What does it mean for a hotel to have a sustainability certification? How ECOSTARS works at RIU
12 March, 2026 Share
A hotel sustainability certification is an endorsement granted by an external body to verify that a hotel measures and manages its environmental impact using objective, comparable criteria. At RIU Hotels & Resorts, every hotel that has been operating for more than a year holds the ECOSTARS certification: 101 hotels in 22 countries. We were the first hotel chain in the world to certify all of its operating hotels with this seal, and we did it one year ahead of the target set in Proudly Committed (2023-2026), our sustainability strategy.
What is a hotel certification?
When you choose a hotel, you probably look at its stars. Stars indicate the category of the establishment: its facilities, its services and its level of comfort, according to the regulations of each country or region.
A sustainability certification answers a different question: how the hotel manages the resources it uses and the impact it generates. It doesn’t measure the size of the rooms or the number of restaurants, but aspects such as energy and water use or waste management.
The most robust sustainability certifications share three features:
- External assessment: they are granted by an independent body, not by the hotel itself.
- Measurable criteria: they are based on consumption data, not on statements of intent.
- Ongoing monitoring: the hotel continues to report information on its performance.
What does the ECOSTARS certification assess?
ECOSTARS is an artificial intelligence and ESG (environmental, social and governance) platform designed specifically for the hotel industry. It is recognised internationally by UN Tourism (formerly the World Tourism Organization) and, in Spain, by the Spanish Tourism Council.etrics such as water saving, energy efficiency and waste management.
In our hotels, the platform allows us to accurately measure key indicators such as:
- Energy efficiency.
- Water savings.
- Waste management.
What sets it apart is comparison. As Xisca Sitjar, RIU’s Operational Sustainability Manager, explains, we chose ECOSTARS because it compares each of our hotels with a wide community of establishments with similar characteristics in similar destinations. This shows us where we are doing well and where there is room for improvement.
The platform is also a key tool for calculating our Scope 3 carbon footprint, that is, the indirect impact of our entire value chain: from the food served at our buffets to the transport of supplies to our hotels.
What does a sustainability certification prove (and what doesn’t it)?
It’s worth understanding its scope so you can assess it fairly.
What it does prove:
- That the hotel measures its consumption with verifiable information.
- That these results are compared with those of similar establishments.
- That there is a commitment to management and continuous improvement.
What it doesn’t prove:
- It is not a luxury category and does not replace the hotel’s star rating.
- It doesn’t mean the hotel has zero environmental impact, but that it manages that impact rigorously and transparently.
Why does a hotel certification matter to travellers?
Certification works mainly behind the scenes, in the hotel’s day-to-day management. For you as a traveller, it brings several advantages:
- A reliable reference when choosing: if sustainability is one of your criteria when choosing a hotel, an external certification offers more assurance than any advertising message.
- Clear information through your travel agent: the platform generates a database of sustainability attributes that provides transparent information to travel agencies and tour operators.
- A relevant factor for corporate events: if you organise conferences, incentives or meetings with sustainability criteria (the MICE segment), the certification helps you justify your choice of accommodation.
- Care for destinations: monitoring water and energy consumption helps to look after the places you visit.
How did RIU certify 100% of its hotels?
The certification achieved in 2025 is the culmination of environmental management work that we began at RIU in 2012. After signing the agreement with ECOSTARS, we completed the process in less than a year.
Energy- and water-saving technology only works if people manage it properly. That’s why one of the challenges was making sure the technical staff at each hotel understood not only how to report the information, but also why that measurement matters.
| Indicator | Details |
|---|---|
| Certified hotels (2026) | 101 establishments |
| Geographical presence (2026) | 22 countries |
| Scope | 100% of hotels operating for more than a year |
| Milestone date | December 2025 |
| Ahead of schedule | One year before the original target (2026) |
| Strategic framework | Proudly Committed (2023-2026) |
| Certifying body | ECOSTARS (AI and ESG criteria) |
Newly opened hotels join the certification once they have accumulated a year of consumption data.
2026 marks the close of Proudly Committed, our four-year sustainability roadmap. These are some of the achievements that accompany the certification:
- Renewable energy: in 2025, 90% of the electricity we consumed came from renewable sources.
- Social and environmental investment: in 2025 we allocated 5 million euros to social and environmental projects.
- Scope 3 measurement: 2026 is the first year we are measuring the indirect impact of our entire value chain with ECOSTARS.
Want to know more? Discover how we promote sustainable tourism with Proudly Committed and choose your next hotel on the official RIU Hotels & Resorts website.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
It means an external body has verified that the hotel measures and manages its environmental impact, such as energy and water consumption or waste management, according to objective and comparable criteria.
No. Stars indicate the hotel’s category based on its facilities and services. ECOSTARS assesses the establishment’s environmental management.
All RIU hotels that have been operating for more than a year. Newly opened hotels join once they have accumulated a year of consumption data.
ECOSTARS is recognised internationally by UN Tourism (formerly the World Tourism Organization) and, in Spain, by the Spanish Tourism Council.
It is the indirect environmental impact generated across a company’s value chain. At RIU, it ranges from the production of the food served at our buffets to the transport of supplies to our hotels. In 2026 we began measuring it with ECOSTARS.
It is RIU Hotels & Resorts’ sustainability strategy for 2023-2026. It places environmental, social and governance criteria at the centre of the company’s decisions and is built on three pillars: People, Sustainable Destinations and Transparency.
