100% of RIU’s hotels have the ECOSTARS certification, an important sustainability milestone

RIU Hotels & Resorts has achieved the ECOSTARS certification for all of its operational establishments, becoming the first hotel chain worldwide to accomplish this feat. This global certification reaffirms the Mallorcan chain’s commitment to responsible and sustainable tourism, and this milestone, which was originally planned for 2026 as part of the chain’s four-year Proudly Committed (2023 – 2026) sustainability strategy, has been reached one year ahead of schedule.

After certifying 98 hotels in 21 countries, a total that only excludes recently opened establishments such as the Riu Plaza Toronto in Canada and the Riu Ventura in Mexico that do not yet have analytical consumption data, the chain has reached a significant milestone in its Proudly Committed sustainability strategy, with the certification covering 100% of its operational hotels.

This certification from ECOSTARS, the leading ESG (environmental, social and governance) AI platform for hotels, recognised by international organisations such as UN Tourism and national bodies like the Spanish Tourism Council, provides the hotel chain with crucial environmental management tools. One example involves calculating scope 3 carbon emissions, which is the indirect impact throughout the entire value chain, from the production of the food served in hotels to the transport of supplies. It also provides RIU with a robust database of sustainability attributes, which facilitates transparent communication with travel agencies and tour operators.

Xisca Sitjar, RIU’s Operational Sustainability Manager, explains that the ECOSTARS certification was chosen thanks to its comparative analysis platform, which provides RIU with a clear overview of its consumption by comparing its hotels against a wide community of establishments with similar characteristics in like destinations. “This is the perfect tool as it is specifically designed for the hotel industry. Unlike general certification systems, the simplified process is specifically focused on key metrics with a positive impact such as energy and water consumption and waste management. What’s more, it includes third-party verification to ensure robust validation”.

By certifying all of its operational hotels with ECOSTARS, RIU gains multifaceted value that has a direct impact on operating costs by continually optimising energy and water consumption, facilitates access to niche markets with increasingly demanding sustainability requirements such as MICE tourism, attracts travellers that are highly sensitive to ESG criteria and professionals aligned with the chain's values, and helps mitigate regulatory and financial risks related to environmental management.