Circular Tourism

Albania

Chartres Est Greet Hotel

SECTION 1: BASIC INFORMATION

SECTION 2: PRACTICE OVERVIEW

  • Short Description of the Practice :

Greet Chartres Est is a 2-star Accor budget hotel completely renovated under the Greet brand. It offers affordable accommodation while explicitly embracing circular economy principles. The hotel’s decor and furnishings are sourced from second‐hand and upcycled items. The hotel emphasises local sourcing and eco‐responsibility: the brand’s charter promotes a local, circular economy and upcycling as part of its identity. In practice, staff continuously add “found” objects to the décor, creating an evolving, playful atmosphere and involving the team in sustainability projects. In sum, Greet Chartres Est is a living demonstration of circular design in tourism, led by Accor’s eco‐conscious initiative.

  • Implementation Period: Ongoing
  • Status:

[  ] Planned [  ] Pilot phase [  ] Fully implemented [X] Ongoing and evolving

  • Thematic Areas Addressed:

[   ] Farm to Fork / Sustainable Food Systems
[X] Waste Management
[X] Resource Efficiency
[   ] Other: ___________

  • Describe how the practice aligns with the selected Thematic Areas.

The Greet Chartres Est practice embodies resource efficiency through heavy reuse and waste reduction. For example, the entire hotel was equipped with thrifted, second-hand repurposed furniture. This means existing materials are given a second life instead of buying new ones, cutting material consumption and extending the life of existing objects, a pillar of the circular economy. Staff are encouraged to update the décor with new salvage finds over time, continuing this good habit beyond the initial inception of the hotel. Products are chosen for durability and easy repair, and waste is minimised. As the Greet brand prioritises recycling and upcycling over one‐off disposables, making sustainability a cornerstone of its activity. Every element of the hotel is managed with efficiency in mind, aligning the practice closely with circular economy principles.

  • Explain how this activity fits within the tourism sector.

This initiative fits perfectly in the tourism and hospitality sector, specifically economy lodging by combining budget prices with sustainable values, also raising awareness among those travelling on a low budget. Greet is positioned as a youth‐oriented and eco‐friendly economy brand, reflecting broad travel trends: Accor reports that 73% of European travelers seek more sustainable options, but 46% are not willing to pay more for it. By offering eco-friendly stays with modern design, a local engagement and budget pricing, Greet Chartres Est meets that demand. Greet, and more specifically here Greet Chartres Est, thus creates a sustainable hospitality experience on a budget pricing, something that travellers are increasingly seeking, enriching Chartres’s accommodation options with circular economy features.

  • What learning value for VET training, curriculum development or capacity-building of professionals does the practice offer ?

Greet Chartres Est provides concrete learning opportunities for vocational education and professional training. It serves as a practical case of circular tourism operations: trainees can study how to run a hotel that reuses materials, manages waste, and supports the local economy. For example, the hotel partners with upcycling organisations such as Emmaüs, a French social enterprise network that collects donated goods, repairs and resells them to support people in vulnerable situations, and Selency, an online marketplace specialising in second-hand and vintage furniture and décor. By sourcing furnishings from these partners, the hotel demonstrates how reliable collaborations with reuse-oriented organisations can reduce costs while extending product life cycles.

These practices can inform a VET curriculum on sustainable hotel management by showing, in practical terms, how to implement resource efficiency, circular procurement, and community engagement in hospitality. Overall, the project acts as a live classroom for teaching circular economy principles in tourism. The practice can also inspire professionals to explore alternative sourcing of materials and to design appealing hotel or restaurant interiors using quality second-hand furniture and recovered materials.

SECTION 3: CHALLENGES AND ALIGNMENT WITH CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRINCIPLES

  • What challenges or barriers were addressed (based on the report findings)?

[X] Waste management and disposal
[X] Energy/resource use
[X] Infrastructure limitations
[   ] Seasonality
[X] Skills and capacity gaps
[X] Low awareness of CE
[   ] Behavioural resistance
[X] Financial or funding constraints
[ ] Other : ________________________________

  • How were these challenges overcome?

The Greet Chartres Est practice tackled key sustainability challenges through design choices. Regarding waste management and disposal, the hotel minimised waste by eliminating single‐use purchasing and reusing items whenever possible. Rather than simply banning plastic for example, Greet hotels goes further in terms of circularity by recovering and repurposing materials as old furniture is restored or refashioned instead of being discarded. The fact that the hotel received the Green Key certification is proof of their commitment to a green, eco-friendly hospitality business. Regarding financial constraints, by upcycling decor, renovation costs were greatly reduced, the aim being to make a hotel more sustainable while being on a low budget. Working within an existing building, the team innovated with movable, modular furniture and communal spaces to maximise utility, thus helping to bypass both infrastructure and financial limitations. Through these measures, the project overcame hurdles: it transformed a dated economy hotel into a modern eco‐friendly one without excessive new expenditure, while trying to embed circularity at every step.

  • Which circular economy strategies does this practice address?

[X] Waste reduction / reuse / recycling
[   ] Renewable energy / energy efficiency
[   ] Water conservation
[X] Circular product/service design
[   ] Sustainable food systems / short food chains
[X] Eco-certifications or green standards
[X] Repair, refurbishment, or reuse of infrastructure/furnishings
[   ] Digital tools for circularity or sustainability

  • Describe why this practice can be considered as a ‘best practice’ and how it contributes to one or more circular economy principles:

Greet Chartres Est exemplifies what a best practice can be from a circular tourism perspective. It fully implements the circular economy’s core principles: reduce, reuse, recycle. The project follows a closed‐loop logic as materials and furniture are kept in use and transformed for new usage. For instance, all decor is sourced second‐hand, embodying material reuse and waste limitation, which perfectly aligns with the circular economy principles of longevity and repairability. Social circularity is present too: partnerships with Emmaüs, Selency and other local organisations tie recycling into the local economy. In these ways, the practice not only reduces environmental impact but also creates a positive loop, embodying a lot of important circular economy principles.

  • Describe why this practice can be considered as innovative. What new, creative or underused approach brings added value to circular tourism development ?

The Greet Chartres Est brings creative, underused methods to hospitality. Instead of conventional renovation, the project treated the hotel as a living installation. For example, its “evolving decor” concept (allowing staff to add discovered objects over time) is a novel participatory twist and anchors the business furthermore into a circular idea. Using second‐hand and locally salvaged furniture for a hotel is innovative and deepens the links within the local community by partnering with social partners such as Emmaüs, directly linking ecological goals to community initiatives. Moreover, incorporating playful communal spaces (games, shared library) alongside recycled décor creates a unique guest experience. In sum, the creativity lies in reimagining an economy hotel through circular solutions, an approach that truly goes beyond standard “green” gestures and infuses sustainability into the very identity of the business.

SECTION 4: COLLABORATION

  • Describe any collaboration that were involved in the development of this practice ? Did this practice involve local authorities or other groups?

The development of Greet Chartres Est involved multiple partners. Accor itself (via its Greet brand) drove the project, applying its eco‐design guidelines. It collaborated with upcycling organisations, working with Emmaüs or Selency to source used furnishings. The Green Key certification that the hotel received demonstrates collaboration with a sustainable value chain, further asserting the green and sustainable identity of the business. Altogether, during its development the initiative involved its corporate parent, local social groups and different organisations and businesses committed to advancing sustainability and a circular economy.

SECTION 5: RESULTS AND REPLICABILITY

  • What measurable results or outcomes were achieved?

The practice has achieved clear and positive outcomes. Greet Chartres Est has earned the Green Key certification, reflecting compliance with sustainability criteria, providing its commitment to sustainable tourism.

Guest and client feedback is very positive, the hotel holding a 4.4/5 rating from hundreds of reviews on the Accor website, showing it is entirely possible to balance a great hospitality experience and sustainability objectives.

Accor’s ambitious expansion of Greet shows confidence in the model, as 40 Greet hotels had opened by late 2024 and 200 more are planned by 2030, proving the viability and success of this model, and ultimately showing that the hospitality business can embed sustainability in its identity without having to cut on quality.

  • Why is this practice relevant to the Albanian tourism context?

The Greet Chartres Est experience offers highly relevant lessons. The focus on low-cost, sustainable lodging could suit Albania’s tourism development, as budget hotels with recycled, local furniture can improve sustainability without heavy investments and cater to a growing demand for suitable accommodation related infrastructure. Albanian destinations seeking to boost sustainable tourism might adapt this model to renovate existing hospitality businesses. For example, using local crafts, second‐hand materials and furniture can create distinctive, low‐impact hotels, guest houses and hospitality businesses. Given the increasing global demand for green travel, with, according to Accor 73% of European tourists seeking more sustainable tourism and accommodation offers,

Albanian professionals could aim at using similar circular practices to attract visitors who make sustainability a priority when choosing a place to stay. In short, the principles displayed by Greet Charles Est such as reuse and local sourcing are universal and could enhance Albania’s hospitality sector.

  • What is the practice’s potential for further expansion ? How can it be applied or adapted to other Albanian tourism destinations or businesses ?

The Greet Chartres Est model is inherently scalable. Accor’s target of 200 Greet hotels by 2030, demonstrating that the concept is a success and can be expanded. The core ideas of upcycled furnishings, modular design and local sourcing can be applied to other sites: for instance, dated hotels in any region can be refurbished economically using local second‐hand resources and furniture. It is a great way to display Albanian traditional furniture, crafts and items that provide an immersive experience for tourists. In an Albanian context, similar initiatives could be launched in regional towns by partnering with local organisations and artisans, as Greet does with Emmaüs. The success of Greet proves that hotels do not require new or expensive furniture to appeal to guests if the design and storytelling is compelling, which is something that can be easily implemented in the Albanian context. Essentially, any tourism business with an old inventory could adopt the Greet Chartres blueprint: source furniture from thrift networks, train staff in circular practices, and market the stay as eco‐friendly. Because the model reduces renovation costs, it is financially attractive for expansion, and it can be scaled up or down relatively easily.

  • What advice would you give others looking to implement a similar initiative?

Future practitioners should emphasise creativity and partnership. Greet has shown that having a strong partnership with local reuse organisations like Emmaüs is key to source quality reclaimed furniture and ease the finding of such second-hand furniture. As Greet’s experience shows, this “makes new from old” idea can work with effective partnerships. It is important to plan the hotel layout modularly so that materials last longer, and to have adaptability in mind: as the furniture is not chosen from an extended catalogue, it is essential to be able to adapt and to be ready to change things to valorise the new furniture that is received. It is also extremely important to market the business and use storytelling to carefully and accurately convey the message of a sustainable and eco-friendly business, in an extremely competitive market.