Closed-door roundtable reveals consensus on energy reduction, supply-chain accountability, and ESG transparency as the sector moves from sustainability storytelling to measurable action
Ecostars, the Sustainability Intelligence Platform for Hotels, hosted the second edition of its Sustainable Hospitality Forum in the Benelux region on October 6 in Amsterdam. The gathering brought together sustainability and operations leaders from across the region’s hotel sector for a closed-door roundtable focused on the practical challenges of advancing sustainability in hospitality.
The forum was designed as a trusted space for candid peer exchange across five core themes: energy efficiency, water efficiency, social responsibility, circularity, and governance and reporting. Participating leaders represented a cross-section of the Benelux hospitality landscape, including Gavin Fraser, Group Director Built Environment and Sustainability at Sircle Collection; Marc B. from Corendon Hotels & Resorts; Tim Wassenaar, Asset Manager at The July; Amber Westerborg, Director of Sustainability & Impact at The Social Hub; Mirjam Kiestra, Director of Sustainability at Stayokay.
During the session, participants spoke freely on their organizations’ strategic priorities. The conversation pointed to a sector aligning around measurable, operational action over symbolic gestures.
Key takeaways
On energy and carbon, consumption reduction emerged as the dominant priority, followed by electrification and the phasing out of fossil-fuel boilers.
On water management, leaders focused overwhelmingly on consumption reduction, both in guest rooms and in high-use common areas such as food and beverage operations, reflecting a growing emphasis on efficiency in the areas where hotels consume the most.
On circularity, a recurrent theme was supply chain and supplier policy. This underscores a maturing understanding that circularity begins upstream, with procurement decisions, rather than solely at the point of disposal.
On governance and digitalization, transparency and ESG reporting stood out as the clear leading priority, well ahead of regulatory compliance and process automation. The finding reflects the pressure the sector now faces under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), under which credible, data-backed disclosure has become a business necessity rather than a reputational nice-to-have.
A sector moving from storytelling to proof
Taken together, the forum’s conclusions point to a Benelux hospitality sector that has moved decisively beyond sustainability as a marketing narrative. Leaders are prioritizing the areas where regulatory expectations and guest demand are converging.
The Sustainable Hospitality Forum is Ecostars’ flagship community initiative, convening sustainability leaders across markets worldwide to build connection and shared progress. Previous editions have been held across Europe and beyond, with the 2026 cycle marking a significant international expansion of the series.