With the EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive set to take effect in 2026, sustainability communication is becoming a legal requirement for hotels across Europe. To help the industry prepare, Map Boutique Consultancy and Rupp Public Relations have released the second edition of The Sustainable Hotel Handbook: Communication — a practical guide designed to help hotels avoid greenwashing, meet regulatory requirements, and build meaningful connections with guests.
Unlike generic sustainability guides, this handbook is tailored specifically for the hospitality industry. It provides a step-by-step roadmap, practical templates, and real-world case studies, making it accessible both to experienced hotel marketers and teams just beginning their sustainability journey.
“We’ve poured years of industry insight into one beautifully designed, practical guide. Interviewing hoteliers throughout the process made it even more valuable. Their real-world experiences helped us shape a tool that actually works in practice,” said Natascha Rupp, Managing Director of Rupp Public Relations GmbH.
The updated edition introduces new tools and resources, including:
A 7-step roadmap for creating a sustainability communication strategy
Checklists and scorecards to evaluate practices
Tools for internal and external messaging
Inclusive communication guidelines
Best-practice case studies from hotels already implementing sustainable strategies
The handbook was created by two female-founded firms — B Corp-certified Map Boutique Consultancy and hospitality PR agency Rupp Public Relations — with the goal of empowering hotel teams to communicate sustainability with clarity, credibility, and confidence.
As European hospitality businesses face mounting pressure to demonstrate transparency and authenticity in their sustainability efforts, this handbook aims to be a timely, evidence-based resource to navigate the transition.
