IHG’s Low Carbon Pioneers Program Expands, Doubling Its Footprint Across Europe
20.03.2025 (London, UK) IHG Hotels & Resorts, a global leader in hospitality, today announces the addition of four European hotels to its Low Carbon Pioneer programme, which brings together energy efficient hotels that have no fossil fuels combusted on-site* and are backed by renewable energy.
This group of low operational carbon hotels is the first community of its kind in the industry and will help IHG test, learn and share findings on sustainability measures. The four new Europe properties join the three hotels in the same market that formed the launch of this programme in July 2024 – demonstrating the effective adoption of carbon reduction practices across IHG’s brand portfolio:
- Luxury & Lifestyle: Kimpton BEM Budapest, Hungary
- Premium: voco Marylebone, UK (new), voco Milan, Italy (new)
- Essentials: Holiday Inn Express Madrid Airport, Spain, Holiday Inn Express Almere, Netherlands (new)
- Suites: Staybridge Suites Malaga, Spain (new)
- Exclusive partners: Iberostar Cristina Waves, Spain
In addition, Holiday Inn Express Asuncion Aviadores in Paraguay joins the Low Carbon Pioneers community, marking the first in the Americas and the first outside of Europe.
Each Low Carbon Pioneer hotel features sustainable solutions such as high-efficiency heat pumps for heating and hot water generation, as well as fully electric kitchens. Every property also has an operational sustainability certification.**
Karin Sheppard, SVP and MD Europe, IHG Hotels & Resorts said: “It is fantastic to see this group of hotels leading the way in our Low Carbon Pioneers programme across different parts of our brand portfolio. It demonstrates the opportunity that exists here in Europe to drive sustainability progress across the industry and allows us to inspire other properties to join the programme and encourage the wider adoption of carbon reduction practices.
“Guests seeking more sustainable stays will find these hotels marketed as low carbon across our channels and for our hotel owners, the Low Carbon Pioneers programme can play an important role in future-proofing their businesses. From driving preference amongst corporate clients looking to meet sustainable travel commitments and greater alignment with environmental regulatory changes, to better access to green finance for new projects – collectively we believe these benefits should lead to stronger property valuations in future.”
IHG Hotels & Resorts is dedicated to reducing its carbon footprint and promoting sustainable practices within their operations. Guiding this is a Journey to Tomorrow responsible business plan to care for its people, communities and the planet, which brings colleagues, hotel owners and partners together to be a force for good. IHG is developing solutions to help measure, manage and minimise the environmental impact of its thousands of hotels, from energy conservation measures as brand standards in areas such as lighting, heating and ventilation, to sourcing renewable energy and installing EV chargers.
- Find out more about the carbon reduction practices at each hotel here.
- The full criteria for a Low Carbon Pioneer hotel is available here.
*Except for backup generators that fall below 5% of the hotel’s total annual energy consumption.
**New hotels will have 12 months to certify from when they open.
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For further information please contact:
Tieran Bhuhi-Siva
Senior Corporate Communications Manager, Europe
tieran.bhuhi@ihg.com
+44 (0) 7976 178 485