Your questions answered.
What makes the Eco Stay Awards different from other sustainability awards?
Built on verified data. Entries are only eligible once the property’s data has been independently verified by HLB International and scored against our framework.
Judged against clear criteria, not brand size. Hotels are assessed against four dimensions — Innovation (25%), Implementation (20%), Engagement & Best Practice (25%), and Impact (30%) — not against each other. Smaller and boutique hotels have just as much chance of success as global brands if they focus on the right categories.
GSTC-aligned categories. 30 categories map to four pillars: Environmental Impact, Local Community, Cultural Heritage, and Sustainability Planning.Clear, guest-facing outcomes. Winners receive assets that show up where guests decide — OTA (Online Travel Agency) copy blocks (e.g. Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda), logos for websites, and in-room communications (digital welcome screens, QR codes, guest letters, tent cards) — plus judges’ comments for credibility.
Portfolio lens for owners. Entries can be pooled across your portfolio, comparative data identifies where you’re strongest, and recognition can be amplified across multiple hotels.
If we enter multiple hotels, how does it work for portfolios?
Comparative insight. Portfolio benchmarking highlights which hotels are strongest in which categories, guiding where to focus entries.
Roll-up storytelling. Multiple wins become a group leadership story for owners, destinations, or brand families.
Pooled entries. You can pool the award entries you plan to pursue across your portfolio and allocate them to the properties where they fit best.
Scale milestones. When we reach 20+ verified entries, we can co-host a branded Eco Stay Showcase to amplify the portfolio and national leadership.
What do we actually get if we win?
🏆 Trophy & framed certificate – tangible proof of leadership for property, brand, and owner reporting.
🔗 Logo suite for OTAs, website, and print – a guest-facing trust signal at the moment of booking.
📝 Judges’ comments in an expanded profile – independent validation you can share with owners, boards, and partners.
📣 Guest-facing content pack – templated OTA copy, social posts, and in-room comms to activate recognition quickly.
📊 Portfolio amplification – wins aggregated across hotels to position the group as a sustainability leader.
How are the awards judged, and who are the judges?
Process: After verification, entries are scored against the four criteria: Innovation, Implementation, Engagement & Best Practice, and Impact.
Judges: An independent panel of sustainability experts, hoteliers, academics, NGO representatives, and industry leaders.
Selection: A new panel is invited each year to ensure expertise across environment, community, culture, and sustainability planning. Some continuity is maintained for consistency, but it is not always the same group.
Independence: Judges operate separately from both Tuu and HLB International. This creates a third- and fourth-party system: HLB verifies the data (third-party), and the judges assess entries (fourth-party).
Controls: Consistent weighted scoring, documentation checks, discrepancy resolution, conflict-of-interest declarations, and appeals (procedural only).
Feedback: Every entrant receives written feedback, whether they win or not.
Can this align with our existing certifications (LEED, EarthCheck, Green Key, etc.)?
Yes.
Complementary, not duplicative. The verified dataset often maps cleanly to your existing certification evidence.
Practical advantage. We verify the core data that many certification bodies ask for — so you get the marketing value of awards without repeating audits.
Messaging harmony. Keep your certification for compliance and maturity; use Eco Stay Awards to deliver guest-facing recognition built on verified performance.
How much time and effort is needed from our team to participate?
Minimal lift: six months of consecutive data across energy, water, food, waste, and employment.
Most hotels already track this for ESG reporting or certification.
Tuu provides templates, checklists, and support.
For multi-property portfolios, we can centralise support to reduce the load on individual GMs.
How quickly can we be verified and eligible for awards?
Activation from day one. Sign the contract and receive a launch asset kit (logos, press note, social tiles) to announce your participation.
Verification timeline. Once data is submitted, HLB typically completes verification in 2–4 weeks.
Awards entry. Eligibility is immediate upon verification; entries can be targeted in the same cycle.
What’s the risk of negative publicity if we don’t do well?
No public failures: results and scores remain confidential.
Only winners are announced.
Non-winners retain Bamboo Badge, starter assets, and benchmarking.
Can we align this with corporate ESG or investor reporting?
Yes. The five core metrics map to major ESG frameworks (GRI, SASB, GSTC):
Energy (per m², adjusted for renewables)
Water (per m²)
Food (% local sourcing, % plant-based menu items)
Waste (waste per m², % diverted from landfill, food waste)
Local employment (% local staff, % local managers)
This provides an external data point for board packs, ESG reports, and disclosures.
What if we already run our own internal awards or ESG programme?
Complementary: Eco Stay Awards provide third-party credibility.
Internal programmes build culture; external awards build visibility.
Eco Stay wins can be promoted alongside corporate ESG milestones.
Why do we need to verify first — why not just enter awards directly?
Credibility. Verification creates the trust layer that separates genuine progress from greenwash. It’s conducted by HLB International, one of the world's leading advisory and accounting networks, and is valid for 12 months.
Fairness. Verification ensures all entries start from the same baseline — verified inputs — so judging is about performance against criteria, not marketing resources.
Eligibility. A Verified Bamboo rating (Green/Silver/Gold) is the entry ticket to the Eco Stay Awards. Without it, you cannot submit entries.
How is the US$1,500 verification fee positioned — is that annual?
Positioning: It’s the eligibility step that unlocks the Eco Stay Awards and provides your ESG credibility layer.
Term: The Verified Bamboo badge is valid for 12 months; renewal is required to remain eligible in the next cycle and to keep the trust mark current.
What’s included: Independent verification by HLB International, tiered Bamboo Badge, starter marketing assets (social tiles + press release), and continuing access to the performance dashboard.
Owner framing: Treat the US$1,500 verification as the baseline cost. Awards start from US$2,000 per judged category. Payment is mandatory for each winning category — hotels should only enter categories they are prepared to activate if they win.
What happens if a hotel doesn’t win an award?
No entry fees. You can enter categories at no cost.
Winners-only payment. If you win, the fee is US$2,000 per winning category (mandatory, not optional). If you don’t win, you pay nothing for awards.
Verified value remains. Your US$1,500 Bamboo verification (12-month badge) and starter assets remain in place; you also stay in portfolio benchmarking.
Actionable feedback. Every entry — even non-winners — receives written judges’ feedback with strengths and areas for improvement, so you can target categories more effectively in the next cycle.
Confidentiality. Entries and scores remain private — only winners are announced publicly.
How does entry to the Eco Stay Awards work?
Step 1: Verification. Each hotel must first complete verification (six months of consecutive data, independently verified by HLB International). Proofs such as utility bills, invoices, or HR records must accompany submissions. Once awarded a Bamboo Badge (Green, Silver, or Gold), the hotel becomes eligible to enter.
Step 2: Category selection. Hotels choose the categories that best reflect their strengths. There are around 30 categories across four pillars:
Sustainability Planning (e.g. Climate Leadership, Compliance, Staff Engagement)
Local Community (e.g. Community Impact, Economic Empowerment, Employment Practices)
Cultural Heritage (e.g. Cultural Preservation, Authentic Integration)
Environmental Impact (e.g. Energy Leadership, Water Stewardship, Sustainable Food, Biodiversity)
Step 3: Submission. For each category entered, hotels provide:
Context (local challenges and opportunities)
Initiatives (what was done, who led it, and how it was delivered)
Outcomes (tangible results, backed by data where possible, e.g. % waste reduction, litres saved, % local sourcing)
Evidence (supporting material such as policies, supplier attestations, utility bills, training records, or photos)
Step 4: Judging. Entries are evaluated against four criteria:
Innovation (25%) – new or creative approaches
Implementation (20%) – effective delivery, clear goals, measurable progress
Engagement & Best Practice (25%) – staff/guest/stakeholder involvement, alignment with GSTC best practices
Impact (30%) – measurable results achieved
Judges may also award up to 5 bonus points for extraordinary leadership or initiatives that set new industry benchmarks.Safeguards: discrepancy resolution (third-judge review if needed), conflicts of interest declared, and appeals permitted for procedural errors only (e.g. deadlines, eligibility, conflict-of-interest issues). Appeals cannot be made against scoring outcomes.
Step 5: Outcome. Winners are announced publicly and receive a full marketing pack. Non-winners retain their Bamboo Badge and starter assets, and receive private feedback from judges to help target categories more effectively in the next cycle.
Is this annual or one-off?
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
How are categories selected — can we choose which to enter?
Flexible: hotels or portfolios choose categories that best fit their strengths.
Data-led: benchmarking highlights where properties are strongest.
Portfolio: entries can be pooled strategically for maximum impact.
What if our data isn’t perfect or complete?
Six months of consecutive data required — not flawless records.
Gaps can be filled with estimates signed off by the GM.
Even partial progress can earn a Green or Silver Bamboo Badge, which unlocks eligibility.
What’s the scale of recognition — local, regional, or global?
Not region-limited: awards are criteria-based, not comparative.
Globally credible: aligned with GSTC and independent judging.
Locally relevant: wins can be used to highlight leadership in specific destinations.
Portfolio flexible: multi-country owners can showcase recognition across markets.
What are the next steps if we’re interested?
Activation. Sign the contract, receive your launch asset kit.
Verification. Provide six months of data → HLB completes verification.
Awards. Select categories with our guidance → winners announced → assets delivered.