Trying To Avoid Greenwashing? How To Choose A Sustainable Hotel In Europe

How can you tell if a hotel is sustainable? One property calls itself 'eco-friendly,' another says it is 'green.' A third highlights towel reuse, local food, or solar panels. I agree, it is confusing. So, what does 'sustainable' actually mean? What can you check before booking? How can you verify what a hotel says is true?

Why Greenwashing is Getting Harder in Europe

You are in luck. If you are planning a European holiday after September 27, 2026, choosing a sustainable hotel will get a whole lot easier.

The European Union's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive will take effect to outlaw "greenwashing," which means travelers should be able to verify what lies behind the flashy marketing language.

The Directive, fully enforceable across all 27 member states, makes it harder for European businesses, including hotels, to use broad environmental terms such as 'eco-friendly,' 'climate-friendly,' or 'carbon-friendly' without proof.

Hotels have to be clear about what they actually do. Any sustainability claims they make must be backed up with specific, publicly available information, recognized certification, or independent third-party verification. All claims should also be relevant, measurable and easy for travelers to check before booking.

The European Commission's FAQ on the ECTG Directive cites the EU Ecolabel, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and the Austrian Ecolabel for Tourism as evidence.

Decoding Certifications

A hotel certification can be a good sign, but the absence of one does not automatically mean a hotel is not sustainable. Getting any certification takes time, paperwork, a detailed audit and money. Small, independent hotels often lack the resources to pursue one, even though they do meaningful work.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) sets global baseline standards for sustainable travel and tourism, but it does not certify hotels directly. Instead, it recognizes hotel standards and accredits certification bodies that assess whether hotels, accommodations, tour operators and destinations meet its sustainability criteria.

GSTC's current list of recognized hotel standards shows how varied the certification landscape really is.

If you see a hotel that is EarthCheck, Green Growth, GreenSign, GreenStep, or Preferred by Nature certified, it means its sustainability standards have been assessed and matched against GSTC criteria.

European destinations, such as Austria, the Azores, Berlin and Türkiye, and hotel brands such as Six Senses and Barceló have also created standards that have been assessed and aligned with the GSTC baseline.

Green Key is another familiar name that travelers often come across. It is a widely used hotel sustainability certification, but it is not on GSTC's current list since January 1, 2025. GSTC now requires a higher level of assurance regarding how certification audits are conducted, and Green Key is not yet compliant.

That does not make it irrelevant or not credible. It only means you should not assume that every green label is the same. Certification should not be the only thing you check.

What to Check Beyond Certification?

The first thing I check is actually not the hotel, but the destination. A hotel in a country with a cleaner energy grid may start with a lower carbon footprint than a similar hotel in a country still heavily dependent on fossil fuels.

Latest Eurostat data show that in 2024, renewable sources generated 90.1% of electricity consumed in Austria, 88.1% in Sweden, and 79.7% in Denmark, while Luxembourg (20.5%), Czechia (17.9%) and Malta (10.7%) were at the other end of the scale.

The next place I look is the hotel's own website. After interviewing more than 400 hotels and lodges around the world for the EcoLodgesAnywhere.com directory, I noticed that the most credible sustainable properties usually have one thing in common: they measure their impact.

They do not simply say, "We aim to recycle" or "We care about the planet." They give details. Specific numbers are always stronger than vague intentions. They say how much waste they recycle, how much energy comes from renewable sources, how many local people they employ, or how much money goes back into conservation or community projects.

I also pay attention to what a hotel chooses to mention first. When someone asks about your achievements, wouldn't you start with the most impressive one? I know, I would.

So, when I see that the first claim is that the kitchen uses organic flour to make bread in-house, I become skeptical. That may be nice, but it is not especially inspiring when the hotel presents it as the No.1 sustainability achievement.

If a hotel has a more in-depth sustainability page, it signals to me that they take sustainability seriously. Even if the hotel is 'not yet perfect,' they are working on it. Transparency is often more convincing than perfection.

The final question is whether the hotel cares only about its own carbon footprint or also works to improve the destination. Does it hire locally and pay fairly? Does it buy from nearby farmers and producers? Does it support local guides, artisans or conservation groups? Does it protect cultural heritage, avoid displacing communities and ensure tourism money stays in the destination?

One of the easiest things to check is ownership. Verifying a carbon-neutral claim can be difficult, but checking whether a hotel is locally owned is often much simpler. If the hotel is owned, managed and staffed locally, more of the money you spend is likely to stay in the destination rather than leaking out through international ownership structures, imported supplies, or outside management companies.

Sustainability is not just about the environment. GSTC frames sustainable tourism around four pillars: sustainable management, socioeconomic impacts, cultural impacts and environmental impacts.

In practice, it means a truly sustainable hotel should not only reduce energy, water and waste, but also support local jobs, protect cultural heritage and ensure the destination actually benefits from tourism.

A Sustainable Hotel is Only One Part of the Trip

Choosing a sustainable hotel is a good start, but how you get there, how you move around and where you choose to spend your time can matter just as much.

Taking the train instead of a short-haul flight can reduce your trip's footprint. Staying in a walkable city or a neighborhood with good public transport can also make it easier to explore Europe without adding the impact of a rental car.

Looking beyond Europe's most crowded summer hotspots can help reduce pressure on places already struggling with overtourism, while spreading your money in regions that want visitors and have room for them.

There are even simpler ways to lower your carbon footprint while traveling in Europe, from choosing local food to avoiding unnecessary hotel extras.

The point is not to plan a perfect trip. It is to make better choices when you feel you can.