A lack of clear, comparable carbon information is making it harder for UK businesses to choose lower-carbon accommodation for their mobile workforces, new research from workforce travel management platform Roomex has found.
Only one in four (24%) UK business decision-makers can easily compare carbon data before booking workforce accommodation. A further 33% can see the information for only some of the available options, while others (38%) receive it after the booking or not at all.
The findings, published in Roomex’s The Accommodation Visibility Gap report, suggest that many businesses are measuring accommodation emissions after employees have travelled but lack the information needed to reduce them when bookings are made.
Workforce accommodation is essential or important to 71% of organisations, enabling mobile workers to reach sites, projects and customers.
Carbon visibility alone will not determine every booking. Cost, location, availability, or project urgency take priority over carbon impact in 85% of organisations at least some of the time.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) say bookers need approval or cannot select a lower-carbon option if it costs more, is further from the worksite or both.
Keith Watson, president at Roomex, said: “Businesses are being asked to reduce the carbon impact of workforce travel without always having the information they need to do it. The research shows that carbon data is often missing, difficult to compare, or only available after accommodation has been booked. By that point, the decision has already been made.
“Businesses need clear, comparable carbon information while they are weighing up cost, location and availability. That allows them to choose a lower-carbon option where it works for the job.”
The report calls on businesses to connect accommodation search, booking, approval, and reporting data. This would allow carbon to be considered before a room is booked, rather than only measured afterwards.
Roomex helps businesses centralise workforce accommodation booking, improve cost control and bring reporting into one place. Through its partnership with SQUAKE, Roomex also supports CO2e estimates for accommodation, helping organisations view carbon impact alongside the practical information used to manage stays.
