ILUNION Hotels presents its ‘2023 Sustainability Report’
ILUNION Hotels unveils its ‘2023 Sustainability Report’ featuring key ESG milestones and a clear leading position in inclusion and sustainable tourism
June 25, 2024
- On the environmental front, five of its hotels have been certified with the BREEAM seal.
- Socially, over 40% of its workforce is made up of people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations.
- Regarding good governance, it has become the first European hotel company to obtain the EFQM 600+ certification.
ILUNION Hotels has presented its new ‘2023 Sustainability Report,’ which highlights significant achievements framed within its 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, reinforcing its strong commitment to a more responsible future.
According to the report, ILUNION Hotels employs 1,679 professionals, of whom more than 700 (over 40%) have some type of disability or belong to groups with difficulties accessing employment. In its 14 Special Employment Centers, this percentage rises to 70%.
Additionally, the company has added 29 new social partnerships to the 48 already in place; some of these agreements were signed locally by individual hotels, while others operate at the corporate level.
As a major milestone in responsible leadership, the report highlights that in 2023 ILUNION Hotels became the first European hotel chain to achieve the EFQM 600+ Seal. This international certification, awarded by the Club Excelencia en Gestión, recognizes its innovative and sustainable management.
The Most Advanced Certification
With 31 hotels located across the main urban and vacation destinations in Spain, ILUNION Hotels has obtained the BREEAM In-Use certification for 5 of its hotels: ILUNION Atrium, ILUNION Barcelona, ILUNION Islantilla, ILUNION Málaga, and ILUNION San Mamés, with the goal of certifying all its hotels by 2024. BREEAM is the most advanced and globally leading sustainability assessment and certification method in construction, based on the number of projects certified since its inception.
During 2023, the hotel chain also updated the EcoStars certification in several of its hotels and achieved it in those that did not yet have it. This certification is specific to hotels and awards eco-stars based on the environmental impact per stay. Additionally, the hotel chain renewed the Q Sustainable seal in all its establishments, which it plans to expand in 2024 by obtaining the Q Sustainable Life and Q Sustainable SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) certifications.
In the words of ILUNION Hotels’ Sustainability Director, Elena Martín Cuesta, “the report is an exercise in transparency where we address all the progress we have made in sustainability over the past year.” She adds, “Convinced that we can be catalysts for positive change, we aspire for ILUNION Hotels not only to be recognized as the best organization within the hotel sector but also as a true benchmark in sustainability.”
“We know it is possible to be profitable while generating a positive social and environmental impact; we want to inspire a movement for change through our people. We are nearly 1,700 professionals on staff who interact with an average of 5,000 customers daily—an exceptional opportunity to extend our model and transform the world into a more inclusive, sustainable, and humane place,” she affirms.
The company also includes a chapter on innovation in the report, which helps support ILUNION Hotels’ purpose through the successful and meaningful transformation of the business, with new solutions that are incremental, disruptive, and sustainable.
The ‘2023 Sustainability Report’ is the company’s second and can be downloaded on this page.
About ILUNION Hotels
ILUNION Hotels currently operates 31 hotels located in the main urban and vacation destinations across Spain.
Its model is pioneering and a benchmark in universal accessibility, diversity, and social and labor inclusion of people with disabilities within the tourism sector, born from a firm belief in genuine equal opportunities. It is the first hotel company certified in Universal Accessibility (UNE-170001-2) and holds the EFQM 600+ Seal. ILUNION Hotels offers its customers distinctive experiences with the added value of a unique human team made up of more than 1,800 professionals, around 700 of whom have some type of disability, and more than 200 belong to groups facing labor inclusion challenges—exceeding 70% in the case of its 14 special employment centers.
