How to recognize an eco-responsible accommodation?

Would you like to travel more responsibly but don't know where to start? How about looking for eco-responsible accommodation for your next holiday? Easier said than done! Indeed, it is not always easy to distinguish the real green establishments from those practicing green washing. In this article, you will discover the 6 main characteristics of an eco-responsible accommodation that will make you a master in booking committed accommodation.

1 - An eco-responsible accommodation respects its environment

An eco-responsible establishment is often built with ecological, natural and locally sourced materials. It is also integrated into the landscape. In fact, in the mountains, a wooden chalet is more likely to be eco-responsible than a 10-story concrete hotel.

2 - It uses ecological practices

To recognize a green accommodation, we can pay attention to its ecological practices which are often listed in an ecological charter:

• it pays attention to its energy consumption. To avoid wasting water, for example, the time of the shower can be limited to ten minutes, the shower towels washed after several uses and not only one. Rainwater can be recovered for watering plants.
• it can even create its own energy via the installation of solar panels on its roof for example.

• the committed establishment is careful with its waste production. It does not offer shower gels and toothpaste in mini plastic tubes. It provides recycling garbage cans to allow guests to sort their waste.
• If it has a restaurant or breakfast service, the eco-responsible accommodation will offer local and/or organic products, in season, and home-made dishes. The products used may come from the establishment's own garden or from the farm next door. He may also offer doggy bags with recyclable packaging. Finally, he can participate in the fight against food waste by offering his surplus meals for sale on applications such as Too Good To Go.

These practices can be easily verified if the establishment has an ecological label like Earthcheck or Greenkey (there are many others).

3 - A green establishment communicates on its commitments

An eco-responsible accommodation communicates on its commitments (beware of greenwashing!) and encourages guests to invest in sustainable tourism by proposing eco-responsible activities (gardening, bike rental, etc.).page1image10623936page1image10624896page1image10624512

4 - A committed accommodation loves, respects and promotes the local culture

A responsible tourist establishment promotes the local culture by exhibiting paintings of local artists, by bringing in local musicians for evening entertainment or by offering typical dishes of the region. Responsible hosts are also in love with the environment in which their establishment is located, so they are able to advise tourists on activities to do around the accommodation (activities that respect the environment and the local population) and local restaurants that offer quality meals. They can also offer guided tours by locals to discover the environment and the local culture.

5 - It offers fair prices

We can identify a responsible accommodation by the fair prices it offers. They are neither too low (which means that all employees are paid reasonably) nor too high (which means that the owners of the establishment do not abuse the good faith of tourists).

6 - A responsible establishment respects its employees

Finally, the people who work in a committed accommodation are mostly locals who are paid fairly and whose working conditions are decent.

Written by Cléa Aguer from