Tools for benchmarking and recognizing hotels’ green effort – environmental assessment methods and eco-labels

Due to the increasing attention on green hotels, this article aims to investigate environmental assessment methods (EAMs) and eco-labels in China. In this study, three EAMs for the evaluation of hotel environmental performance are included: Green Globe 21 Certification, Hotel Building Environmental Assessment Scheme, and Green Hotel Certification are chosen for reviewing and benchmarking. General features are compared, then key issues are categorized, dissected, and analyzed. These major issues include energy, water, waste, building systems, design, environmental quality, emissions, health, and safety management. The results show that these assessments lack uniformity. In addition, results indicate that benefits from EAMs are uncertain. Queries on the weight and credit formulation are also raised. The study also implies that there is a need to create comprehensive guidelines for hotel operators to select the most suitable assessments for their hotels.