About Travelife Certification
Below we have answered some frequently asked questions and have listed some of the things you might notice when staying at a Travelife Certified property .
Click here to view the Travelife Certification Requirements which is the full set of requirements that properties are audited against every two years.
What does Travelife Certification mean?
It means that, following an inspection audit of an accommodation provider, we have found evidence that they comply with 100% of the Travelife Certification Requirements Version 1.0. You can click here to view these requirements and to see which ones may not apply to certain types of properties. For example, we do not require properties with 5 staff or fewer to do formal training on some topics.
How we verify a property is compliant with our requirements
We use third party verification to establish if a property complies with our requirements. That means that we use independently contracted auditors to carry out all auditing activity, whilst the Travelife certifications team in London quality check auditor reports to decide if they agree with the auditor’s compliance judgement for each individual requirement.
Once we are satisfied that sufficient evidence has been seen for 100% of the applicable requirements, we certify the property. The certification is valid for two years when, if they wish to recertify, they must repeat the process again with another inspection audit.
How we ensure a property maintains compliance
From 2025 we are introducing certification check-up audits. These happen about one year after the inspection audit and the auditors carry this out remotely. The property must upload evidence to an online portal showing that they are compliant with a smaller number of requirements.
The auditor reviews the evidence and completes an audit report that is quality checked by the Travelife certifications team. If they agree with the auditors compliance judgements, the property is able to keep their certification until its original expiry date. If not, their certification is withdrawn and, should they wish to continue, they must start the certification process all over again with a new inspection audit.
Unfortunately it is impossible for us to constantly check for compliance so if you see something at a Travelife Certified property that you think is in breach of our requirements, please let us know. You can use this feedback form that is always available on the front page of this website. However, if you believe that someone is in danger or that the law is being broken, please report this issue to the local authorities in the first instance.
Look out for the Travelife Certification mark
Certified accommodation providers and travel companies may use the Travelife Certification logo (pictured below right) to show that a property has a current Travelife Certification. However, sometimes a logo is displayed when it should not be, perhaps because a property with an expired certification forgot to remove it from their website or, in the case of travel companies, the information was correct when they printed their brochure but is now out of date. You are welcome to contact us with any other questions you may have about Travelife certification and the certification logo.
You can use this website to find out if a property has a current and valid certification. Click here to search for a Travelife Certified property.
If you are visiting a Travelife Certified property, they should be displaying their certificate in a public area. If you look at the bottom of the certificate, you will see an expiry date as shown in the example below.
If you think a property is incorrectly using the Travelife Certification logo please let us know using this feedback form and we will follow-up immediately.
What can a guest expect to see at a Travelife Certified property?
You can click here to view Travelife Certification Requirements so you can see exactly what properties are expected to do. However, a lot of this happens behind the scenes so below we have summarised some of the things a hotel guest might notice.
Systems should be in place to reduce consumption of energy and water. Sometimes these are not obvious to guests because they involve things like sensors, timers and flow restrictors, but you might see signs or notices reminding you to save water or energy.
There should be a system to reduce the unnecessary laundering of things like towels and sheets. For example, you may be asked to hang up your towel if you are happy to reuse it again, or to volunteer to only have your room serviced every third or fourth day.
If recycling is available in the destination you are visiting, you should see information about how to separate your waste. However, do not be too quick to judge if you do not see this as sometimes it happens behind the scenes. For example, housekeeping might separate waste from rooms as they collect it each day. Ask the property if you want information about how they treat waste.
All staff should receive training about child safeguarding and human exploitation (e.g. trafficking), including how to report suspected instances. If the property you are staying at was audited after January 2024, you should also be able to find information about how guests can report suspected instances of child exploitation and abuse.
There should be a way for guests to provide feedback about sustainability at the property.
The property should be supporting their local community through things like buying local goods and services, organising clean-up events, helping with a charity initiative, volunteering and perhaps even asking guests to support this work too.
You should be able to easily find information about things to see and do outside the property such as shopping, eating out, nightlife, attractions, etc. You should also be able to find any necessary information about how to respect the local way of life and any natural areas near the property.
If public transport is available and safe in the destination you are visiting, the property should make it easy for you to find out how to use it as an alternative to private taxis or cars.
There should be aspects of local culture and heritage respectfully incorporated into the guest experience. For example, some local dishes on the menu, local artwork and so on. However, any indigenous peoples must have been consulted about how their culture is represented and all cultural intellectual property rights must be respected.
The property should not be selling, displaying or offering anything made from endangered species. If they harvest any species from the wild, they should have an appropriate permit or license to do so and can verify this is being done sustainably. The same applies for selling and/or displaying any items of cultural or historical significance such as antiquities.
We discourage any activities or attractions involving human contact with wild animals or any type of performing animal, but if there are any at the property then they should meet ABTA’s animal welfare requirements that you can read here.
You should be able to easily find information about the property’s sustainability work and, if they have been Travelife Certified for more than 1 year, information about their sustainability performance. For example, they might publish a policy or report on their website or put it in their guest app.
Other frequently asked questions
We are proud to work with everything from tiny guesthouses to mega-resorts! Whilst the bulk of accommodation we work with falls into the hotel and resort category, we are always interested in expanding the type of properties that we work with and do our best to never turn away any type of property, anywhere in the world, that wants to be more sustainable.
Although we require 100% compliance with the Travelife Certification Requirements, our auditors are able to mark certain requirements as ‘non-applicable’ based on local conditions and/or allowances are made about the type of evidence we require. For example, if recycling is not available in a destination we will still ask a property to monitor their different waste streams so they can see if they are reducing the volume of waste they put into landfill, and we will make sure they are not dumping this waste in a way that harms people or biodiversity.
The hotels themselves cover the costs and you can click here to see our prices and inclusions. One thing that sets us apart is our low fees and the fact that there are no hidden costs such as auditor fees and auditor travel. We also do not sell additional products to hotels such as consulting.
Travelife properties have access to a support website where they can find a wide range of tools and resources to help them learn more about accommodation sustainability and to comply with specific requirements. These include e-learning modules, step-by-step guides, templates, examples and self-assessments. Everything is available in English and Spanish, with most resources also in Greek and Turkish. We also have a customer support team who can answer any specific questions they have.
In addition to a detailed training and onboarding system for new auditors, we maintain a comprehensive auditor competency programme that includes annual refresher training and regular observed audits, where a senior auditor evaluates an auditor’s competency during a live audit. Click here to visit our auditor website to learn more about this topic.
More information for accommodation providers
Please visit our main website at www.travelifestaybetter.com that is especially for individual properties and groups interested in becoming Travelife Certified. There you will find detailed information about Travelife certification, our pricing, inclusions and much more.
More information for travel companies
You might be interested in a Travel Trade Support subscription, a low-cost online product (free for ABTA Members) designed for travel companies wanting regular access to a downloadable spreadsheet containing our latest list of certified properties.
We have a more comprehensive package for those who wish to proactively work with us to increase the volume of certified accommodation in their portfolio. Click here to find our more at our main website.
