How it Works
Hotels for Habitats turns unserviced rooms into measurable environmental action. Guests choose to skip housekeeping. Your hotel keeps the bulk of the saving and donates $5 per room to verified environmental groups. The whole programme runs through a charitable trust deed, with all beneficiaries published and contactable.
Free to join. Open to hotels worldwide. Operating since 2018.
Apply online
There's no joining fee, no contract, and no minimum commitment. You can stop participating at any time.
Set up in your rooms
Print as many as you need.
Report and pay monthly
The portal stores your running totals, generates receipts, and shows where your donations have been allocated.
How guests participate
Guests staying multiple nights see the in-room table talker. They learn that skipping housekeeping triggers a $5 donation from the hotel to a verified environmental group.
If they want to take part, they place the door hanger outside their room on the relevant day. Housekeeping skips that room. Your team records the unserviced room. At month end, you report the total in the portal.
Based on eight years of data from the two founding hotels, up to 7% of occupied rooms opt in. Hotels typically save $30 to $70 per unserviced room in linen, labour, utilities, and amenities. Your hotel keeps the bulk of that. $5 goes to wilderness protection.
The economics
For a 75-room hotel at 70% occupancy:
- Annual occupied rooms: around 19,000
- Rooms where guests defer servicing (at 7% uptake): around 1,340
- Servicing cost saved (at $50 per room): around $67,000 per year
- Donation to wilderness protection (at $5 per room): around $6,700 per year
- Net annual saving for the hotel: around $60,000 per year
These are illustrative figures. Actual savings depend on your servicing costs, room rates, and guest mix. The savings calculator on the homepage lets you model your own hotel.
What you get from the programme
How donations are managed
Hotels for Habitats operates under a registered Charitable Trust Deed. At least 75% of proceeds, after operating costs, go to beneficiary organisations.
Every beneficiary is published on the website with full project details and direct contact information. You can verify donations independently at any time.
Donations are pooled and allocated to projects in New Zealand, Australia, Asia, the South Pacific, and other regions as the network grows. Hotels can request that their donations go to a specific project or region.
Why this works
Most hotel sustainability messaging is passive. A sign on the bathroom wall asking guests to reuse towels. Generic claims about water savings.
Eight years of operational data from the founding hotels shows that direct engagement, where guests can see exactly what their decision funds, drives significantly higher participation than passive prompts.
The visible table talker, the named beneficiaries, the published donations, and the third-party trust deed combine to give guests something to actually trust. That trust converts into action.
Ready to start?
There's no application fee, no minimum commitment, and no contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hotels for Habitats?
Hotels for Habitats is a global initiative partnering with accommodation providers to fund the preservation and revegetation of native ecosystems through a charitable trust. The program supports specific conservation projects including rainforest protection and native replanting, while inviting global hotels to participate.
Why should I join Hotels for Habitats?
Firstly because you will save a lot of money on housekeeping labour costs, laundering costs and other expenses and your own time which will mean your business will be more profitable and therefore more valuable. But secondly, and perhaps more importantly you will be directly helping to improve the environment within your community and around the world and that’s something we should all take seriously. Thirdly, the Hotels for Habitats badge will increase trust in your hotel, lift sales, decrease web costs and increase repeat visitations for longer stays.
How can Hotels for Habitats reduce web costs?
Because a green badge will increase the click through rate for visitors landing on your site and therefore reduce your pay per click costs.
How can Hotels for Habitats increase sales?
Statistically eco conscious guests are prepared to pay more for a hotel with verifiable third party credentials and will often stay longer.
Is The Hotels for Habitats initiative free to join?
YES
Where does the money go?
To various charities whose aims and objectives align with the principles of Hotels for Habitats.
How long has Hotels for Habitats been operating?
Hotels for Habitats was founded in 2018
Where did it start?
Hotels for Habitats is based in New Zealand and started operating there in 2018.
Who started Hotels for Habitats?
Hotels for Habitats was founded by Ernest Duval.
How do you know a hotel will get a conversion rate of up to 7% of occupied rooms?
Because this has been the percentage conversion based on 8 years of data collection from the two founding hotels.
What were the founding trial Hotels?
Fino suites and Hotel in Christchurch and Braemar Lodge and Spa in Hanmer Springs
How do I join?
By going to the registration portal and following the prompts, you will be given a log in number that is used by you to access the reporting portal.
How does the payment system work?
Each month you record the numbers of room donated by guests where they have decided to forgo servicing, and $5 per room is donated to Hotels for Habitats through the Stripe global payment portal.
Do I get a receipt?
Yes receipts are auto generated
Are payments tax deductible?
Yes
Do you operate a charity?
Hotels for Habitats operates under a Charitable trust deed and is required to pass on at least 75% of proceeds after payment of operating costs.
Does a donor have to be a hotel to donate?
No, any person or entity can make a one off or regular donation using the global Donation portal.
Can I specify the charity I want to money to go to?
Yes
How many charities has Hotels for Habitats given to?
Its has given to over 50 at this stage with the number increasing.
Can I suggest charities to donate to?
Yes
Is membership restricted to Australasia and the Pacific?
No, any hotel or accommodation premises anywhere in the world in free to join and we welcome everyone because each makes a valuable contribution..
What if we don’t use dollars, how much do we have to give per room?
We adopt US$3 per room but happy to talk directly if you have unique circumstances.
Do you check a hotel to see if they have recorded the correct number of rooms?
No, we rely on trust with our partner properties because this is bond between the hotel and the environment and we believe hotels etc will choose to do the right thing and be honest
Can I use the Hotels for Habitats branding in my hotel?
Yes as long as the use conforms to our T & Cs and is not used for illegal purposes and providing the brand isn’t altered.
How do I get access to the Hotels for Habitats logo?
Once you have registered and signed off the T & Cs you will have access to the Hotels for Habitats logo and print files. The logo can be attached to your marketing material or placed on your own web site, there is no charge.
Why should I join when I already recycle and use dispensers?
Because there is a lot of scepticism about hotels ‘green washing’ and not being accountable. Hotels for Habitats is a third party verification system that lets guests see their sacrifice in forgoing room servicing actually results in a donation to an environmental group as opposed to any saving remaining exclusively within the hotel.
Why will joining Hotels for Habitats be more effective that simply telling guests to re use towels?
Because most hotels do that and eco conscious guests expect more and expect to see benefits used within the local community.
Why is Hotels for Habitats effective?
The table talkers in the rooms represent a strong visual cue and a call to action within the room which increases the conversion rate encouraging a guest to forgo cleaning because they see transparency in their donation and the system.
How is Hotels for Habitats different from other green hotel initiatives?
Because Hotels for Habitats directly engages with guests and asks them to be part of your hotels environmental program by forgoing servicing in a way that directly benefits you financially but also the local environment.
Why will a guest forgo servicing?
Because increasingly guests want to give back and be empowered to help the environment and this is how they can do it in an engaged fashion
What do you mean by Transparency?
A guest who forgoes servicing then relies upon the hotel to donate to Hotels for Habitats. Beneficiary groups are posted on the site and can be contacted by the hotel and or guest to verify donations have been made.
Can my hotel be published on the site?
Yes and we would encourage that as a way of demonstrating your hotels alignment with important environmental programs around the world. See our Partner Hotels page.
How do you know there is more brand trust in using a green badge?
Refer to the statistics here
What data is there to establish the claims made under the ‘Financial benefits to your Hotel’?
These are outlined in detail in the Statistics page and stem from notable published university and government studies.
How much will I save?
This depends on the cost of your all up room servicing including labour , linen and towel hire, cost of replacement amenities, power, cleaning agents etc. It also depends on the size of the room, number of beds and amenities being offered. We have some hotels where their cost of servicing is up to $70 per room whereas others the cost of servicing may be $30-40. The per room donation is $5 so you would be able to estimate the level of savings.
I’m a small motel so I don’t think I would gain much out of it?
We understand the challenges facing smaller operators and in many respects this program assists them to a greater degree because the owners are often directly involved in housekeeping duties or when staff are off on sick leave, holiday or resign. Any reduction in housekeeping rosters directly saves small teams disproportionally than larger teams especially if the owners are providing their own labour.
I am part of a branded chain, so will Hotels for Habitats clash with this?
No Hotels for Habitats is non branded and non chain affiliated so can site alongside any other brand as well as adding to its brand value.
I have other green initiatives in my hotel so this would have no value?
Its great to hear you have initiatives on board already but Hotels for Habitats is distinct in that it is aimed at the in room guest and asks them directly to help in a way they can as opposed to stating that a hotel is doing what it does to save laundry and power etc, which is now the norm. We need to do more and be pro active. The Hotels for Habitats initiative can operate with your other programs but Hotels for Habitats will increase the conversion rate significantly. During the 8 years trial period, trial hotels operated under both a passive advising guests of the hotel policies in terms of re using towels and linen etc and also under a direct Hotels for Habitats [program and the Hotels for Habitats is significantly more effective.
How are beneficiaries selected?
They are selected based on the alignment of their aims with those of Hotels for Habitats which focuses on re generation, re afforestation and protecting of wilderness areas because these activities form the foundation of environmental well being because they are the basis of all habitats for animals, air and water quality and of course humans. We try to identify grass group volunteer groups because these are often community based and use donated funds effectively.
Where can I find other information on these topics?
You can view the resources library page where we have references to some informative and educational books which we recommend .
Where do I get the door hangers and table talkers from?
Once you have registered through the registration portal and ticked off the Terms and Conditions, you get access to the print ready files for these items. You are then free to print as many copies as you wish. There is a link to a global printing house who can drop ship these to you. You can repeat the printing as you need replacements. We suggest laminating the door hangers to extend their life. If you would prefer we can arrange printing and shipping on your behalf.
What if I want to stop being a part of Hotels for Habitats?
We would be sorry to see you go, but simply advise us and we can remove your name from the web site and de register. Any collateral would need to be destroyed. We would remain open to you rejoining in the future.