Travelife Certification
for Eco-Friendly Hotels

Encouraging data for sustainable travel shows that more than two thirds of travelers want to stay in eco-friendly hotels, and even more plan to make more environmentally responsible travel choices in the upcoming year. In order to differentiate which hotels are making substantial changes to their sustainability and which only claim to (or are doing nothing at all), travelers should turn to sustainable certifications. 

There are currently hundreds of sustainable certificates across the globe and it’s important to know the difference between key certificates to avoid greenwashing. By familiarizing oneself with sustainable certificates like the ones offered at Travelife, travelers can make more informed decisions when choosing an eco-friendly hotel. 

What is Travelife?

Travelife is based in the United Kingdom and is an international certification company specifically designed for hotels and accommodations to create more sustainable travel solutions. Their standard aims to improve the environmental, financial, and social impact of tourism businesses around the world. Currently, this includes more than 1,500 members spanning fifty countries with accommodations of all shapes and sizes.

The Travelife standard is a trusted sustainable certificate because it’s certification criteria is GSTC-Recognized for hotels and accommodations. GSTC stands for the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and measures certification companies against GSTC’s rigorous sustainability standards. Therefore, Travelife’s GSTC-recognized status allows travelers to trust that the Travelife standard and all 163 criteria that are used to evaluate an eco-friendly hotel align with the international standards set by GSTC. 

How Does Travelife Certification Work?

Travelife Certification is a six-step process that begins by simply registering a business online to become a Travelife member. Next, the business will receive a Travelife Checklist that is used to assess how the company compares to the Travelife standards prior to the audit so that necessary improvements can be made beforehand. 

Step three is a continuation of step two in which the business uses the member guides, templates, and Travelife resources to continue preparing for the audit. Next is the audit. Audits are completed by independent third parties to ensure accountability and transparency. If the business fails to meet the Travelife standard, they must make improvements before repeating this stage. 

Finally, the newly certified eco-friendly hotel and accommodation can promote their achievement. They will be given the Travelife Gold Certification logo to display in person and on all media and promotional material. The final stage, step six, is to maintain their certification by continuing to improve upon their social and environmental impact. The certification lasts for two years before another audit and reevaluation takes place. 

How to Find Travelife Partners: 

All of the certified eco-friendly hotels and accommodations can be found on The Travelife Collection website, streamlining the process for travelers so that finding an eco-friendly hotel is no longer a difficult task. Simply search by geographical country or region and all certified accommodations will be listed. Choose the one you like and follow the provided links to their website to book.

The Travelife Collection also features the businesses that are credited through Travel life partnerships. These partnerships are with tour operators, travel agents, and destinations since Travelife only certifies hotels and accommodations.

With businesses like Travelife creating simple steps for travelers to book eco-friendly hotels, sustainable travel has never been easier. Checkout their 1,500 members or familiarize yourself with other credible sustainable certificates that also certify tour operators and destinations such as Green Key, Earth Check or Green Globe.

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