Booking.com and Green Key start a collaboration

Booking.com is testing a feature of highlighting accommodations that are actively working with sustainability – and Green Key awarded establishments are included in the test

Booking.com is one of the world’s largest e-commerce companies and a digital technology leader connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay. With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com is continually exploring improved ways to uncover and share the sustainability efforts of its accommodation partners with those searching and selecting on its site. As part of this, Booking.com is partnering with Green Key to highlight Green Key awarded properties on its site as 'sustainable'. 

Finn Bolding Thomsen, Green Key International Director, says: “As a previous survey done by Booking.com has revealed that travellers are increasingly conscious about the environmental impact of travels, the pilot project by Booking.com is a natural next step, as it will enable users of Booking.com to actively select accommodations having the Green Key award or other sustainability initiatives in place. Green Key is proud to participate in the pilot project, and we hope that it will become a permanent feature on the Booking.com website”.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group changes name to Radisson Hotel Group and announces the new brand, Radisson Collection

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group announced its rebranding to Radisson Hotel Group, effective immediately, at the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin, and the newly rebranded Hotel Group has announced its new brand, Radisson Collection

Radisson Hotel Group’s new identity leverages the powerful, international brand equity of the Radisson name to drive awareness in the marketplace, increase marketing efficiency across the global portfolio and offer exceptional experiences to make Every Moment Matter for guests, owners and talent. “Every Moment Matters” will be the new signature service philosophy of the company and all its hotel brands.

Radisson Hotel Group capitalizes on a strong partnership between Radisson Hospitality, Inc. (formerly Carlson Hotels, Inc.) and Rezidor Hotel Group AB (headquartered in Brussels, Belgium) who has master franchise agreements to develop and operate several brands across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The newly rebranded Radisson Hotel Group has also announced “Radisson Collection”, a premium collection of exceptional hotels in landmark locations bringing together the finest hotels in the Radisson Hotel Group portfolio.

Radisson Collection hotels are united by exceptional design and experiences across dining, fitness, wellness and sustainability. All hotel properties are situated in prestigious locations, close to prime leisure attractions and boast an individual and locally authentic atmosphere. 14 hotels are confirmed to join the collection following the launch. 

The Radisson Hotel Group is currently the 11th largest hotel group with more than 1,400 hotels in operation and under development within its eight hotel brands: Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson and prizeotel.

BookDifferent wins the Dutch Sustainable Travel Award 2018

The hotel booking site BookDifferent wins the Dutch Sustainable Travel Award 2018 for its contribution on making the tourism industry more sustainable!

BookDifferent.com is a hotel booking site with a mission to make the tourism industry more sustainable. Their mission is to make travel more green and fair and give tourism the opportunity to commit to a better and more sustainable world. BookDifferent is a social enterprise that places impact higher than profit.

When showing accommodations, BookDifferent.com not only shows pricing but also the level of sustainability of the listed accommodations - making it possible for consumers to actively choose accommodation where sustainability is strongly implemented. Green Key has been a partner to BookDifferent since 2014, and Green Key awarded establishments are proudly featured on BookDifferent.com. 

Green Key would like to congratulate BookDifferent.com on the achievement!

Green Key entering a cooperation agreement with Apollo/DER Touristik Nordic

Apollo/DER Touristik Nordic, a large leisure tourism company in the Nordic countries, has entered an agreement with Green Key to highlight the Green Key awarded establishments used by Apollo/DER Touristik Nordic

Apollo/DER Touristik Nordic is a leisure travel company where customers can purchase leisure travels (including accommodations) to various destinations. Apollo/DER Touristik Nordic consists of the leisure travel agencies Apollo, the airline company Novair, the leisure companies Golf Plaisir, Lime Travel and Xtravel as well as the sports resort Playitas. Apollo started in 1986 and is today one of the leading leisure travel organisers in the Nordic region. Since 2015, Apollo/DER Touristik Nordic is a part of the German company, REWE with more than 300,000 employees.  

The agreement between Apollo/DER Touristik Nordic and Green Key will give the two entities the possibility to highlight the Green Key awarded hotels and resorts used by Apollo/DER Touristik Nordic via the Apollo brand websites in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Finn Bolding Thomsen, Green Key International Director, says: “Green Key is already working with various international hotel chains and online booking and travel agencies where both business and leisure tourism plays a role. We are happy and proud to be able to work closely with the leisure tourism industry through the cooperation with Apollo/DER Touristik Nordic for the benefit of the guests and the Green Key awarded hotels and resorts.”

Green Key Director Finn Bolding Thomsen interviewed for Eventplanner TV

The episode with an interview with Green Key International Director Finn Bolding Thomsen has aired today, on 13 November.

                                                                 Click on the image to play the full interview.

In August this year, Green Key and Eventplanner partnered up in order to promote sustainable event venues all over the world. Green practices, like reducing the environmental footprint of conferences, trade fairs and other events, are becoming increasingly important in the event industry, highlighting the importance and possibilities of the partnership.

Event venues can obtain the Green Key award by complying with easily understandable but strict criteria covering areas of environmental management, social responsibility and raising awareness on sustainability. To obtain the award, the applicant has to send in the application and have an onsite audit, and the desicion is always third-party verified. The award is received for one year at a time.

Having a Green Key award indicates that conference facilities and hotels have high sustainability standards, providing a recognizable symbol for event planners. As the CSR policies of event planners often include using sustainably managed event venues and accommodations, the cooperation between Green Key and Eventplanner facilitates the work of these organisers. 

The partnership now makes it easy to identify environmentally responsible venues by using Eventplanner’s venue search engine. Green Key regularly provides a list of its awarded establishments, and the venues are highlighted on Eventplanner’s websites with the Green Key logo.

eventplanner.be, eventplanner.nl and eventplanner.tv are the largest communities for eventplanners in Belgium, The Netherlands and the World, providing not only a search engine for venues and organisers, but also publishing news, tips and trends in the event industry.