Sustainability Certification Consulting for Hotels & Hospitality

Sustainability certification consulting supports hotels and tourism organisations in preparing for recognised hospitality certifications such as GSTC, EU Ecolabel, Green Key, EarthCheck, Green Sign, Green-Building-Certifications such as LEED, WELL, DGNB or BREEAM or ISO 14001 certification. It typically covers selecting the relevant certification scheme, aligning operations with its requirements, preparing documentation and policies, and coordinating audit readiness across properties or departments.

Hotels are evaluated against the GSTC criteria by an independent, GSTC-Accredited Certification Body, such as Control Union or Vireo. The process typically includes a documentation review (desk assessment) followed by an on-site audit, and certification is generally granted for a three-year cycle. HOLITRA supports hotels in preparing for each stage of this process.

HOLITRA’s certification consulting is anchored in the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) criteria, the leading international standard for sustainable tourism, recognised by UNWTO and used as the reference baseline for many other certification and ecolabel schemes. HOLITRA’s founder, Katarina Jankova, is a GSTC-Accredited Auditor — one of only three active in the DACH region — bringing direct, audit-side experience to certification preparation, not only consulting-side knowledge.

Yes. While GSTC is HOLITRA’s primary area of audit expertise, the same preparation approach — gap analysis, documentation and operational alignment — applies across other recognised schemes, including the EU Ecolabel, Austrian Ecolabel, Green Key, ISO 14001 and green building certifications such as LEED or BREEAM. Validity periods vary by scheme. HOLITRA helps hotels choose the certification(s) most relevant to their market and guests, and prepares them objectively for whichever scheme fits best.