Part of the Preferred Hotel Group, the Beyond Green global brand has launched with a portfolio of 27 hotels, resorts and lodges which focus on sustainability. Debuting during a time when protecting nature, benefiting local communities and celebrating cultural diversity has grown in importance, the brand invites travel advisors to discover and plan adventures for their clients that align with sustainable travel values through a variety of platforms, tools and experiences. These include a new common GDS chain code—LE; a dedicated brand website; storytelling via its @StayBeyondGreen social media accounts; and exclusive benefits through I Prefer Hotel Rewards.
“Beyond Green was born out of an inspired, natural synergy and shared set of values that was discovered over an initial coffee meeting between myself and Costas Christ, an ecotourism pioneer and global sustainability expert who founded Beyond Green Travel, which Preferred acquired in February 2020,” Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO, Beyond Green and its parent company, Preferred Hotel Group, told Hotel Business. “Working together with an accomplished group of hospitality leaders, we established Beyond Green with a common understanding that there was no other organization doing what we planned to do. As a company, Preferred has always looked ahead to the future to ensure we continue to provide relevant services and support that will help our partners and brand grow and stay ahead of the curve. This is true in strong years but even more so in times of crisis. Right now, as other forces in the hospitality space sit tight or cut back, my family and our company decided to double down on our commitment to use travel as a force for good.”
Costas Christ, brand leader, Beyond Green and president, Beyond Green Travel, also an entity of Preferred Hotel Group, told Hotel Business, “We chose the name Beyond Green because we not only realize the immense importance of environmentally friendly practices, but we also recognize that the travel industry, in essence, sells nature and culture, and it’s our responsibility to protect the very natural and cultural treasures travelers seek to experience and enjoy. Similarly, travel cannot be a positive force in the world without remembering that we are guests in another country and in someone else’s community. We need to respect that privilege and ensure that local people directly benefit from tourism. When we put this all together, travel becomes a catalyst for making the world a better place and also providing guest experiences.”
As part of the launch, Beyond Green has introduced one common GDS chain code for its new brand—LE, which stands for “Love Earth.” Linked under Preferred Hotel Group’s master GDS chain code, PV, this new chain code provides access to all member properties represented within the Beyond Green portfolio. Additionally, to ensure travel advisors are informed on every aspect of Beyond Green’s global portfolio, the brand’s sales team, which also oversees relationships under Preferred Hotels & Resorts, will host a series of initiatives in key markets across the world including training seminars for advisors wanting to learn more about sustainable tourism and how to sell these unique properties.
“Over the years, in speaking with advisors about sustainable travel, I was met with a common refrainment, ‘We are inspired, we care and we want to be part of the growing movement of travel that gives back in positive ways to the people and places we visit. But how can we easily identify the hotels that are truly doing it right?’ The launch of Beyond Green answers that question for today’s travel advisors,” Christ said.
The 27 properties that make up the Beyond Green portfolio at launch:
Americas: andBeyond Vira Vira (Pucón, Chile), Arenas Del Mar Beach Front and Rainforest Resort (Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica), Bentwood Inn (Jackson Hole, WY), Blancaneaux Lodge (Mountain Pine Ridge, Belize), Carneros Resort and Spa (Napa Valley, CA), Cavallo Point (Sausalito, CA), Islas Secas (Gulf of Chiriquí, Panama), Post Ranch Inn (Big Sur, CA), Ted Turner Reserves Vermejo (Raton, NM), The Ranch at Laguna Beach (Laguna Beach, CA) and Turtle Inn (Placencia, Belize)
Europe: Aristi Mountain Resort (Zagori, Greece), Ashford Castle (Co. Mayo, Ireland) and Borgo Pignano (Tuscany, Italy)
Africa: andBeyond Bateleur Camp (Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya), andBeyond Mnemba Island (Zanzibar, Tanzania), andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge (Namib Desert, Namibia), Bushmans Kloof (Western Cape, South Africa), Wilderness Safaris Bisate Lodge (Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda), Wilderness Safaris DumaTau Camp (Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, Botswana), Wilderness Safaris Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp (Kaokoveld, Namibia), Wilderness Safaris Linkwasha Camp (Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe), Wilderness Safaris Mombo Camp (Okavango Delta, Botswana) and Xigera Safari Lodge (Okavango Delta, Botswana)
Asia: InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (Bora Bora, French Polynesia), The Brando (Tetiaroa, French Polynesia) and Three Camel Lodge (Gobi, Mongolia)
“We are very focused on having a diverse global footprint so the traveler looking for this type of experience and commitment from the properties they stay in can find a wonderful place to stay anywhere in the world,” Ueberroth said. “We look forward to welcoming hotels and resorts of all shapes and sizes that are truly committed to the three pillars of sustainability leadership that we have set as the benchmark to join. We have not set a cap on the number of hotels represented within this brand, as we believe that the more hotels that commit to supporting sustainability means that it will be for the betterment of people and the planet. Sustainability is not just about the great outdoors, it is about a way of life and a vision for travel as a force for good that includes urban and rural, on land and sea.”