Sustainability on Google and Booking.com: the eco-certified label, sustainability attributes and Travel Sustainable, what you need and what you don't

Updated: 10 November 2026

Google and Booking.com show sustainability information about properties, but not in the same way or with the same requirements. We read Google's official help (Travel and Hotel Center), Booking.com's Partner Hub and sustainability website, the Dutch consumer authority (ACM) and Directive (EU) 2024/825 (links at the end). We only state what they say; where we could not confirm something, we say so. This is not legal advice.

Summary

Google: the hotel itself declares its sustainability practices in its Business Profile, choosing from a list. Google does not verify them.
Google: the «eco-certified» label cannot be self-declared. It only appears if a recognised certification body reports the certification through Travalyst.
Booking.com: the Travel Sustainable programme (levels and green leaves) was taken offline worldwide on 25 March 2024 after ACM action. It now shows a label for third-party certifications and a filter.
Hotels do not pay Google to appear in its hotel results. There is no official data that these labels improve your position on Google or Booking.com.
From 27 September 2026, Directive (EU) 2024/825 bans in the EU self-made labels without a certification scheme and generic claims («eco», «green») without backing.

Google: sustainability attributes

According to Hotel Center help, they are entered in your Google Business Profile and appear in the «Sustainability» section of the hotel's listing. There are four categories:

Energy efficiency (8 attributes), for example energy-efficient lighting, energy-saving thermostats or electric car charging stations.
Water conservation (3), for example a towel and linen reuse programme or water-efficient faucets, toilets and showers.
Waste reduction (11), for example a recycling programme, refillable toiletry containers or no single-use plastic water bottles or straws.
Sustainable sourcing (7), for example locally sourced food and beverages, eco-friendly toiletries or vegetarian and vegan meals.
You declare them and Google does not check. Tick only what you really do and can prove: some attributes require an independent audit («audited by an independent organization»).

Google: the eco-certified label

Google Travel help says the label means the hotel has been certified by an accredited independent organisation. The body must:

Use globally recognised criteria.
Assess at least energy, water, waste and sustainable sourcing.
Carry out an on-site audit, or have an independent third party do it.
Eco-certifications reach Google through Travalyst; hotel owners cannot self-certify.
Hotel Center help lists 31 accepted programmes, including Biosphere Responsible Tourism Standard, Green Globe, Green Key, EarthCheck, Travelife, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, LEED, Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Hoteles más Verdes (AHT) and Sustainable Travel Ireland – GSTC Industry Criteria. The EU Ecolabel is not on that list.
If your certifier is not listed, it is the certifier (not you) that must ask to be added through the form Google indicates.
Google does not verify each hotel's certification status. The help does not say how to request a correction: not confirmed.

Booking.com: what happened to Travel Sustainable

On 25 March 2024 the ACM reported that Booking.com was taking the Travel Sustainable programme (level scores 1 to 3+ and green leaves) offline worldwide, as the ACM considered it misleading.
Booking.com's sustainability website says it no longer displays the Travel Sustainable name, logo or levels, and shows a label when a property has a third-party certification, with a search filter.
According to the Partner Hub guide «Becoming certified», Travalyst receives data from certification bodies twice a year and Booking.com shows it in the sustainability section. If your certificate does not appear, contact your certification body.
Partners can still indicate practices (water, food waste, energy, plastic, local community). Some older Partner Hub help pages still mention the Travel Sustainable badge: they are outdated and we could not confirm the exact path in the extranet.
Booking.com does not publish, on the pages we read, which certifications it displays: not confirmed.

What you need and what you don't

Declaring practices on Google and Booking.com: no certificate and no payment to the platform needed; it must be true.
Google eco-certified label or a certificate shown on Booking.com: you need a certification from an independent body that reports its data (via Travalyst). Uploading a PDF or ticking a box is not enough.
Cost: from what we read, Google and Booking.com do not charge to display it, but each certification body charges for certification. Booking.com notes some are free, often those from public authorities.
Evidence: Google's help does not ask for documents, but you must be able to justify what you declare to a consumer or an authority.

Does it improve your ranking?

Google says hotels do not pay to appear in hotel results and cannot pay to influence their ranking, and that the default order is by relevance (location, price, ratings and reviews). It does not say sustainability counts: no official data.
Booking.com talks about displaying the certification and a filter, not a better position: no official data.
Be wary of anyone promising higher rankings, or presence in an AI, because of a label.

The risk: unsupported claims (Directive 2024/825)

Directive (EU) 2024/825 applies from 27 September 2026 and adds always-banned practices to Directive 2005/29:

Displaying a sustainability label not based on a certification scheme or not established by public authorities (point 2a): a home-made «eco» seal does not count.
Making a generic environmental claim without being able to demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance (point 4a).
Presenting as applying to the whole hotel what only concerns one part (point 4b), or presenting legal requirements that apply to everyone as your own merit (point 10a).
Claiming your stay is carbon neutral based on offsetting emissions (point 4c).
More detail in our greenwashing guide: /sustainable-eco-hotel-claims-greenwashing-rules-2026.

How iQuota helps

We make your property available to AI assistants through a connector, with direct booking, payment at the property and 0% commission. We show what you give us, and we ask you to include only sustainability claims you can back up. We do not certify anything and nobody can guarantee that an AI will recommend a property.

Want an official booking page AI can read and a connector with your real prices, commission-free? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Does it cost money to appear as sustainable on Google?

Google's help mentions no cost for declaring practices in your Business Profile, and Google says hotels do not pay to appear in its hotel results. The eco-certified label requires a third-party certification, which each body charges for.

Does Travel Sustainable still exist on Booking.com?

No. Booking.com took it offline on 25 March 2024 after ACM action. It now shows third-party certifications with a label and a filter.

Will the label move me up in results?

No official data: neither Google nor Booking.com says so on the pages we read.

Sources

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