Owned and managed by Salter Brothers, Hyatt Regency Brisbane is showing that hotel sustainability is more than an ambition, it is a destination. By combining NABERS ratings and EarthCheck certification, the hotel is accelerating improvements and demonstrating what is possible when sustainability becomes part of the culture.
Leading the way in hotel sustainability
Located in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD, Hyatt Regency Brisbane is a premium urban hotel driven by a commitment to guest comfort and wellbeing, with sustainability embedded as a core principle across its operations.
What sets the hotel apart is its passionate team. Guided by a strong purpose of care, the general manager and staff have been delivering sustainability initiatives over several years. This journey reflects a growing trend in the hotel sector, where operational efficiency, guest expectations, and corporate responsibility go hand in hand.
Building on this commitment, Hyatt Regency Brisbane also demonstrates how two leading sustainability programs, NABERS and EarthCheck, can work together to improve environmental performance in the hotel sector.
There’s a strong alignment in using EarthCheck certification alongside NABERS performance ratings. Together, they give us confidence that sustainability is being managed properly and that performance is being measured transparently.
With 3.5-star NABERS Energy and Water ratings and a Silver EarthCheck certification, the hotel shows that data-driven performance measurement and a holistic sustainability framework can come together to deliver meaningful outcomes for guests, staff, and investors alike.
A shared vision: how NABERS and EarthCheck align
Sustainability is now a key differentiator in Australia’s competitive hotel market, with guests, investors, and employees expecting credible environmental performance.
NABERS provides an independent, data-driven benchmark for energy, water, and waste based on measured operational outcomes, while EarthCheck offers a certification framework that combines performance benchmarking with environmental and social criteria supported by structured management processes.
Thanks to the partnership between NABERS and EarthCheck, hotels can use NABERS data to support energy, water, and waste indicators within the EarthCheck framework. This means properties can verify once and use the data twice – reducing duplication and streamlining sustainability reporting.
This partnership is about more than just reporting efficiency. It’s aimed at strengthening sustainability performance across the tourism industry.
EarthCheck brings globally recognised certification and benchmarking to the tourism sector, backed by science, independent verification, and decades of international experience. When combined with NABERS’ performance ratings, it creates a powerful, credible sustainability story, one that gives owners, operators, and investors confidence that results are real, measurable, and aligned to global best practice.
For Hyatt Regency Brisbane, this alignment has made the benefits much clearer. As Mei explains:
“NABERS gives us clear, comparable performance data, while EarthCheck provides the governance, systems, and independent assurance that investors and operators expect. They use similar data, but together they tell a more complete sustainability story.”
By combining NABERS’ rigorous performance benchmarking with EarthCheck’s management and improvement framework, hotels gain a comprehensive operational and organisational view of sustainability.
Turning strategy into action
Upgrades in dense urban locations can be challenging, especially when access for construction is limited. Despite these constraints, Hyatt Regency Brisbane has taken meaningful steps to reduce its environmental impact.
The hotel has recently upgraded its Building Management System (BMS) to improve energy efficiency, one of several initiatives supporting continual improvement under both NABERS and EarthCheck. Looking ahead, the hotel is exploring further enhancements, such as regenerative lift technology – small but meaningful upgrades that contribute to ongoing performance gains.
This commitment demonstrates that progress is not always about large-scale transformations. As Mei explains, it’s about making sure every improvement counts:
“Energy performance is critical. When you combine measurable results with structured management and independent certification, it creates real accountability.”
This focus on measurable improvement is what makes NABERS and EarthCheck a powerful combination. One delivers clear performance data, while the other supports the processes and governance behind continuous improvement.
Benefits that go beyond the building
Maintaining NABERS ratings alongside EarthCheck certification has sparked momentum within the Hyatt team, encouraging more sustainable thinking and action. Since certification, staff engagement in sustainability initiatives has increased, making sustainability part of everyday operations. For Hyatt Regency Brisbane, staff engagement at all levels has been central to making the benefits of this alignment clear. As Mei explains:
“When you’ve got a GM that’s engaged, sustainability becomes more embedded through structured processes. Certification helps sustainability get adopted. The internal staff had a lot more buy-in. They started creating strategies around it. The hotel itself created its own momentum.”
Key takeaway
The partnership between NABERS and EarthCheck enables hotels to streamline their sustainability efforts.
NABERS and EarthCheck share a strong vision for transforming sustainability in the tourism sector. By aligning our programs, we’re empowering hotel operators to show real leadership across their environmental, social, and economic practices. It encourages hotels to look at their performance from every angle and identify new opportunities for better performance.
Together, NABERS and EarthCheck offer a complementary approach, helping hotels improve their sustainability performance further and faster.
Get in touch to learn more
Whether your hotel is looking to begin its NABERS journey, explore EarthCheck certification, or strengthen both, our teams can help you find the right next step for your sustainability strategy.