Industry Update: Green Tourism and AA to promote sustainability in hospitality
The partnership looks to support hospitality businesses in demonstrating both quality standards and sustainable practices.
This unique collaboration shows Green Tourism’s green badge for sustainability alongside star-rated places to eat and drink across the UK hospitality sector.
AA Hotel & Hospitality Services is the UK’s recognised provider of quality assessment, awarding stars to hotels, B&Bs and hospitality businesses that meet their independent quality standards. Green Tourism verifies businesses that meet evidence-based sustainability criteria covering care for people, places and the planet.
The partnership also brings together two well-recognised and long-standing symbols in UK hospitality: the star rating of AA Hotel & Hospitality Services, representing quality standards, and the green mark of Green Tourism, representing sustainability performance.
This confirms that a business has been independently assessed for both service quality and sustainability standards. For operators, this provides assurance in two areas – quality and environmental responsibility – and helps demonstrate compliance with recognised benchmarks while responding to growing demand for responsible travel.
Green Tourism-awarded businesses will now gain additional visibility on AA platforms, including RatedTrips.com. Their logos and ratings will feature alongside a dedicated search filter to help operators and consumers identify sustainable options.
As part of the partnership, Green Tourism will also sponsor the AA Sustainable Award at the 2025 AA Hospitality Awards, which will take place on 22 September 2025 at Grosvenor House, London. The award recognises businesses that demonstrate leadership in sustainable practices.
Andrea Nicholas, Chief Executive of Green Tourism, said: “Our mission at Green Tourism is to help hospitality businesses reduce their impact and be recognised for caring for people, places and the planet. The Green Tourism badge verifies evidence-based sustainability, while the AA stars recognise established standards of quality and service. By working with AA Media, businesses can demonstrate their performance in both areas, and guests can make more informed choices.”
Simon Numphud, Managing Director of AA Media, added: “At AA Hotel and Hospitality Services we have a long history of assessing and recognising performance across the hospitality industry, from small independents to large hotels. By partnering with Green Tourism, we can also provide visibility for those delivering against sustainability standards. This combined approach offers guests clearer information and helps operators demonstrate their commitment to both service quality and sustainability.”
The agreement additionally includes joint promotional activity through industry newsletters, trade magazines, and the AA’s Member Support Hub. Both organisations will also offer reciprocal membership incentives – with Green Tourism providing benefits for AA members who join its programme, and AA offering incentives for Green Tourism members to join its network. There will also be opportunities to engage directly with AA’s nationwide assessment team and business network.
More information can be found through the links below:
https://www.aahospitalityservices.co.uk/
https://aahospitalityawards.com/
