IHG Hotels & Resorts has created a group for hotels that meet specific sustainability criteria, designed to serve as testing grounds for green initiatives and attract eco-conscious corporate buyers, the company announced Wednesday.
IHG's Low Carbon Pioneers program is designed for hotels that meet a defined set of sustainability-related criteria, including a requirement that no fossil fuels outside of emergency generators are consumed on site, the use of renewable energy and the presence of a recognized sustainability certification.
The hotels will "help IHG test, learn and share findings on sustainability measures, "the company said in a statement.
The program has launched with three hotels. Two are in Spain—the Holiday Inn Express Madrid Airport and the Iberostar Waves Cristina—and the third is the Kimpton BEM Budapest. IHG plans for additional hotels to join the program, and a spokesperson told BTN via email that IHG automatically would accept any company property that meets all criteria.
IHG said "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," but the spokesperson said sustainability features would vary by property and won't be assigned from the top down.
The company said it hoped to "inspire" other hotels to join the program and noted the offerings could attract a corporate clientele. "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," IHG said.
Meanwhile, IHG CEO Elie Maalouf called for additional governmental support for sustainability and renewable energy initiatives. "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," Maalouf said in a statement.