Impact Criteria

To be allowed on the platform, an accommodation has to meet our basic Impact Criteria. These are the things we look for when we evaluate whether an accommodation is purposeful or not.

Criteria 1:  Serious about impact

Positive social impact should be a significant part of the hotels’ mission and/or vision. We need to be able to quickly identify that this hotel is working towards this purpose. In order to ensure they are not just a set of well-written words, we also expect:

The social impact has a clear and measurable strategy including the intended effects and activities to be done.
The results are verified – appropriate independent assurance and reporting of the impact is done regularly.

Criteria 2: Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder engagement is especially important for a socially responsible hotel. It implies a willingness to listen; to discuss issues of interest with stakeholders of the hotel. The hotel should adhere to the following conditions which encourage and foster successful stakeholder management:

Being able to identify the relevant stakeholders, which is anyone who affects or is affected by the hotel.
Give stakeholders a say in decisions about actions that could affect their lives or essential environment for life.
Their procurement policy favors local or sustainable options when available.

Criteria 3: Fair labor conditions

Fair labor practices are essential for socially responsible hotels. To ensure fair labor conditions, the following practices should be in place:

As a minimum, the hotel follows fair labor standards as defined by the Fair Labor Association, the International Labour Organization or similar guidelines.
This ensures that the hotel adheres to national and international laws, paying an appropriate prevailing living wage, nondiscrimination and providing a safe and healthy workplace.

These criteria are applied according to the ‘comply or explain’ principle: the hotelier explains in which way the criteria are followed. If the hotel does not comply, the hotelier explains what stands in the way, and what considerations have been made. This makes it possible for you to validate claims during a stay.