UK: Travalyst, the not-for-profit coalition of travel and technology companies, has launched a platform designed to tackle the fragmented state of sustainability information across the travel sector.
The idea behind the free Data Hub, which we wrote about earlier this year, is so accommodation providers can share sustainability information, which will then be shown by OTAs and booking platforms for travellers looking for more sustainable stays.
The Data Hub does not provide analytics, benchmarking, or reporting but acts as a neutral data exchange for “consistent, comparable information that those solutions rely on” – meaning essentially that there will be a place for consumers to check what they are booking against any sustainability requirements they want. The initial version will focus on providing accommodation data, namely the Universal KPIs for environmental footprint, as well as certifications and basic attribute data.
The information is designed to flow directly into booking platforms, business tools, reporting systems and decision-making frameworks but the platform’s information will only be as good as the data which is entered – and there is currently no third-party verification of the data.
Sustainable Hotel News asked Travalyst if there was a way to verify the information entered. Sally Davey, CEO Travalyst said:“Legislation is currently pending on the definition and requirements for validation of data and therefore is excluded from the initial MVP [Minimal Viable Product], but data validation status is a tag in the blockchain and will be a fast follow once legislation has defined its criteria.
Travalyst is inviting businesses, destinations, and data holders across the travel ecosystem to contribute information to the Data Hub noting that sharing data helps “strengthen a collaborative, industry-wide system for sustainability —one that benefits all without compromising competitive advantage.”
Davey added: “Travalyst is building the foundation blocks to make large scale data validation possible in future versions, but in the meantime, the functionality is in place to flag anomalies. This is an industry-wide challenge that we are collaborating with a number of parties on, and look forward to playing a leading role in making sure that validation is not only a baseline expectation, but is available to all at scale.”
As this version of the Data Hub is an MVP Travalyst doesn’t anticipate the initial data to be used and displayed, “only Travalyst coalition partners can access this sandbox environment, and future versions (2026 onward) will open access more widely across the industry.”
Sustainable Hotel News asked Davey how many hotels and destinations have entered information so far and how long will it take to gather momentum for the data to be valuable to consumers.
“In our launch version, we’ve set up an interoperable ecosystem that can ingest a selective amount of data from larger data providers, and share that with OTAs and business travel platforms that are already part of our coalition. As we begin ingesting data and can iterate and expand our capabilities, we’ll work towards increasing the number of data points, types of data, and the volume of data so that eventually, we can tell the sustainability story of every business and every trip.
“For the launch phase any organisation with access to accommodation sustainability data — such as hotel groups, booking platforms, certifiers, membership bodies, or SusTech providers — can contribute. Direct onboarding of smaller, independent and individual properties will be added in later phases.”
Travalyst has launched the platform just shy of 12 months after acquiring the IP of Weeva, a sustainability SaaS product, whose technology was repurposed to develop the interoperable system for connected, transparent, and open access sustainability data.
The not-for-profit also released an excellent short video alongside its press release detailing why this move is important citing without clarity better choices in travel can’t scale. The narrator explains: “One hotel calls it recycling, another calls in zero waste, labels and badges don’t align and the numbers? Scattered, inconsistent and hard to trust… It’s not the industry’s fault, they are asked to report the same data again and again and again in different formats and for different platforms.”
Davey said of the launch: “This is a unique industry solution. Nothing exists with this level of potential, and the good news is, we’re just getting started. This milestone shows what’s possible when the industry aligns not just on ambition, but on delivery.
“The Data Hub helps unlock the foundational data needed for true transformation by enabling data to flow freely, credibly, and independently. The next phase is about deeper industry partnership, and we invite everyone from data providers to destination managers to join us.”
Julie Cheetham, COO, Travalyst, said: “As an independent not-for-profit organisation, we play a unique role. Free from commercial incentives and agnostic of business use cases, we can act as a trusted steward of infrastructure that serves the entire system and convene cross-industry collaborations for shared progress.”
Future releases will incorporate biodiversity and social sustainability data, covering accommodations, destinations, rail, and end-to-end journeys, delivered in a consistent and comparable format.
In April this year we spoke to Travalyst’s data strategy lead, Aromica Bhattacharya about what makes certifications for accommodation such a complex and important subject for the future of sustainable travel.
Interview: Aromica Bhattacharya, data strategy lead, Travalyst
Photo by Dmitri Zotov on Unsplash