Biohotels.de: Find good places. Connect good ideas.
About us: The portal. The concept. The people. The community.
The portal.
You shop at organic stores, prioritize a healthy living environment, and strive to reduce your carbon footprint. We make sure you don't have to abandon your values when you travel! Because more and more hoteliers think like you: They're switching their kitchens to organic cuisine, using energy from renewable sources, and sourcing local produce.
We make precisely these kinds of accommodations visible and comparable on Biohotels.de. In our community, you'll find vegan gourmets, building biology experts, and owners of combined heat and power plants, as well as sleep comfort optimizers, geomancers, and Ayurveda masters. You'll get to know around 200 very different hosts who don't just rent out rooms, but have a philosophy. Our search portal guides you to the perfect accommodations for you in just a few clicks.
For us, organic hotels aren't a club of the best, but a movement that grows when businesses are integrated early on. That's why we don't expect 100%. We showcase what the hotels have already achieved. We tell the stories that don't fit on a label . For guests who value progress more than perfection.
The concept.
The heads.
Biohotels.de is not backed by an association or organization, but by a team from our network: Andreas Eggensberger , Peter Unterlechner , and Sven-Erik Hitzer are veterans of the industry and spent many years building the structures for organic hospitality within the BIO HOTELS association. They have excellent connections with associations, the tourism sector, politics, and academia, and contribute practical experience from their own businesses. They know what it means to reconcile sustainability standards with economic realities.
Ludwig Gruber is joining Biohotels.de as a key contributor. The co-founder and long-time managing director of the BIO HOTELS association knows the industry like few others. As a visionary, Ludwig is already thinking beyond sustainability: How can tourism not only minimize damage but also give something back to the region? His initiative "Regenerativ United" advises hotels that want to establish regenerative economic cycles.
A small core team manages the editorial and administrative aspects of Biohotels.de. We focus on streamlined processes and the consistent digitization of routine procedures.
Andreas Eggensberger
Biohotel Eggensberger
Since Andreas and his wife took over his parents' hotel on Lake Hopfensee in 1998, the Kneipp spa resort has gradually developed into a pioneer: joining Bioland, becoming a founding member of the BIO HOTELS association and the first organic hotel in the Allgäu region, the first CO2-balanced hotel in the area, Europe's first hotel-owned biogas filling station, and collaborating with universities. Today, the Eggensberger is a 4-star hotel with nearly 130 beds. Andreas is well-connected with associations and enjoys sharing his wealth of experience with hoteliers who want to convert their businesses to organic. His message is clear: "Sustainable practices not only benefit the environment, but they can also lead to success!"
Biohotel Eggensberger
Sven-Erik Hitzer
Bio-Refugium Schmilka
When Sven-Erik Hitzer bought his first house in Schmilka, in Saxon Switzerland, in the early 1990s, the village was almost deserted. Today, Schmilka is an organic destination with Saxony's first organic hotel, an organic bakery, and an organic brewery. Sven-Erik was active in the BIO HOTELS association for two decades, serving on its board for four years. After leaving the association, he took over the directory Biohotels.de in 2023 and developed it into the largest network for organic accommodations in Europe. The media dubbed him a "bio-pioneer"—a name that has stuck with the internationally active tourism expert. Sven-Erik's motivation: "Organic doesn't mean having to do without or compromise."
Bio-Refugium Schmilka
Peter Unterlechner
Biohotel Grafenast
The guiding principle of "sustainability for future generations" has shaped the Grafenast Hotel since the 1980s: Long before terms like organic, sustainability, or carbon footprint became trendy, the Unterlechner family focused on organic fine dining, regionality, and the careful use of resources. This traditional hotel on the Pillberg mountain in Tyrol was among the first officially certified organic hotels in Austria in 2001 and was active in the BIO HOTELS association for many years. Peter has managed the family business since 2010 and has implemented numerous milestones, including the introduction of a common good balance sheet, the expansion of renewable energies, and consistent CO2 accounting. "For all those who are barefoot at heart."
Biohotel Grafenast
The community.
Our directory is the showcase of a large network of hosts. But Biohotels.de is much more than that: it's a community of hosts who want to learn from each other and make a difference together. Open to everyone, whether experienced organic hoteliers or establishments undergoing transformation. To facilitate this, we create various exchange formats. At networking events like our conventions , hosts meet for expert presentations and best practices. Our Biohotels connect initiative also provides the first link to the organic/eco sector, further opening up the community. Our vision is a large marketplace of synergies.
Even as a guest, you are part of this community and can participate: Rate the hotels you have stayed in, suggest new hotels and search filters, and feel free to follow us on social media!
No. Biohotels.de is not a certification body and does not award its own organic or sustainability label . We make existing certifications, evidence, and measures of the hotels visible. You can find out more here .
No. A prerequisite is a certifiable organic component in the culinary offerings, documented by a state-run organic gastronomy system or the independently audited certification system of an association or organization. In Germany, for example, organic certification according to the AHVV (Association of German Organic Food Producers) is possible with an organic component of 20% or more. We see this as a starting point and minimum standard – the goal should be to gradually approach 100%. We know that this path takes time. It is important that the communicated organic component is transparent and verifiable for guests .
In our view, running an organic hotel doesn't end in the kitchen: ecological transformation and social responsibility should demonstrably permeate the entire operation. Key aspects in the non-food sector include energy sources, resource management and sustainable building practices, cosmetics and cleaning products, as well as regional sourcing and employee relations. However, we don't prescribe any standards here – each hotel showcases its individual priorities and specific measures in its profile.
On the homepage directly next to the search field, and also in the search filters in the "Gastronomy" section.
We are a non-profit organization and deliberately operate with a lean and unbureaucratic structure. Using the portal is free for users, as is the basic listing for hotels. We do not charge commissions for referrals or clicks. The platform's operation is primarily financed through the premium model for hotels – an upgrade for additional features and increased visibility. We also collaborate with advertising partners in the organic and eco-friendly sectors and offer editorial content campaigns on relevant topics. All revenue is reinvested in the further development of the portal – for software and licenses, content, campaigns, and administration.
Visit the details page of the organic hotel you wish to review. Click the "Submit Review" button at the top. Fill out the review form and submit your review using the "Submit Review" button. You will then receive an email – please confirm your review via the link in that email.
Have you discovered an incorrect or outdated piece of information in a hotel listing? You can contact the hotel directly via the contact form, as hotels are responsible for maintaining the information in their profiles. Alternatively, you can also write to us via the contact form, and we will work with the hotel to clarify and update the information.
Biohotels.de and Biohotels.info (BIO HOTELS association) share common roots in the organic hospitality movement, but are independent platforms with different organizational structures, philosophies, and focuses. Numerous hoteliers are active in both the BIO HOTELS association and the Biohotels.de network.
- The BIO HOTELS association began building the structures for today's certified organic hotel movement in 2001. Membership obligates hotels to undergo certification based on its own certification system for food and non-food criteria – including 100% organic food, 100% green electricity, and regular CO2 accounting. Adherence to these values is binding. The association's own agency, be-oh Marketing, manages a booking engine on the association's website , biohotels.info , for its approximately 50 members. Hotels that meet the association's high standards are considered benchmarks in the industry.
- Biohotels.de is an independent, open network operated by organic hoteliers Andreas Eggensberger, Sven-Erik Hitzer, and Peter Unterlechner. A prerequisite for listing on Biohotels.de is a portion of the cuisine that is certified according to EU law and is displayed in the hotel profile. The choice of certification system is left to the hotel's discretion. Beyond its cuisine, each hotel sets its own ecological priorities and documents its commitment in a catalog of measures with approximately 100 criteria. The diversity of the hotels and the variety of their transformation concepts play a key role in Biohotels.de's core values. The goal is to make the individual progress of each hotel visible and to recognize it. The Biohotels.de search portal does not act as its own booking engine between hotels and guests, but rather forwards booking inquiries commission-free to the hotels' preferred booking tools. Biohotels.de is the largest portal for organic accommodations in Europe.
What Biohotels.de and the BIO HOTELS association have in common: The goal of further promoting organic hospitality and ideas for responsible hotel management.
Please note that vouchers from biohotels.info can only be redeemed at hotels belonging to members of the BIO HOTELS association.
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