Certified accommodation must meet strict environmental criteria covering energy use, water management, waste reduction and responsible local purchasing, verified through an independent third-party process rather than self-declared claims. Since the first accommodation was certified in 2003, the scheme has grown steadily, and since September 2025 alone the number of certified stays rose from 900 to 1000, an average of ten new accommodations joining every month, with the most remote certified property located on La Réunion in the western Indian Ocean. The Commission points to a Booking.com survey in which 85% of respondents said more sustainable travel matters to them as evidence of why demand for credible, pan-European labels is growing, in a market otherwise crowded with inconsistent or unverified sustainability claims.

The certified catalogue now spans everything from a circular-design hotel room in Germany to a treetop stay in Slovenia and a 19th-century building turned hotel in Prague, illustrating that environmental certification and distinctive guest experiences aren't mutually exclusive. Major booking platforms, including Booking.com and lastminute.com, now let travellers filter search results by recognised sustainability labels such as the EU Ecolabel, giving certified businesses a more direct route to environmentally conscious travellers and giving the label practical relevance at the point where booking decisions are actually made.

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