10 questions for… Issue 02

What makes their platform special is that each of the – currently around 100 – hotels is personally assessed according to eight strict sustainability criteria – from environmental protection and energy efficiency to sustainable water management. The assessment is based on the sustainability goals of the United Nations and the standards of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
GRAL cooperates with Select Green Hotels, particularly in the course of our planning for incentive trips and small meetings, in order to be able to offer convincing sustainable hotels with a clear conscience.

To kick off the new year, we met Isabelle von Crailsheim, founder of Select Green Hotels, and asked her 10 questions…

1. what is special about the hotel (booking) platform you founded?
Isabelle: We combine sustainability in hotels with our standards of aesthetics and good service. Above all, we want to inspire people to travel more consciously by only including very special hotels in our selection.

2. what inspired and drove you to get this company off the ground?
Isabelle: Through my many journeys, I have travelled to wonderful places time and again and got to know hotel projects that have made a lasting impression on me. But I’ve also seen beaches full of mountains of plastic and people living in extreme poverty on the doorstep of luxury hotels. I had long realised that I personally wanted to travel more consciously. I wanted to put this into practice as soon as we emerged from the first coronavirus travel restrictions and realised how difficult it is to find beautiful sustainable hotels. When I wrote the concept for Select Green Hotels at the end of 2020, there were no sustainability filters on the major platforms. And apart from a few sites that I didn’t find aesthetically pleasing, there was nothing. So I set myself the goal of closing this gap.

3. what were the biggest challenges for you in the start-up process?
Isabelle: Setting up my own booking system. This is extremely complex and cannot be compared with a simple online shop. I come from a marketing background and had no idea about IT or tourism sales. But I got to grips with it and we are constantly developing it further.

4. what are you particularly proud of in retrospect?
Isabelle: The great selection of hotels in our portfolio. The response from the industry was very positive right from the start. That shows me that I had the right instinct with my concept.

5. what goals do you have for Select Green Hotels in the next few years?
Isabelle: We have already started to expand our offer beyond the borders of Europe and we will continue to do so over the next few years. Step by step, we want to be able to offer hotels on all continents.

6. what kind of hotels can be found on your platform?
Isabelle: From the super exclusive Andalusian farm, to design-heavy city hotels with a cultural programme, to dreamy family resorts, there is something for almost every type of traveller. Always with a unique concept and design. The hotel is often the real experience because it is so special.

7. what are your criteria for accepting new partner hotels?
Isabelle: We work with eight sustainability criteria, including careful resource management and topics such as social commitment and wellbeing. We also make sure that the hotels are owner-managed or belong to small hotel groups. We want to create unique experiences for our guests, and the best way to do this is with individual hotels. Service and a certain aesthetic are also part of this.

8. what does ‘sustainable travel’ mean to you?
Isabelle: I like the term conscious/mindful travel much better. Making conscious travel decisions, being aware of the impact of travelling on the environment, the local culture and the people. It’s about acting responsibly, conserving resources and supporting local communities. By making sustainable choices, travelling can be a positive force, even for yourself.

9. what is particularly important to you personally when travelling?
Isabelle: Authentic experiences. Getting to know as much as possible about the country and its people. The focus varies depending on the trip. I want to try local food and get to know the culture when travelling abroad. It’s also always important for me to know that we are acting responsibly and keeping our footprint small.

10.. And last but not least: What is your personal travel tip for 2025?
Isabelle: Definitely travelling in the low season and choosing destinations that are less crowded. The trend is called ‘Detour Destinations’: instead of the typical hotspots, choose places that are still relatively free of mass tourism. For example, the Greek island of Skyros instead of Mykonos, or Piedmont instead of Provence.
For me personally, the Azores, a volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean with fascinating biodiversity, are at the top of the list. On selectgreenhotels.com you can find wonderful hotels in all these destinations.