Certification: Unique advantages for your accommodation establishment.
Your advantages with the ibex fairstay label.
An ibex fairstay award saves operating costs, conserves resources, improves management, increases the efficiency of your business and strengthens the inclusion of regional products and events in the region. It is your contribution to environmental protection, increases the attractiveness for your employees and makes you appealing to your guests.
The ibex fairstay award, which is unique in the tourism industry, is aimed at businesses with high standards of quality and sustainability management. The methodology combines internationally recognized standards with additional criteria and has been specially adapted to the needs of hotels & hostels, vacation apartments and camping .
Clearly defined calculations, analyses of operating data and comparisons with benchmarks provide you with a valuable assessment of where you stand. Our evaluation system enables you to optimize your business in these five relevant sustainability areas and to run it economically and resource-efficiently:
- Management
- Ecology
- Regionality
- Social balance
- Finances and performance
1. saving resources
With our clear analysis of your electricity, water and heat consumption, you can identify the relevant opportunities to save valuable resources and therefore money. An ibex fairstay label is your effective contribution to environmental protection.
2. management tool & quality instrument
ibex fairstay offers certification tailored to the accommodation industry with a holistic, solution-oriented catalog of criteria and measures across all business sectors, all dimensions and all stakeholders. It provides valuable tips and measures the quality of the relevant management and organizational processes in the business.
3. solution and performance oriented
A fairstay award is independent, factual, objective and neutral. The regular, external review protects against operational blindness, brings current issues into the company and makes your commitment to sustainability credible.
4. location determination with clear parameters
Only those who know where they stand can plan where they want to develop. The ibex fairstay methodology precisely calculates your key figures, compares them with the benchmarks and serves as a catalog of ideas on the way to sustainable business management.
5. guest and employee sensitization and loyalty
With our certification, you sensitize and motivate your guests and your employees in the conscious use of resources. Experience has shown that a joint commitment to sustainable development in the hotel industry creates greater customer loyalty and also benefits you when recruiting qualified staff.
6. credible, verifiable communication
With the ibex fairstay label, you can prove that you have achieved your goals with verifiable data and facts. This strengthens your authenticity and creates a strong basis for credible, verifiable communication. In the seminar and congress sector, ibex fairstay is the increasingly demanded and recognized award for a sustainable congress hotel.
7. holistic responsibility
As a bearer of the ibex fairstay label, you are a role model. With your actions, you are helping to ensure that future generations will also experience the quality of our tourism offers in our regions with intact nature, authentic culture and high recreational values.
Forms of accommodation
What type of accommodation does your establishment belong to?
ibex fairstay distinguishes between three different types of accommodation. Read below which type your company belongs to and complete the sustainability check right away. This will tell you whether your business is ready for certification.
Hotels & Hostels
- Hotel with its own restaurant*
- Hotel Garni
- Seminar hotel
- Youth hostel, hostel
- Clinic, Home
Vacation apartments
- Apartment complex or agency
- Rental of vacation homes, studios or apartments
- Breakfast and other food & beverage services not included in the offer. Available to order.
Camping
- Camping with tent and/or pitches, sanitary facilities and reception
- Possible addition with glamping beds and hostel
- Possible addition with own restaurant*
Leading sustainability label
ibex fairstay makes the difference.
The ibex fairstay award has been specially adapted to the needs of hotels, hostels, clinics, campsites and vacation apartments and is aimed at businesses with above-average quality and sustainability management standards.
ibex fairstay certifies according to the so-called 6-eyes principle. The company is audited against our criteria by independent, experienced auditors accredited to the required standards. The final decision on the award of the company is made by the independent certification committee.
Award levels
The four levels of the ibex fairstay award.
Depending on the criteria you meet, you will receive one of the ibex fairstay award levels. Our award makes the sustainable orientation of your company visible, measurable, verifiable and communicable.
Label für Hotels und Hostels
Label für Ferienwohnungsanbieter und Camping
Possibility of combined award
At the same time as the ibex fairstay certification, businesses can also obtain the awards for the international sustainability label TourCert. This saves a lot of time and money - and tedious administrative work.
Learn more about TourCert
Process
The path to certification.
Apply for ibex fairstay certification. We accompany you on the path from analysis to certification and are at your side right from the start with valuable suggestions for saving resources and costs.
1st registration
The possibilities and added value of working with ibex fairstay will be discussed in a personal meeting. You will also be given an insight into the ibex fairstay questionnaire and can form your own opinion.
By submitting the application and signing the confidentiality agreement, you are bindingly registering for the certification process.
After your application has been checked by our office, you will receive our questionnaire. This is an actual working tool that guides you through the certification process and all relevant topics.
2. support and advice
Right from the start, you will receive many valuable suggestions for saving resources and costs and for improving management quality. This also includes tips on optimizing internal processes. You will also benefit from interesting tips on how to effectively communicate your sustainable commitment to your guests and sales partners. We will support you throughout the entire process and are available to answer any questions you may have.
3. audit
As soon as the required documents are ready, you arrange an audit appointment with the independent, external auditor and send them the documents for a preliminary review. The accuracy of the information and compliance with the demanding standards will be checked during the on-site audit. Allow around 6 hours for the initial certification audit.
4. certification
The auditor submits a written application to the independent certification committee. The committee reviews the application, asks questions and makes the final decision on the level of certification. The initial certification is valid for two years. Thereafter, recertification takes place every three years.
5. recertification
The first recertification takes place two years after the initial certification, after which recertification is due every three years. In the meantime, the companies continue to work on their goals and on optimizing their performance. The annually updated action plan serves as an important planning tool.
Q&A
Questions & answers about the ibex fairstay certification.
We are already involved in various collaborations. Why should we enter into another one?
Cooperation is essential in today's world. They save time, promote exchange, expand the network and bring added value for everyone involved. However, ibex fairstay is more than just a cooperation: with certification and the associated sensitization, you promote the respectful use of resources in your company - and you demonstrably save money!
Will this really bring me more guests?
It is the atmosphere and the overall offer that appeals to guests. Therefore, a seal of quality does not directly bring more guests. However, treating people with respect - guests, employees, locals, partners - contributes significantly to a good atmosphere. The ibex fairstay certification process raises awareness of these social values and provides valuable input.
Will the guest understand the meaning of this label?
It is the communication that emphasizes the value of a label and the excellent services that are practiced in the business. Guests can spend their stay in your establishment with a clear conscience. Storytelling is ideal for communication. Turn your regional products into tangible stories with the producers.
What costs should I expect?
The costs for initial certification depend on your annual turnover. The fee from CHF 2,900 includes all documents, process support, the on-site audit and the review by the certification committee. The fee is reduced for recertification. With the precise assessment of the current situation and the measures derived from it, this investment can usually be recouped or even more than compensated for in the first year.
As with all labels, ibex fairstay also charges an additional annual flat rate for branding, ibex fairstay's marketing services for your business and the associated partnerships for your business as well as the ongoing development of services. Businesses benefit from ibex fairstay's partnerships and platforms. The annual communication fee from CHF 950 is also dependent on turnover.
How many people are involved?
The actual effort required depends on the extent to which the company has already addressed and initiated quality management. In order to implement the first valuable measures during the ongoing process and to allow sufficient time for daily business, it makes sense to allow a period of 4 to 8 months for processing.
It is advisable to form a sustainability team consisting of various departments and management levels around the sustainability officer. In this way, the questionnaire can be distributed among several people and initial measures can be put into practice immediately. In this way, a broad-based sensitization of other employees also takes place. It is also important to involve suppliers in the process. They can usually provide important data at the touch of a button and are also sensitized to the importance of sustainable, regional and/or seasonal products. Suppliers are often even grateful for the input and specifications.
How long is a certification valid for?
The initial certification is valid for two years. After that, the company is recertified every three years.
What is the current trend in sustainability?
Many guests consciously want an antidote to the hectic, complex and urban everyday life on vacation. The trend is therefore towards simplicity, slowing down and consciously experiencing things with all the senses. This is where the vacation hotel industry has an opportunity. In the city and seminar hotel industry, the trend is towards the careful use of resources, a recognized certificate for sustainability and personal contact with guests and organizers. An accommodation provider would therefore do well to position itself clearly and advertise specifically to the growing guest segment. Coupled with a harmonious atmosphere, this will be rewarded with good word-of-mouth advertising and an increasing number of regular customers.
Is certification worthwhile for a family business?
Yes, especially for family businesses that want to hand over a healthy business for future generations, it is worthwhile to regularly assess the current situation, initiate measures and tackle far-sighted improvements.
What operational requirements must be met in order to start with certification?
It is essential that the commitment to a sustainable orientation is defined and exemplified by the management. The human and financial resources for its long-term implementation must be guaranteed. In addition, an existing awareness of quality management and a stable management team are helpful.
What are examples of quick and efficient measures?
It is often the sum of many small measures that together bring great benefits and can also be communicated in a motivating way: Use of water-saving nozzles, reduction of food waste through conscious planning or reuse, reduction of heating costs through shock ventilation and clever adjustments to the room temperature. The ibex fairstay management tool offers a wide range of ideas in the areas of management, environment, regionality, social balance, finance and performance in its catalog of measures.
Are there specific regulations/laws in this area for accommodation that must be complied with?
Yes, there are various legal bases, e.g. the Hygiene Act, regulations on occupational safety, the provisions of the National Collective Labor Agreement (L-GAV) of the hospitality industry or the Swiss Code of Obligations, etc.. These regulate the minimum requirements. Sustainable businesses go beyond this.
Does it make sense to take labels or certifications into account in purchasing?
Professional, neutral labels and certifications help you to find the right products. These products fulfill comprehensible criteria and make the selection easier. The same applies to ibex fairstay certified accommodation providers for the right, sustainable choice of vacation accommodation.
Further information.
Information brochure
You can find more information about ibex fairstay in our information brochure:
Deutsch: Informationen ibex fairstay Hotels und Hostels
English: Information ibex fairstay Hotels and Hostels
Your investment in sustainability
The prices for certification by ibex fairstay are fair. They depend on your company's turnover in the previous year. The time required depends on your previous activities and can be estimated in a personal consultation.
Deutsch: Auszeichnungsgebühr ibex fairstay Hotels und Hostels
