Sustainability Best Practices for Hotels

The GSTC Sustainable Hotels Course is designed for hospitality and accommodation professionals, and provides practical insights into sustainability practices for hotels. Delivered as a 2-week-long facilitated and interactive online course, the GSTC Sustainable Hotels Course features expert presentations, useful resources, and real-life industry examples and lessons on applying sustainability best practices.

This course is for you, if you …

  • Want to improve your performance by learning practical how-to’s on sustainability.
  • Are looking for real-life examples and actionable tips on sustainability solutions.
  • Need a flexible and convenient learning option that fits your busy schedule.
  • Want to systematically and efficiently approach your sustainability journey by aligning with the globally recognized standard of sustainability best practices (GSTC Industry Criteria).

What does the course cover?

The training follows the GSTC Industry Criteria with the Performance Indicators for Hotels, providing best practices for sustainable hotel management.

  • Lessons on each section of the GSTC Industry Criteria, with examples relevant to hotels.
  • Expert tips and resources introducing key solutions around current issues and trends.
  • Live presentations by industry practitioners, sharing insights based on real-life experience.
  • Hands-on exercise to practice applying the Criteria to your own situations.
  • Opportunities to learn alongside GSTC experts and fellow hospitality professionals from around the world, and to enhance your professional network.

Recommended by Our Course Members

Loved the diverse backgrounds along with their different experiences and the fact that everyone is facing similar challenges but at completely different stages on their sustainable journey. In the end, we all have the same goal: Sustainable development Great interaction among participants & the course is very well organized with lots of useful resources to also tap into after the course. Big fan of the guest speaking sessions as well as the case study throughout the whole course with the interactive working groups.

Jennifer Klar, Corporate Sustainability Manager, Six Senses

Both the live sessions with interesting participants, speakers and group exercise and the training platform were a great enrichment. In addition, great emphasis was placed on closely linking the criteria with practice. Many thanks to Ayako and David!

This was a great learning course with practical tools that can really jump start and/or improve a hotel’s sustainability journey. You’ll learn from the speakers, facilitators, and from engaging with cohorts, considering their questions and their experiences. Overall, a good investment!

This course was so much more than I expected. The training was so constructed that each component part added to the previously discussed, to create a very good overview of all aspects that make up the ‘big picture’!

Brian Lindfield, Hospitality Trainer, An Rê Mai Sen Hospitality Training Center

The GSTC Sustainable Hotel Course was an excellent opportunity to gain broad-based knowledge on sustainability practices for the tourism industry while acquiring hotel-specific “know-how” on implementing relevant and practical sustainability initiatives for hospitality management.

The interactive e-learning platform and program are well designed, and the quality content, guest speakers, and live online sessions with other participants were very informative and inspiring.

Our facilitators (Ayako Ezaki and Dr. David Ermen) were incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the topics covered and made a concerted effort to engage all participants with diverse backgrounds and experiences in tourism.

It was great to be a part of a globally conducted course. As people from all over the world were colleagues, we had a better understanding of sustainable tourism. From discussing the practices that we are following now in our respective lodges to what can be done to enhance it was all included in this course. I recommend this course to everyone who wants to be in the sustainable or eco-tourism, regardless of which country you are based in.

Ghanshyam Singh, Lodge Manager, Waghoba Eco Lodge, Pugdundee Safaris

A well structured course, making it clear and easy to navigate the GSTC framework. Being able to discuss this with other tourism professionals around the world was a valuable bonus.

Gisela Purcell, Sustainability Advocate, Tourism Industry Aotearoa

I greatly enjoyed the course, especially meeting such a diverse group of people. The program was perfectly tailored to the relevant industries people work in. The course content had the right balance between theory and sharing best practices, which I think was a great way to learn.

Helga Nagy, Director, École d'Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule

It was a very experiential and practical course and strongly recommended to everyone involved in tourism and hospitality sustainable development.

Gansukh Damba, Chairman of Sustainable Tourism Development Centre, Mongolia

Training in sustainability is important for hotels because they can actively changing the future of our planet. Sometimes it is not very easy to start and GSTC course has helped to understand the practical actions to be taken. I would recommend this course to others in the hospitality sector because it is an opportunity to discuss and reflect on existing Earth needs.

Having participated in this course, I gained many skills for sustainable resources, which I will definitely apply in my day-to-day operations.

Harpreet Singh, Lodge Manager, Kanha Earth Lodge, Pugdundee Safaris

GSTC Member

$28000per person

Non-Member

$32000per person

Group Rate (5+) *

$26000per person

* Group Rates are available only to current GSTC Organization Members.

** If you’ve participated in a GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training 4-week online course or 3-day onsite course in the past, we’d be happy to offer a « returning customer » discount. Please get in touch for more information.

Need-Based Discounts

We offer a limited number of need-based discounts to current students and professionals who demonstrate genuine needs. To apply, please submit this application form.

Your trainer for this course:

Dr. David Ermen

Dr. David Ermen is a consultant and speaker, with a focus on destination management, service quality improvement, and sustainability. His experience in consulting, tourism development, and training spans Europe, the Middle East, Asia & Oceania. David researches and lectures on service management, sustainability and destination management related topics internationally.

In 2017, David was involved in writing the UNWTO’s “Journey to 2030” report for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, focusing on the private sector’s contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Recent speaking topics have included sustainable destination management approaches and tourism’s recovery from the Covid crisis.

Presenters & Contributors

Steve Noakes
Steve NoakesChair, Binna Burra Lodge
Nia Klatte
Nia KlatteSustainability Project Manager, Considerate Group
Ayako Ezaki
Ayako EzakiTraining Director, GSTC

Weekly Live Session Schedule

Introduction

Thursday, February 10th (9:00-10:30am CET)

Week 1

Monday, February 14th (9:00-10:30am CET)
Thursday, February 17th (9:00-10:30am CET)

Week 2

Monday, February 21st (9:00-10:30am CET)
Tuesday, February 22nd (9:00-10:30am CET)
Thursday, February 24th (9:00-10:30am CET)

*The live sessions for this course are scheduled for 9pm CET (Central European Time, UTC+1)
/ 8am London / 11am Istanbul / 4pm Singapore / 9pm Auckland

Question? Need Help?

Feel free to get in touch!

You can reach us at training@gstcouncil.org.

Please include « Sustainable Hotel Course » in your subject line.