ITALY: LifeGate’s Stay for the Planet sustainability hotel management system has achieved the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)-Recognised Standard.
This means the company’s Stay for the Planet Regulations and Technical Notes v2.0 have been fully recognised as equivalent to the GSTC Industry Criteria.
LifeGate is an Italian benefit corporation which supports businesses in improving their sustainability practices through consulting, strategic communication and environmental projects.
The group operates Stay for the Planet, an initiative which aims to help people choose more sustainable hotels through its assessment of the sustainability performance of the hotels in six areas: energy, water, waste, purchasing, behaviours and people.
Stay for the Planet joins 20 tour operator standards, 44 hotel standards, and five systems, which have achieved GSTC-Recognised status. You can read more about the GSTC, its aims and its criteria, in our FOCUS ON feature below.
The GSTC also recently announced a new partnership with The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), with the aim of establishing a structured framework for hotel sustainability, leading to GSTC Certification.
Commenting on the recognition Erika Colciago, head of consulting and business development at LifeGate, said: “We are honoured to see Stay for the Planet Regulations and Technical Notes v.2.0 gain GSTC-Recognised Standard status.
“This project was launched many years ago as part of a broad-ranging sustainable tourism strategy, aimed at reducing the environmental impact associated with the sector, so that quality services can be provided while ensuring the utmost respect for the local area and population.
“Stay for the Planet is aimed at independent hotels, medium-sized hotel groups, but also large chains.”
Image: Boodle McDougall