About Biohotels.de
Biohotels.de is Germany's largest portal specifically for sustainable organic hotels and nature hotels in Europe.
Story
The project was founded in 2005 by Clemens Scharmann of the wattweb media agency. In 2015, the portal was acquired by Florian Böttger & Georg Pieper GbR (now Galaxia GmbH), who also purchased the domain Biohotels.com and underwent a complete relaunch using the industry portal software discoverize. This relaunch optimized the project's design, content, technology, and usability. As a result, the portal's performance, Google visibility, and ultimately its traffic were significantly improved.
At the end of 2022, the portal was acquired by Sven-Erik Hitzer. Hitzer himself has been an organic hotelier (BIONIER) for 25 years and is therefore no stranger to the industry. From 2019 to 2023, he was chairman of the board of the BIO HOTELS association based in Nassereith, Austria (biohotels.info). With the addition of the .eu domain and a consistent refinement of key criteria, the portal has developed into THE organic portal for sustainable accommodations and restaurants across Europe in just three months.
owner
Sven-Erik Hitzer
Environmental protection – a matter close to our hearts
Because environmental and climate protection is very important to us, we present ecological, climate-neutral hotels on Biohotels.de wherever possible, and we also want to encourage other hoteliers to operate their establishments in an environmentally conscious and sustainable way with the smallest possible CO₂ footprint and to continuously reduce it. Whether through organic, regional cuisine , a wide range of vegan dishes, ecological building practices, energy-saving measures such as heat recovery, or 100% green electricity – each of us can make the world a better place.
Colorful variety for individualists
Our organic hotels are havens of peace and tranquility for individualists and connoisseurs . Discover the diverse range of our eco-friendly holiday offers, perfectly in line with current trends.
Sustainable practices in professional and private life at Biohotels.de
We shop at the local organic market and use 100% green electricity and sustainable wind gas from Greenpeace Energy. In the office, we also exclusively use Greenpeace Energy for our power supply and only use recycled paper for printed materials.
Philosophy of organic hotels
Sustainable business practices, regional organic purchasing, environmentally friendly energy
Many of our members offer exclusively or nearly 100% organic food, preferably sourced from regional organic farmers. A vegetarian and vegan menu for our guests should be standard practice. You can find details of the specific organic certifications held by each hotel on their individual presentation pages under " Overview -> Awards / Certificates ".
Requirements for membership at Biohotels.de
Hotels , guesthouses and farms wishing to become members of Biohotels.de must meet the following admission criteria:
- At least 50% of all dishes offered consist of organic products (target: 100% organic cuisine ) ✅ (If less than 50% of the food is organic, the accommodation must register as a nature hotel.)
- The menu includes at least one vegetarian option (target: at least one vegan option) ✅
- Ban on products from factory farming, genetically modified foods and production using glyphosate ✅
- Use of renewable energies ( green electricity , green heating or CO2 compensation payment ) ✅
- Mostly regional products are used ✅
- Conscious waste prevention and waste separation ✅
- Water saving measures ✅
Our goals and principles
- A long-term, good collaboration with environmentally conscious businesses and the shared goal of continuously reducing the CO² footprint of hotels .
- Sustainable business practices : Work processes and products must comply with environmental regulations.
- We reject food products that come from factory farming , are produced using genetic engineering , or have been grown with pesticides such as glyphosate . Hotels that purchase such products therefore have no place on Biohotels.de.
Global visibility through a strong network, social media, and expert SEO.
- We make your hotel visible to your target group worldwide in the shortest possible time through professional search engine optimization , marketing and PR .
- Our strong network of organic hotels and nature hotels ensures Europe-wide networking with like-minded people.
Biohotels media data
200
Organic hotels
12,000
beds
13
Countries
162
Regions
203,744
Page views per year
71,818
Users / year
7,259
Bookings / year
Cost
Our portal is 100% free for both guests and hoteliers – no listing fees, no commissions whatsoever. We generate revenue through premium listings , which are ranked higher and therefore receive significantly more views and inquiries than standard listings.
We use state-of-the-art software with a user-friendly and intuitive interface, ensuring that organic and nature hotels can ideally present themselves to their target audience. In addition to a clear overview, potential guests can quickly and easily find an eco-hotel for a sustainable vacation using comprehensive search filters , a map search , images, and guest reviews.
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Biohotels SEO performance
Significant increase in traffic due to search engine optimization
Our traffic from Google has decreased by -8.33% compared to the previous year (as of March 2023).
Our broad reach and ideal search engine optimization make us one of the most important resources for organic hotels, nature hotels, and eco-hotels throughout Europe – with steadily increasing user numbers . We also provide search engine-friendly links for our premium members, which simultaneously improves the visibility of their own hotel websites .
Find quickly and easily using filters
Our search filter allows guests to select all the criteria that are most important to them when choosing their ideal hotel. For example, are you looking for an organic vegan hotel with a spa that allows dogs ? Simply click on the desired options and you will receive a list of all matching hotels. In this case, see -> this list .
Frequently asked questions about the requirements for membership in Biohotels
What requirements must a hotel meet to become a member of Biohotels.de?
The most important requirement for membership in our directory of organic hotels is that each establishment has a certified organic content of at least 50% (hotels with less than 50% must register as nature hotels) with a target of 100% certified organic cuisine. Further requirements include at least one vegetarian (or even better, vegan) menu option , a ban on products from factory farming and genetically modified foods , the use of renewable energy , the use of predominantly regional and seasonal products , conscious waste reduction , and water conservation measures .
Show all requirements
What is the philosophy of organic hotels?
The philosophy of Biohotels is a completely sustainable business practice , the regional organic purchasing of products and the use of environmentally friendly energies .
Which hotels are allowed to advertise with the "awarded by Biohotels.de" button?
The most popular organic hotels, nature hotels, and eco-hotels are awarded the Organic Hotel Award by our editorial team once a year. All award-winning organic hotels are permitted to advertise with the "awarded by Biohotels.de" button. Past recipients include the following organic and nature hotels:
1. Naturhotel Forsthofgut (313 points)
2. The BIO Sportpension (310 points)
3. Vegan Hotel LA VIMEA (309 points)
4. Biohotel Oswalda Hus (304 points)
5. LindenGut (303 points)
6. BIO-Hotel Kenners LandLust (303 points)
How does the points system of the Biohotel portal work?
The main criterion for ranking and displaying organic hotel listings in search results is the points system . The more complete an organic hotel listing is, the more points it receives. Organic hotels can achieve a maximum score of 400 points for completeness , guest reviews , and booking a premium listing .
More information about our points system
What are our goals and principles?
Our goal is long-term cooperation with as many environmentally conscious hotels as possible, in order to continuously reduce the CO² footprint of hotels .
How much does membership in an organic hotel cost?
Our organic hotel portal is 100% free for guests and organic hotels alike. We present all organic hotels in great detail without any listing fees or booking commissions. To cover our costs, we offer premium listings for hotels that rank higher in our points system, can link their own website , embed presentation videos , etc., and thus receive significantly more visits and inquiries than free listings. These listings start at €290 per year . The price depends on the number of beds in the organic hotel.
At our premium rates
Organic hotel search radius / map search
The map search can also be used as a radius search . Simply drag the map to the area where you're looking for an eco-hotel. A list of hotels in that area will update immediately alongside the map. You can sort the results according to your preferences, such as by guest reviews . Just click our eco-hotels icon to get an initial overview of the hotel.
Organic hotels / nature hotels nearby
You can also simply select "Biohotels near me" and see the hotels located in your immediate vicinity.
Clarification: We are not the association "BIO HOTELS" or "The BIO HOTELS"
Since we are frequently confused with the BIO HOTELS association (based in 6465 Nassereith, Austria): Biohotels.de is not the Austrian association that operates its website at www.biohotels.info. In particular, you cannot redeem a BIO HOTELS voucher with us, as these are issued exclusively to Biohotels members of the association. Please also request the association's catalogs directly from biohotels.info .
Organic Hotel Award / Organic Hotel of the Year
The most popular providers of organic holidays (organic hotels, nature hotels, organic vegan hotels, organic guesthouses, and organic wineries) are awarded the Organic Hotel Award by our editorial team once a year. All award-winning organic hotels may advertise with the " Awarded by Biohotels.de " button. All other listed hotels should use the " Member of Biohotels.de " button.
.png){kind=logo}