My Journey Trying to Book Green Hotels Online
Okay, so I decided I wanted to try and be a bit more responsible with my travel choices. The idea was simple: use the usual hotel search websites I always use, but this time, specifically look for places that are trying to be eco-friendly. Seemed easy enough, right?
So, I fired up my browser and went to one of those big hotel search sites. You know the ones. I put in my destination, my dates, number of people – the standard stuff. Then I started looking for the magic button, the “eco-friendly” filter.
Finding the Green Filter (or Lack Thereof)
Well, finding a specific filter wasn’t always straightforward. Some sites had a “sustainability” or “eco-certified” checkbox buried somewhere in the filter options, usually under amenities or property features. Others didn’t seem to have one at all. It was a bit hit-or-miss.
When I did find a filter, I ticked the box. The number of available hotels usually dropped quite a bit, which I expected. But then I started looking at the results.
What Does “Eco-Friendly” Even Mean Here?
This is where it got a bit fuzzy. Some hotels popped up labeled as “sustainable,” but the site didn’t give much detail why. Was it because they recycle? Offer towel reuse programs? Have solar panels? It was often unclear just from the search results page. I found myself clicking into individual hotel listings quite a lot.
I started reading the hotel descriptions carefully on the booking site itself. Sometimes, deep in the text, I’d find mentions of their green practices. Things like:
- Water-saving showers
- Locally sourced food in their restaurant
- Energy-efficient lighting
- Waste reduction programs
But often, the description was just generic marketing stuff. It felt like some places just ticked the “eco” box without much substance shown on the booking platform.
Trying Different Tactics
I realized just relying on a single filter wasn’t enough. So, I tried searching with specific keywords in the main search bar along with my destination, like “hotel with EV charging” or “LEED certified hotel [city name]”. This sometimes brought up different options, or highlighted features the filters missed.
I also paid more attention to guest reviews within the booking engine. Occasionally, people would mention things like recycling bins in the room or commenting positively on the hotel’s environmental efforts. That felt a bit more genuine.
Did I Consider Calling?
Honestly, yeah. After clicking around for a while and feeling unsure about what the “eco” label really meant on the search engine, I remembered that sometimes just calling the hotel directly is best. You can ask them straight up: “What specific things do you do to be environmentally friendly?” I didn’t do it this time because I wanted to see how far I could get just using the online search tools, but it’s definitely a solid backup plan.
So, What Happened in the End?
After a fair bit more clicking and reading than usual, I did manage to find a place. It had a “sustainable travel” badge on the search engine, and crucially, its own description on the platform detailed several specific actions they take, like using renewable energy sources and having a serious composting program. It wasn’t listed right at the top, and it took digging, but I felt more confident about this choice compared to others that just had a vague label.
My Takeaway
Using standard hotel search engines to find genuinely eco-friendly places is possible, but it’s not as simple as clicking one filter. You gotta be prepared to:
- Look beyond the basic labels.
- Read the hotel descriptions very carefully on the search platform.
- Maybe use specific keywords in your search.
- Scan reviews for mentions of green practices.
It takes more effort than just booking the cheapest or best-located place. The tools are getting better, I think, but you still need to do a bit of detective work yourself within the search engine’s environment to feel good about your choice. It’s a process, that’s for sure.
