UK Alongside South Africa and More as Radisson Reveals Net Zero Hotel Revolution With 20% of Guests Choosing Verified Sustainable Stays

Image Credit: Radisson Verified Net Zero Hotels

UK Alongside South Africa and More as Radisson Reveals Net Zero Hotel Revolution With 20% of Guests Choosing Verified Sustainable Stays as the hospitality industry moves towards a new era of environmentally responsible travel. The reason behind this transformation is growing demand from travellers and meeting planners for transparent, sustainable accommodation options that reduce environmental impact. UK Alongside South Africa and More reflects Radisson Hotel Group’s expanding global sustainability vision, built around verified net zero hotels, operational emission reductions and responsible hospitality practices. The company revealed that 20% of guests choose Verified Sustainable Stays, showing that sustainability is becoming an important factor in hotel selection. Through its Net Zero Hotel Revolution, Radisson is focusing on reducing emissions from energy, food and beverage operations, waste management and transportation while creating trusted experiences for environmentally conscious travellers worldwide.

Radisson Hotel Group Makes Sustainability Easy for Events With Verified Net Zero Hotels and a 2050 Carbon-Free Vision

Radisson Hotel Group is transforming the future of sustainable hospitality by developing verified net zero hotels designed to make environmentally responsible meetings and events easier for planners worldwide. In an exclusive interview with Travel and Tour World, Inge Huijbrechts, Chief Sustainability and Security Officer of Radisson Hotel Group, explained how the company is reducing operational emissions, improving transparency and creating trusted sustainability solutions for the meetings and events sector.

With more than 1,700 hotels in operation and development across 100 countries, Radisson Hotel Group is focusing on making sustainability practical for event organisers by addressing not only energy consumption but also food and beverage emissions, waste management, transportation and wider operational impacts.

How Is Radisson Hotel Group Transforming Sustainable Meetings and Events?

Radisson Hotel Group believes meetings and events can become a powerful force for positive change by reducing environmental impact while delivering high-quality experiences.

Speaking about the importance of events, Inge Huijbrechts said:

“We believe in the power of meeting and events and this is where meeting and events happen. Someone said this morning, when we meet, we change the world. And I really believe that.”

The company’s approach focuses on helping meeting planners achieve sustainability goals without creating additional complexity.

Rather than requiring planners to manage every sustainability detail themselves, Radisson aims to provide verified solutions directly through its hotels.

Key areas of focus include:

The strategy reflects growing demand from businesses and event organisers seeking more responsible travel and hospitality options.

What Are Verified Net Zero Hotels and Why Are They Important?

Radisson Hotel Group is developing verified net zero hotels that go beyond reducing energy-related emissions. According to Huijbrechts, achieving genuine net zero requires addressing the entire operational footprint of a hotel.

She explained:

“It’s not only about eliminating the carbon footprint from energy but it’s also about taking into account the carbon footprint and eliminating that of all operational emissions.”

This includes areas such as:

• food and beverage operations;
• waste management;
• transportation of hotel teams;
• other operational activities.

Radisson believes that achieving verified net zero status requires collaboration with multiple innovation partners.

Huijbrechts highlighted this challenge:

“You need a series of innovation partners to make that happen. And bringing them together is actually what makes it the most difficult.”

The approach shows that sustainability requires cooperation across different parts of the hospitality ecosystem.

Radisson Hotel Group’s Verified Net Zero Hotel Expansion: Top Countries Leading the Sustainable Hospitality Revolution

Radisson Hotel Group is expanding its Verified Net Zero Hotels programme beyond its first pilot properties in Manchester, United Kingdom, and Oslo, Norway, as the company works towards its target of 100 verified net zero hotels globally by 2030. The initiative focuses on reducing emissions across hotel operations, including energy, food and beverage, waste management and transportation.

While the company has not publicly announced a complete country-by-country rollout list, Radisson has identified priority markets for expansion, including Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Germany, Austria and Spain’s Canary Islands. The following table highlights the leading countries connected with Radisson’s Verified Net Zero Hotels strategy and sustainable hospitality growth.

Image Credit: Radisson Hotels

How Are These Countries Supporting Radisson Hotel Group’s Verified Net Zero Vision?

Radisson Hotel Group’s sustainability strategy began with two pioneering properties in Manchester and Oslo, which became the company’s first Verified Net Zero Hotels. These hotels were designed to address emissions across the entire operational chain rather than focusing only on energy consumption.

The programme considers:

• renewable energy;
• carbon reduction;
• low-carbon food and beverage operations;
• waste reduction;
• operational efficiency;
• transparent reporting.

The company explained that achieving net zero requires addressing emissions beyond electricity use, including food services, waste management and transportation.

The United Kingdom and Norway currently represent the strongest examples because Manchester and Oslo are already operating as verified properties. These hotels demonstrate how existing urban hotels can be transformed through sustainability improvements rather than relying only on new construction.

The Nordic markets, including Sweden and Denmark, are logical expansion areas because of their strong sustainability policies and environmental focus. Meanwhile, South Africa represents Radisson’s move to expand verified sustainable hospitality beyond Europe.

Germany, Austria and Spain’s Canary Islands are also strategically important because they combine strong tourism demand with growing expectations from travellers and meeting planners for environmentally responsible accommodation.

Radisson’s long-term goal is to make sustainability easier for guests and event planners by providing independently verified net zero stays. The company has highlighted that third-party verification improves trust and transparency for customers choosing sustainable hotels.

Image Credit: Radisson Hotels

As the programme expands towards 100 Verified Net Zero Hotels by 2030, these countries represent key markets where Radisson aims to demonstrate that sustainable hospitality can become a practical model for global tourism.

How Successful Are Radisson’s Verified Net Zero Hotels?

Radisson launched two verified net zero hotels in Manchester and Oslo, which Huijbrechts described as successful examples of sustainable hospitality.

She explained:

“They’re a great success because they are net zero. So they offer net zero stays and net zero meeting and events.”

The hotels are designed to provide environmentally responsible accommodation and event experiences while maintaining operational efficiency.

According to Huijbrechts, these properties have achieved success because they deliver three key benefits:

She highlighted that sustainability is becoming increasingly important among travellers:

“20% of our guests say that they booked the hotel because it’s a verified net zero hotel.”

This demonstrates that sustainability is becoming a factor influencing accommodation decisions.

How Does Radisson Help Meeting Planners Achieve Net Zero Events?

One of Radisson’s main goals is simplifying sustainability for event organisers.

Huijbrechts explained:

“With verified net zero hotels, we make sustainability easy for the meeting and event planners.”

The company provides:

• verified sustainability performance;
• third-party validation;
• transparency on carbon reduction methods;
• measurable event footprints.

She added:

“Everything is verified by a third party so it can be trusted.”

Advertisement

Advertisement

For meeting planners, transparency is increasingly important because companies need reliable information when reporting sustainability progress.

Radisson also measures the environmental footprint of food services provided during events.

Huijbrechts explained:

“One of the key things that is very relevant for meeting and event planners is that we measure and can report the footprint of the food and the menus that we offer to them.”

This allows organisers to better understand and reduce the environmental impact of their events.

What Is Radisson Hotel Group’s Long-Term Net Zero Goal?

Radisson Hotel Group has committed to becoming net zero across its operations by 2050.

The company is expanding its verified net zero hotel portfolio as part of this wider sustainability strategy.

Huijbrechts explained:

“Our company has taken a commitment to become net zero in all our operations by 2050.”

The expansion plan includes:

The company’s gradual expansion strategy aims to increase access to sustainable stays and meetings across more locations.

Why Is Sustainability Becoming More Important for Global Event Planners?

Sustainability has become a major consideration for businesses organising conferences, meetings and incentive programmes.

Companies increasingly want events that align with environmental commitments.

Radisson’s approach addresses this demand by offering:

• measurable carbon information;
• verified sustainability claims;
• transparent reporting;
• responsible event solutions.

The hospitality industry is experiencing increasing pressure to demonstrate real environmental progress rather than relying only on sustainability messaging.

Verified systems help create confidence among planners and guests.

How Is Global Travel Demand Influencing Radisson’s Strategy?

Huijbrechts also discussed how wider global conditions are affecting travel patterns.

She noted:

“What we see today is that the geopolitical context is impacting long distance travel for example.”

Because of these changes, Radisson believes its sustainability proposition must remain relevant across different markets.

She explained:

“We think we need to make our proposition relevant for the national markets for the European market and beyond.”

The company is focusing on creating sustainability solutions that work across different regions and travel markets.

What Does the Future Hold for Sustainable Hospitality?

Radisson Hotel Group’s verified net zero hotel strategy reflects a broader transformation in hospitality.

Hotels are increasingly expected to provide:

• environmentally responsible operations;
• transparent sustainability data;
• lower-carbon experiences;
• solutions for business travellers.

For meetings and events, sustainability is becoming part of destination selection and venue decisions.

Radisson’s strategy focuses on making sustainability easier for planners by integrating measurement, verification and operational improvements directly into hotel experiences.

Key Takeaway

Radisson Hotel Group is advancing sustainable hospitality through verified net zero hotels designed to simplify sustainability for meeting and event planners. In its exclusive interview with Travel and Tour World, Inge Huijbrechts, Chief Sustainability and Security Officer, explained how the company is addressing emissions beyond energy use by focusing on food and beverage, waste management, transportation and wider hotel operations.

With a commitment to achieve net zero across operations by 2050 and expand to 100 verified net zero hotels by 2030, Radisson is positioning sustainability as a practical solution for the future of global hospitality.

Conclusion

UK Alongside South Africa and More as Radisson Reveals Net Zero Hotel Revolution With 20% of Guests Choosing Verified Sustainable Stays highlights how sustainability is reshaping the future of global hospitality. The cause behind this shift is the rising expectation from guests, businesses and event planners for hotels to provide measurable environmental responsibility rather than simple sustainability claims. The answer is Radisson’s approach of developing verified net zero hotels with transparent reporting and third-party validation. As UK Alongside South Africa and More become part of the company’s wider sustainability expansion, the Net Zero Hotel Revolution demonstrates how the hospitality sector can combine environmental action with guest satisfaction. With 20% of Guests Choosing Verified Sustainable Stays, sustainable accommodation is becoming a growing competitive advantage, encouraging hotels worldwide to invest in cleaner operations and responsible tourism solutions.