Helsinki, 28 November 2023 

As the first international climate-neutral hospitality provider we’re spearheading a ‘Show Us Your Numbers’ campaign calling for the hospitality industry to strip off and reveal the ‘naked numbers’ behind their carbon footprint.

We’re sharing our GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions per guest night, setting a precedent among our competitors for honesty and responsibility in environmental reporting. As part of this campaign, we’re now calling on the rest of the industry to do the same.

As revealed in our newly released sustainability report we currently emit on average 29 kg (CO₂-eq/guest night)¹ of carbon emissions per guest night, outperforming the standard hotel’s 40 kg (CO₂-eq/guest night)². This latest figure is lower than the 41 kg that we reported the previous year, which was inflated by a substantial expansion that saw our apartment count grow eight fold in a single year. 

By laying bare our numbers, we hope to encourage collaboration and shared best practice within the industry to collectively improve the environmental impact of hospitality. While companies are often cautious when revealing their numbers, transparency and clear reporting is crucial if operators are to learn how to reduce emissions, and travellers are to make informed choices.

We’re a climate-neutral company meaning that we offset our emissions with South Pole action projects, a foundation that works to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, but we know that this isn’t enough. 

For years, we’ve been working on reducing our emissions further and we now reach solid sustainability scores for our properties in Europe. This includes the highest LEED score for design in Europe for the Bob W Koti Katajanokka in Helsinki and a BREEAM (the widely recognized sustainability measurement) excellent rating of 72.4% for its property in London’s Tower Hill.

But we don’t stop there, we’re partnering with commercial property owners whose environmental goals align, and investing in buildings with a significantly reduced footprint, and we’re going even further. 

Responsible partners who share the same sustainability vision are our preference to supply in our apartments. Where possible coffee is provided by local roasters; furniture is designed in partnership with local creatives or sourced from second hand suppliers; eco-friendly toiletries are provided; and guests are encouraged to manage resources in a way that lessens the impact of their stay. We also support local communities with our ‘local marketplace’ including breakfast provided by local cafes and gyms to use during your stay within 500 metres from each apartment.

We’re advocating a radically honest approach to the way the industry reports its numbers and we’re promoting a ‘per guest night’ calculation. This simple metric, similar to nutrition scores on food products, is less open to manipulation and is easy for consumers to understand. The per guest night calculation has already been incorporated into our website to enable guests to make a more sustainable choice.

Niko Karstikko, Co-founder and CEO of Bob W, said:

“A lot of hospitality providers rely on vague reports and sustainability certificates but we believe it is time for a more meaningful approach. There is an urgent need for us all to come together, innovate and share best practice so that we can all operate in a way that is kinder to the planet. Transparency and facts are a key part of that.

“We know we're not the greenest accommodation provider but we are determined to be the most honest, and we're working really hard to help our guests make informed decisions. That’s why, when they book, guests can see the emissions associated with each night of their stay. For example, one night in an ‘Epic Studio’ in Tartu, Estonia, equates to 28.7kg CO₂ ,all totally offset by us.

“This is not a stunt. This is a race we all have to win, and we are totally open to hearing what other providers think the industry’s standardised sustainability metric should be. In fact, that would be the perfect start.”

Check out our 2023 Sustainability Report 

You can learn all about all our climate action initiatives and our numbers, you can view and download the full report here.


¹29 kg (CO₂-eq/guest night) was the reported by Bob W in 2022.
‍²41 kg (CO₂-eq/guest night) was the reported by Bob W in 2021.