As Global Head of Sustainability for Hospitality at Amadeus, Agnes Pierce has leveraged her passion for environmental stewardship to play a pivotal role in driving the company’s sustainability initiatives.

She also collaborates with industry stakeholders, including hotels, destination management companies, and other travel sector leaders, to help customers address their sustainability challenges through innovative technology.

With global scope, Amadeus is committed to building a more sustainable and responsible travel ecosystem.

Justin Cooke of World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards met up with Agnes to find out more about her approaches to sustainability, and how collaboration is the key to building a net positive future for tourism.

Agnes Pierce

Justin Cooke: Tell us about the role of Amadeus within the travel and tourism sphere.

Agnes Pierce: “As a world-leading technology company, Amadeus focuses on providing solutions for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, as well as travel agencies, airlines and airports.

Within the hospitality sector, we offer two main types of solutions. First, we provide distribution solutions, connecting over one million properties to a network of travel sellers and travel agents. Second, we offer IT solutions, such as central reservation systems for hotels, guest management solutions as well as business intelligence, data analytics and media solutions.

Our hospitality customers include hotels, as well as mobility providers like car rental companies, insurance providers, and destination management organizations (DMOs).

We are global, acting in all the markets around the world. We are a Spanish company listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange, with headquarters in Madrid.

Justin Cooke: How did you first become involved in sustainability?

Agnes Pierce: “At Amadeus, sustainability is a core commitment, and we strive to integrate it into everything we do. Through our people and technology, we aim to drive innovation and create a positive impact.

Amadeus has been a part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the past 12 years, and we are actively collaborating with industry players to make a meaningful difference in the sector.

On a personal level, I’ve been passionate about sustainability for many years, thinking about how I can contribute to creating a better future for the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point for me, as it prompted deep reflection. Over the past few years,

I’ve witnessed numerous environmental disasters, such as fires and floods in the south of France where I live, as well as around the world. These events motivated me to get involved and take action.

I’ve been with Amadeus for almost 20 years, so I know the company well and have a deep passion for the industry we operate in. I want to see us succeed and do well. When I realized I could combine my passion for sustainability with my work at Amadeus, I saw an opportunity to make a meaningful impact. I got involved in sustainability to help our customers address their sustainability challenges. Environmental issues affect their bottom line, and they need technology solutions to navigate these challenges. That’s how I became involved in sustainability at Amadeus, and it’s now a key part of my day-to-day role.”

Justin Cooke: And how have you embedded sustainability into the Amadeus strategy?

Agnes Pierce: “Beyond hospitality, sustainability is a core focus for our company, and we are guided by four key commitments. First, we have an environmental commitment, where we aim to promote environmental sustainability. Second, we focus on driving social impact, particularly through the external influence we can have. Third, we are committed to empowering the talent journey, which focuses on what we can do for our employees internally. Fourth, we strive to be a reference for trust and integrity. These four commitments help us set specific objectives and guide our efforts to improve sustainability at both the company and corporate levels.

We prioritize supporting both our customers and their businesses, as well as the travellers themselves. Additionally, we collaborate on a broader scale with the entire travel industry to ensure that our sustainability efforts have the greatest possible impact. Ultimately, we are driven by these four key commitments across these different areas.”

Justin Cooke: How have you turned the strategy into reality? And how have you rolled this out across the hospitality sector?

Agnes Pierce: “These four commitments are at the company level, but within the hospitality sector in particular, we have integrated sustainability into our overall business strategy, aligning it with Amadeus’ corporate purpose and values. Our ambition within hospitality is to become the trusted sustainability partner for both the hospitality industry and our customers. To achieve this, we’ve organized ourselves into the Hospitality Business Unit and taken proactive steps to realize this vision.

One of the key initiatives we’ve implemented is the creation of a network dedicated to sustainability, which we call the Sunshine Network, consisting of individuals from various areas of our hospitality business who are passionate about sustainability.

These champions represent different departments, including product management, sales, strategy, marketing, and communications. The Sunshine Network works collaboratively to influence all aspects of our business, ensuring that our sustainability targets and mission are embedded in everything we do.”

Justin Cooke: What are some of the main challenges faced by the hospitality sector?

Agnes Pierce: “Our industry faces many challenges, especially in the area of sustainability. To better understand these challenges and what our customers are going through, we collaborate closely with key industry organizations like the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.

These partnerships provide us with valuable insights into the obstacles our customers, particularly hotels and DMOs, face in their efforts to create more sustainable travel experiences.

We are committed to helping our customers address these challenges. One key finding from our recent research, the Travel Technology Investment Trends report for 2024, is that 87% of hoteliers consider sustainability objectives to be either important or very important for their businesses.

This is a significant finding and highlights that our customers are truly prioritizing sustainability. The main challenges they face are twofold. First, many hotels struggle with gaining visibility into their own ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) or sustainability measures and metrics, which are crucial for informed decision-making. Second, there is a need to effectively communicate sustainable travel options to travellers and raise awareness about the environmental impact of their choices.

The Travel Technology Investment Trends report reveals that booking behaviours are shifting, with travellers increasingly seeking more sustainable travel options. Hoteliers who actively showcase their sustainability efforts are seeing positive recognition, as these actions are increasingly valued by consumers.

The research also revealed that 43% of travellers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable travel options. This is a crucial insight that our customers need to consider when shaping their offerings.

Another important challenge, which affects not only our customers but the industry as a whole, is the need to foster more inclusive travel. We are focused on finding ways to make travel more accessible for underserved demographics by addressing their specific needs. This is an ongoing challenge within the industry that we are committed to helping solve.”

Justin Cooke: What is Amadeus doing to address these challenges?

Agnes Pierce: “The challenges are broad so it’s essential to determine where to focus our efforts. Right now, our priority is to understand the critical needs of our customers and what matters most to them.

Our current approach to collaborating with customers involves first exploring the solutions they need. We aim to identify their specific requirements and how we can align our product offerings to help them achieve their sustainability goals. This process allows us to determine how we can enhance our existing portfolio to better meet their needs.

Additionally, we’re exploring opportunities to support our customers through joint initiatives, which can help address these challenges more effectively.

For example, we partner on impactful projects, such as community programmes and training initiatives. These are key areas we are exploring together.

This is a crucial time for us to reflect and collaborate on innovation projects that will shape the future. It’s an opportunity to identify where we can innovate, particularly in the areas we’ve prioritized. These priorities include increasing visibility, ensuring that guests are informed and sustainability information is clearly displayed. We are also focused on how to provide better visibility for travellers, how to measure and manage ESG and sustainability data, and how to operate more efficiently.

These are the key areas we are actively working on with our customers, aligning our efforts with their sustainability goals.

I’d also like to share more about the priorities that industry organizations are focusing on. For example, in our collaboration with the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, we’re working on several key areas. One of the main priorities is the unification of data and the standardization of data reporting practices across the entire industry. Currently, the data is fragmented and lacks consistency, so this is a crucial issue we’re addressing together.

Another important area is how to educate and empower the next generation of hospitality professionals to adopt sustainable practices. There is an ongoing programme dedicated to exploring how we can achieve this goal.

Lastly, we’re working with industry organizations to improve accessible travel. Our focus is on finding ways to make travel more inclusive and accessible for all, ensuring that underserved demographics can fully participate in the travel experience.

This work is primarily with the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, but we also have significant involvement with the Travalyst Coalition. Alongside other members of the alliance, including online travel agencies and technology players, we focus on bringing sustainability data into the spotlight and making it more visible to consumers and travellers.

Specifically, I am part of the Travalyst Accommodation Working Group, where we tackle the challenges related to sustainability in the accommodation sector. Our goal is to ensure that sustainability data is clearly communicated and accessible to travellers, helping them make more informed, sustainable choices.”

Justin Cooke: At the recent World Sustainable Travel Hospitality Awards, Travel4Impact won ‘World’s Leading Sustainable Education & Training Programme’ and you were named ‘World’s Leading Sustainability Leader’. Tell us about the process and why is recognition so important?
Agnes Pierce: “First, I just want to say that I feel incredibly honoured to have been recognized for the efforts we’ve made in my company to promote sustainability within the hospitality sector.

This year, we’ve taken significant steps, including mobilizing our internal teams through initiatives like the Sunshine Network within Amadeus Hospitality to drive sustainability forward. We’ve also joined forces with the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, taking an active role, as well as participating in the Accommodation Working Group of Travalyst.
In addition to these efforts, we’ve conducted research to better understand the industry’s priorities and align our strategies with the broader goals for sustainability.

This recognition has motivated us to focus even more on sustainability within our company, and it’s gratifying to see how far we’ve come. Personally, I am incredibly proud and honoured to have received this award, especially for the inaugural edition of this programme.

I hope it continues to be successful in the future, but there’s something particularly special about winning the very first one.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the process, from those who made the award possible to those who sponsored it. It has been a fantastic opportunity. Congratulations to all the other nominees and winners in their respective categories as well – this has truly been a tremendous experience.”

Justin Cooke: In your view, how far has the travel and hospitality sector progressed on its sustainability goals?

Agnes Pierce: “Currently, Amadeus’ sustainability goals are corporate-driven, and this extends into our hospitality unit. Our primary focus is understanding the priorities of our customers and the broader industry and working towards addressing them. We are closely monitoring developments within the industry, staying informed about the outcomes and decisions made at key events such as the NYC Climate Week and the COP conferences.

We are committed to collaborating with other industry bodies to address these challenges. Collaboration is essential, and we believe that working together with key stakeholders is crucial to driving meaningful progress.

Our sustainability goals are driven collaboratively with the World Sustainability Hospitality Alliance and other stakeholders. We are committed to closely monitoring our progress and working together with other industry partners to achieve these objectives.”

Justin Cooke: What is the one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is perhaps embarking upon their first step on the journey to working in sustainability?

Agnes Pierce: “Sustainability is a fascinating but broad topic, and it can sometimes feel overwhelming with all the tasks that need to be addressed. It might be unclear where to begin or what to prioritise. For anyone looking to get involved in sustainability, I would offer two pieces of advice. First, focus on identifying a specific area of the business where you can make a real impact. It’s important to understand what the key issues are – this is known as materiality – a concept that is frequently used in sustainability.

The second is to remember that sustainability is a journey, and you can’t do it alone. It’s essential to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders and industry players. Whether within your business or across the broader industry, you need to find allies to join you in this journey. Only through collaboration can we make sustainable travel a reality.

We often say it, and I truly believe it: collaboration is essential. We won’t achieve anything if everyone focuses solely on their own agenda and objectives. Working together is absolutely key to making progress.”