generation, as well as fully electric kitchens. Every property will also have an operational sustainability certification** recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, such as Green Key, or a sustainable building certification, such as LEED, BREEAM or EDGE. To track and measure their energy data, Low Carbon Pioneer hotels will use IHG’s Green Engage environmental platform.

Additional hotels will join the Low Carbon Pioneers programme across all regions and IHG is also developing a “low-carbon ready” group of hotels in preparation for when it becomes possible to fully back all energy with renewables in countries or districts where this is not currently available.

Elie Maalouf, CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts, said:“We are excited to launch our Low Carbon Pioneers programme as another innovative way in which we’re meeting evolving guest expectations, helping our hotel owners future-proof their businesses and reducing carbon across our estate. 

“This is an important next step in IHG’s sustainability journey but it remains one of many we must continue to take. Accelerating change at scale for both IHG and the wider industry also requires broader support from governments ranging from greater access to renewable energy and incentives for owners, to a reduction in the cost of technology that speeds up the industry’s transition to a greener, more resilient future. IHG is committed to working with industry bodies and governments to help achieve this, alongside encouraging more owners to adopt carbon reduction practices and become Low Carbon Pioneers.”

Future proofing properties within IHG’s estate

For IHG’s hotel owners, the Low Carbon Pioneers programme can play an important role in future-proofing their businesses and as we test, learn and share findings it will also help encourage wider adoption of carbon reduction practices across IHG’s estate.

Guests seeking more sustainable stays will find hotels marketed as low carbon or low carbon ready across IHG’s booking channels to make it clear which ones are energy efficient, have no fossil fuels combusted on-site and are backed by renewable energy. With almost all IHG’s top global corporate accounts setting net-zero or carbon-neutral targets, these hotels will be attractive to corporate clients looking to meet their own sustainable travel commitments. Energy efficient, lower operational carbon hotels can also provide potential future benefits to owners, such as greater alignment with environmental regulatory changes and better access to green finance for new projects. Collectively we believe these benefits should lead to stronger property valuations in future.

Leading the Way

IHG Hotels & Resorts recognises its responsibility as one of the world’s leading hotel companies to take decisive, practical action to reduce carbon emissions. Guiding this is a Journey to Tomorrow responsible business plan to care for its people, communities and the planet, which brings colleagues, hotel owners and partners together to be a force for good. IHG is constantly developing solutions to help measure, manage and minimise the environmental impact of its thousands of hotels, from energy conservation measures as brand standards in areas such as lighting, heating and ventilation, to sourcing renewable energy and installing EV chargers.

The Low Carbon Pioneers programme builds on IHG’s heritage in creating ambitious and innovative solutions to drive progress across the industry. Having been the first global hospitality company to replace bathroom miniatures with bulk amenities and to provide properties with renewable energy via a community solar programme in the US, IHG is excited to now be setting a new sustainability benchmark for hotels to help reduce operational carbon from its estate.

*Except for backup generators that fall below 5% of the hotel’s total annual energy consumption
**New hotels will have 12 months to certify from when they open.

The article IHG Hotels & Resorts launches industry first “Low Carbon Pioneers” programme first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.