Sustainability at Hotel Engel – For You, for Tomorrow

Achieving more together.

When we do something, we do it with a lot of heart and passion—especially when it comes to our future. That is why we are not satisfied with quick fixes; instead, we take a close look at what truly works in practice.
The same applies to sustainability: there are many approaches and programs—some simple, others very complex. It was important to us to find a path that fits our highly diverse hotels and clearly demonstrates the importance we place on sustainability.
That is why we developed our own sustainability program: with a comprehensive catalog of criteria and specific goals that our member hotels set for themselves and implement step by step. In this way, we want to show our hotels and guests the many different ways sustainability can be integrated into everyday hotel operations. We want to demonstrate what truly lies behind our commitment to “acting consciously.”

Many questions. One goal.

Hotels that participate in our sustainability program document the current status of their efforts through a self-assessment based on our criteria catalog. To be awarded our label, a minimum threshold of 50% of the maximum achievable points is required (based on the information provided by the respective hotel).
We consider, among other things, the following areas:

•         Energy & Construction

•         Food & Kitchen

•         Employees & Family

•         Partners & Suppliers

•         Nature Conservation & Land Management

•         Waste Disposal & Recycling

•         Guest Communication & Marketing

•         Society & Ethical Responsibility

•         Economy & Stability

•         Agriculture & Animal Husbandry (if applicable, i.e., if the hotel has its own farming or livestock operations)

Our criteria catalog includes 307 criteria and is aligned with recognized frameworks (e.g., ISO 14001 and ISO 26000). For example, we ask hotels whether fallow land is converted into orchard meadows or wildflower meadows, or whether a common good balance sheet is prepared. In addition, each participating hotel voluntarily defines 15 sustainability goals that it aims to achieve within the next 24 months (e.g., a complete transition to organic food).
Currently, 41 of the total 59 Familotels (69%, as of 06/26) participate in the sustainability program—recognizable by our sustainability label.

We still have a lot ahead of us.
We are aware that the journey toward sustainable family vacations has only just begun. Our goal is to bring as many hotels as possible along on this path and to continue developing together with them.
That is why we have launched many additional projects that can contribute to sustainable development. For example, there is a joint project on forest education as well as an ideas competition for sustainable investments and improvements.