What it is, and what it isn’t
The eco-score is a comparative information tool. It gives every property a score out of 100, based on public criteria, using the same scoring scale for everyone. Two places with identical equipment get an identical score, always.
It is not a label, not a certification, not a guarantee of compliance. We issue no seal. We sell no distinction. A property cannot “buy” points, and no host can change their score other than by changing what they do.
The difference matters, and we hold to it: a label asks you to trust it. A calculation lets you check.
The scoring scale, in full
Seven dimensions, one hundred points. The weight of each is not arbitrary: it reflects real impact.
| Dimension | Points | What is taken into account |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 20 | The biggest item, by a long way. A place that generates its own electricity scores far higher than a place that changes its light bulbs.Énergie solaire (9) · Électricité verte (8) · Pompe à chaleur / géothermie (5) · Biogaz (5) · Chauffage au bois (3) · Éclairage LED (2) |
| Water | 15 | Rainwater harvesting, natural filtration, spring capture, low-flow fittings. In dry regions, this is the criterion that ought to decide everything.Récupération eau de pluie (9) · Bassin naturel / baignade écologique (6) · Eau de source (4) · Économiseurs d’eau (3) |
| Waste | 15 | What leaves the property, and what never comes in.Toilettes sèches (8) · Compostage (7) · Zéro plastique (5) · Tri & recyclage (3) · Produits biodégradables (3) |
| Food | 15 | What ends up on the plate sometimes weighs more than the heating.Petit-déjeuner bio (8) · Produits bio & locaux (7) · Potager / jardin nourricier (5) · Ferme sur place (4) · Apiculture (3) · Repas sur place (3) · Options végétales (3) |
| Mobility | 15 | The blind spot of sustainable tourism. A flawless ecolodge you can only reach by car, 600 kilometres away, has lost its bet before you arrive.Borne de recharge électrique (7) · Vélos à disposition (6) · Gare à proximité (5) · Accessible sans voiture (5) · Navette (4) · Canoë / kayak (2) |
| Construction | 10 | Bio-based materials, local stone — or the renovation of an existing building, often the greenest move of all, since there is nothing to build.Éco-construction (10) · Bâtiment écologique (6) · Matériaux naturels (5) · Toiture végétalisée (4) · Rénovation écologique (4) |
| Certifications | 10 | Labels audited by an independent third party. They do not make the score: they confirm it.EU Ecolabel (10) · Green Key / Clef Verte (9) · BIO HOTELS (9) · Umweltzeichen AT (9) · Viabono (8) · Flocon Vert (8) · GSTC (8) · TourCert (7) · Biosphere Tourism (7) · Legambiente (7) · Ecocert (7) |
| Total | 100 |
Every dimension is capped: stacking three energy systems will not take you past 20 points. A place that ticks every box does not exist, and that is not the point.
Where the data comes from
The certifications — verifiable with the body that awards them. We only count labels checked by an independent third party. A self-declaration is worth nothing here.
The equipment declared by the host — line by line: panels, rainwater tank, dry toilets, vegetable garden, charging point, nearest station. These declarations are published on the listing — the host gives their word in front of their guests, not to us alone.
The cross-check — we set what the host declares against what is publicly available: their own website, the registers of the certification bodies, the reviews of travellers who have slept there. Anything that does not check out earns no points.
What we do not do
We do not send an auditor to sleep on site. We do not go through electricity bills. We do not claim to measure a carbon footprint, because we do not have the means to, and nobody should claim it without them.
What we do, and what almost nobody does: we publish the scoring scale, we publish the breakdown, and we let you judge. A property scoring 72 also tells you why it is not on 90.
What a score does not tell you
It measures neither comfort, nor the beauty of the place, nor how kind the host is.
And it does not measure your journey. If you fly for three nights, the flight will weigh more than everything the property saves. The score rates the place — the trip is on you.
Frequently asked questions
Is the eco-score a certification?
No. It is a comparative calculation, carried out by ecobooking from public criteria. We issue no label and certify no one. The only certifications that count here are those awarded by independent third-party bodies, and they are worth at most 10 points out of 100.
Can a host pay for a better score?
No, and that is structural: the score follows mechanically from the public scoring scale. No paid option, no promoted placement, no negotiation can change it. The only way up is to install, change or prove something real. A host can, on the other hand, buy a placement or a sponsored article — these are labelled as such, and they earn not a single point.
At what score is a property “good”?
We set no threshold and hand out no distinction. A score is read in context: an urban property you can reach by train does not have the same levers as an isolated farm. Look at the breakdown rather than the total.
Is the score updated?
Yes. It is recalculated every time the listing changes. A host who loses a certification sees their score fall automatically. Any traveller can report a gap between what is announced and what they found on site: we look into it, and we correct it.
Why don’t you measure CO₂ emissions?
Because a serious carbon footprint requires consumption readings we do not have. We would rather assert nothing than put forward a figure nobody can check. We also award no points to “carbon neutral” claims built on offsetting.
What happens if a host declares equipment they don’t have?
Their declarations are published on their listing: they make them in front of their guests, who sleep there and see for themselves. A report triggers a check, a correction of the score, and removal of the property in the case of a deliberate false declaration.
See the scoring scale at work
Every listing shows its score in detail, dimension by dimension. You can redo the calculation yourself.