Barceló Hotel Group has joined as a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
Barceló Hotel Group is the hotel division of the Barceló Group. It currently has more than 300 hotels and 66,000 rooms in 30 countries; it is one of the 50 largest hotel chains in the world in terms of the number of rooms, operating under four brands: Royal Hideaway Luxury Hotels & Resorts, Barceló Hotels & Resorts, Occidental Hotels & Resorts and Allegro Hotels.
Sustainability at Barceló Hotel Group
Barceló Hotel Group states in its sustainability strategy the company’s commitment to maximise the positive impact on the destinations in which it operates with the aim of actively developing a more regenerative tourism and participating in the creation of fairer societies, ensuring the well-being of people and care for the environment. A challenge that has defined the company’s activity since its foundation more than 90 years ago.
Last year, Barceló Hotel Group became the first Spanish hotel chain to gain GSTC-Recognized Standard status for its sustainability standards, the Barceló ReGen standards.
The Barceló ReGen standards are integrated into the chain’s training and management model (SER Barceló), designed for individual and collective growth within the group, and are aligned with Barceló ReGen Sustainability Policy and key international commitments that the company is subscribed to as United Nations Global Compact.
GSTC Certification* Achieved by Four Barceló Hotels, With More to Follow in 2025
Four of the company’s hotels, Royal Hideaway Corales Resort, Barceló Torre de Madrid, Barceló Fortina Malta, and Occidental Playa de Palma, were recently GSTC-certified by Bureau Veritas, a GSTC-accredited Certification Body.
The hotel group seeks to certify all of its hotels in Spain over the course of 2025. This initiative represents the company’s commitment to continue protecting and having a positive impact on the destinations where it operates.
“Achieving GSTC Certification confirms the excellent work carried out by Barceló Hotel Group in our firm commitment to regenerative tourism and further reinforces our #BarcelóReGen sustainability strategy. The company’s ambitious cultural transformation project aims to consolidate our approach to have a positive impact on the destinations where we operate and support fair local economic development while caring for people and the environment”, affirms Raúl González, Chief Executive Officer EMEA, Barceló Hotel Group.
GSTC Welcomes Barceló Hotel Group
“We extend a warm welcome to Barceló Hotel Group as a new member of GSTC and value their commitment in supporting our mission. We congratulate them on their recent GSTC-certified properties and wish them continued success on their ongoing journey towards sustainability, ” says Randy Durband, GSTC CEO.
About Barceló Hotel Group
The Barceló Hotel Group is the hotel division of the Barceló Group, founded in 1931 in Mallorca, Spain, and one of Europe’s most important tourism groups. With over 300 hotels and 66,000 rooms in 30 countries, it is currently one of the 30 largest hotel chains in the world in terms of the number of rooms, operating under four brands: Royal Hideaway Luxury Hotels & Resorts, Barceló Hotels & Resorts, Occidental Hotels & Resorts and Allegro Hotels. It is also part of Crestline Hotels & Resorts, an independent hotel company with more than 130 establishments in the United States. The Barceló Hotel Group employs more than 38,000 people who share the company’s mission: to defend regenerative tourism, the basis of its Barceló ReGen sustainability strategy, thereby maximising its positive impact on the economic, social and environmental development of destinations.
For additional information: www.barcelo.com
About the GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, the GSTC Standards, also known as the GSTC Criteria. The GSTC Destination Standard for public policy-makers and destination managers, GSTC Hotel Standard & GSTC Tour Operator Standard, GSTC MICE Standard for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events & Exhibitions, and the GSTC Attraction Standard for tourist attractions such as theme parks, museums, and national parks. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Standards form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services but provides accreditation to those that do.
GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism. The GSTC is an ISEAL Community Member, a global membership organization for ambitious, collaborative, and transparent sustainability systems.
Information for media and the press: www.gstc.org/about/for-the-press/
* The term “GSTC Certification” is a shorthand for “Certified by a Certification Body that is GSTC-Accredited.”
Photos: Barceló Hotel Group
