Relais & Chateaux on a Sustainability Mission

Laurent Gardinier is the new president of Relais & Chateaux, but he is no stranger to the venerable luxury lodging association. The owner of two member properties, he has been with the network for 18 years. And like many fellow members, his properties boast Michelin stars – in his case two stars for the restaurants in each location.

With 580 properties in 65 countries on five continents, the organization’s philosophy remains “creating a better world through cuisine and hospitality.” Each property is owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs – most often families. Members include hotels, restaurants and even ships. All told, there are 800 restaurants with a total of 340 stars in the Michelin guide, including 37 restaurants with three stars, 64 with two stars and 101 with one star. (With a few exceptions, hotels must have restaurants.)

Within the member locations are 600 villas and 157 spas. The properties are small and there are only a total of 13,487 rooms and suites. Impressively, according to Gardinier, the association receives 500 applications a year and 25 are accepted. And each affiliate remains fiercely independent, according to Gardinier, who said Relais & Chateaux has no control over the members’ daily operations. Each property undergoes a standards inspection every three years.

With the common thread of a strong local connection, each Relais & Chateaux represents a different experience – which could be a hacienda in Argentina, a castle in Ireland or a boutique hotel in London. The group also has 146 Routes de Bonheur, suggested itineraries that connect properties. Members generate 2.8 billion euros in revenue annually, with a good percentage of bookings through travel advisors.

There are also three cruise members: Delfin Amazon Cruises, Ecoventura Galapagos and Le Ponant, a sailing yacht. More cruise members would be welcome, according to Gardinier, if they align with the association’s values and standards.

With all the accolades that the association enjoys, Gardinier is bringing a new vision. Aside from continuing expansion, he is laser-focused on sustainability. He has two overriding goals:

1. to maintain the quality of the network
2. to enhance sustainability without “greenwashing.“

While quality has always been a hallmark of the organization, sustainability is now taking a more prominent place under Gardinier’s leadership. While members are inspected on a 500-point scale, those points are being adjusted to add more emphasis on sustainability. In addition, a committee will be formed in January whose sole focus will be sustainability.

The group recently announced an ambitious sustainability plan and released its first report examining the association’s environmental, social and societal impact. The report, called: “In Search of Hospitality in Harmony with the Natural World,” seeks to measure, share and accelerate the association’s progress and highlight the contributions the group’s chefs, hoteliers and restaurateurs can have on the environment, diversity and local communities and economies. The association intends to ingrain decarbonization in its culture. By 2025, half of its members will have measured their carbon footprint, compared with 12% in the baseline year of 2021.

This environmental emphasis is not new, Relais & Chateaux has been active in multiple sustainability campaigns, regularly uniting its members around actions in favor of the environment (two prominent ones are World Oceans Day and Food for Change).

Another priority is “sustainable cuisine,” which takes into account the life cycle of dishes, prioritizing local suppliers and supply chains as well as the preservation of culinary heritage. Finally, the association underlines the importance of gender parity, diversity and the working conditions of employees, as well as “geotourism” and local activism.

As for expansion, the association is very strong in Western Europe, where two-thirds of its members are located. Gardinier said there is room for growth in North America and Asia. However, he emphasized that “while we do pursue properties in the regions where we would like more representation, we won’t go into a market just to be there; standards must be met.”

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