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Hotel DEFRA Methodology Update 2024

In 2024, the DEFRA methodology for hotel stay carbon emission calculations has been updated, now aligned with the latest Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reporting conversion factors. These updates are essential for reporting Scope 3 emissions related to overnight hotel stays for business travel. The new conversion factors are accessible via the full UK GHG Conversion factors set, ensuring compliance with the latest sustainability metrics.

Summary of Key Updates

The hotel stay conversion factors for 2024 remain constant since the 2022 GHG Conversion factors were published, although several critical changes have been made:

  • The methodology still draws from the Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index 2021 (HSBI), produced by Cornell University and Greenview. However, due to limitations in the HSBI data (which reports emissions in CO2e without specifying CH4 and N2O emissions), the conversion factors may not align with the AR5 Global Warming Potentials (GWP).

  • In certain countries, the hotel stay conversion factors are based on either AR4 or AR5 standards, depending on the GWP used by the reporting hotels.

  • All conversion factors presented in the 2024 update are in a CO2e basis and were derived from annual data submitted by international hotel organizations using the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Tool (CHSB).

Key Methodological Considerations

  • Data harmonization ensures consistency in CO2e units.

  • Geographic segmentation and property type classifications (e.g., full-service vs. limited-service) were applied to the datasets, with the 2022 study's focus predominantly on higher-tier branded hotels, leading to some limitations.

  • Future updates are expected to expand datasets to cover a wider range of countries and hotel types.

For full details on the 2024 GHG conversion factors for hotel stays, visit the UK Government website.

Bibliography

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