Sustainability strategy for Yurbban Hospitality Group (YHG)

Yurbban Hospitality Group stands out for its commitment, innovation and constant work in sustainability. Pax#’s objective was to support the group in integrating sustainability principles into its management model, and to provide the group with practical and strategic tools to measure, manage and improve its environmental, social and economic performance in a systematic and consistent manner in all its establishments.

The main challenge of the project was to design a sustainability strategy applicable to a diverse operational structure, ensuring the active participation of local teams, the particularities of each facility and consistency at the corporate level. In addition, it was essential to translate global sustainability criteria into concrete actions, adapted to the group’s reality, which could be implemented, monitored and improved on an ongoing basis.

The starting point consisted on developing a self-assessment tool that made it possible to diagnose the degree of sustainability of the group’s establishments in a systematic and objective manner. This tool was created based on the criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Based on this diagnosis, priority areas for improvement common to the entire chain were identified, which served as the basis for the design of a sustainability strategy for the coming years. This strategy included specific actions such as the development of the group’s sustainability policy, the creation of a unified system of sustainable management indicators, the definition of a responsible purchasing policy and the sustainability certification of certain properties.

The second phase of the project was aimed at building the group’s sustainability policy in a participatory manner and included several stages: the design of a questionnaire to involve the staff in its preparation, the creation of Green Teams in each facility to empower the teams, the holding of a participatory workshop for reflection and joint construction of the policy, and finally, its drafting and publication.

Finally, in the third phase, a system of sustainable management indicators was developed which included the definition of the indicators and their calculation methodology, based on European regulations and best practices in the sector. These indicators were presented to the global Green Team for validation, and subsequently a data collection template was designed and applied to all establishments. The system underwent a pilot test using data from fiscal year 2024 from one of the facilities, which allowed standardization adjustments to be made and a final operational version to be delivered for implementation at the corporate level.

Yurbban Hospitality Group now has a comprehensive strategy that consolidates sustainability as a corporate policy, not only as an aspirational value, but also as a structural axis of its management. It is important to note that by developing this strategy in a participatory manner, it contributes to governance and staff empowerment with sustainability.

A strategy that defines concrete actions aligned with international standards allows for planned progress towards environmental, social and economic improvement objectives. In addition, the development of diagnostic tools and data-based monitoring indicators provides the group with a real capacity for measurement, management and informed decision making, facilitating the implementation of sustainable practices at all operational levels and strengthening the organizational culture oriented towards continuous improvement.