ESG Today reports that the launch comes as more hotel guests consider sustainability as an important pillar of their stay at a hotel and IHG officials said that almost all of its brands are setting low-carbon or carbon neutrality goals. The new program aims to help corporate customers achieve sustainability targets regarding cleaner travel options.

Elie Maalouf, CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts, said that "this is an important next step in IHG’s sustainability journey but it remains one of many we must continue to take. Accelerating change at scale for both IHG and the wider industry also requires broader support from governments ranging from greater access to renewable energy and incentives for owners, to a reduction in the cost of technology that speeds up the industry’s transition to a greener, more resilient future.”

Two levels of "Low Carbon Pioneers" are being implemented to assess the climate performance of hotels. The first is "Low Carbon Hotels", which implies that these resorts have the ability to run exclusively on on-site renewable power, outside back-up generators, and that are backed by off-site green sources and the second is "Low Carbon Ready Hotels", which are also energy efficient and able to produce clean power on-site, but don't have the opportunity to procure off-site green energy

The CEO added that "IHG is committed to working with industry bodies and governments to help achieve this, alongside encouraging more owners to adopt carbon reduction practices and become Low Carbon Pioneers."

IHG officials said that the new program will allow them to verify the effectiveness of sustainability measures across the company's properties, sharing its findings with other industry members to accelerate hospitality decarbonization.