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Our quality assurance policy
Version 1.0 (P:P) | January 2025
Travelife Ltd owns, operates and manages the Travelife Accommodation Sustainability Certification (TASC) scheme, acting as both the owner of the scheme and the conformity assessment body that certifies tourist accommodation providers against the scheme.
The purpose, objectives and core goals of the TASC scheme
The purpose of Travelife is to help ensure the long-term viability and success of the tourism industry so that it can continue to provide economic, environmental and social benefits on a global scale. Sitting specifically within the accommodation sector of the tourism industry, the TASC scheme has two simple objectives:
The Travelife Certification requirements have been carefully developed to ensure they are useful, relevant and meaningful in terms of improving the impact the accommodation sector has on people and the planet. The current requirements are based on 20-years experience with developing accommodation sustainability standards, auditing and certifying against them. We also ensure that we consult with stakeholders and experts when reviewing the requirements, and that we have aligned them with the Tourism Sustainability Certifications (TSC) Alliance standard, the GSTC Industry Criteria for Hotels as well as the UN SDGs.
Our certification process has been designed to ensure it is consistent, impartial and robust so that regardless of the type of accommodation and the location, stakeholders know what to expect from a Travelife Certified property. This is why we insist on 100% compliance with all the certification requirements and why a full independent onsite inspection audit is required. This is also why a certification is only valid for two years and why our process must be repeated in full if a property wishes to recertify. It is also why we do not offer multi-site certification or any other type of sampling that would certify a hotel chain or group.
Ensuring we stay on track with our purpose and objectives involves us continually striving to meet four core goals. They drive the decisions we make, the policies and processes we implement and the general way that we operate and manage the TASC scheme.
- Improve the impact of the accommodation sector on people and the planet.
- Consistently maintain the highest levels of quality, impartiality, reliability, credibility and independence.
- Continually increase the number of accommodation providers that are Travelife Certified.
- Ensuring the ongoing financial viability of Travelife Ltd.
Our quality commitment
The purpose, objectives and core goals of the TASC scheme are underpinned by our strong commitment to consistently ensuring and improving the quality, integrity and credibility of the Travelife Accommodation Sustainability Certification (TASC) scheme.
We have developed guiding principles, key performance indicators (KPIs) and a quality management system that helps us meet this commitment, drives continuous improvement and that supports the purpose and objectives of the scheme.
Our guiding principles
Our purpose, core goals and quality assurance commitment are reflected our seven guiding principles that can also be thought of quality objectives. These are embedded in the development, management and day-to-day operation of all aspects of the TASC scheme. The principles also help to ensure we are consistently achieving our core business goals.
The Travelife guiding principles
- The TASC scheme should be accessible and inclusive.
- The TASC scheme should be relevant, meaningful and useful.
- The TASC scheme should be operated with transparency and clarity.
- We must always be responsive to stakeholders and their feedback.
- We must always be independent, impartial, consistent and fair
- We must always be honest, direct and firm yet kind, empathetic and tactful.
- We must ensure we operate our business responsibly.
How we ensure we meet our quality commitment
Our key performance indicators
Each of our guiding principles is monitored and measured by a series of key performance indicators (KPIs). As part of our quality management system, we carry out regular checks to see if we are meeting these KPIs and, if not, objectives are set so that improvements are made.
In total there are around 80 KPIs and they are occasionally adjusted in response to changes we have identified are necessary. Therefore, in the interests of brevity and accuracy, they are not included in this policy, but we are happy to share them along with more detailed explanations of what each guiding principle means in practice. You can request this by emailing info@travelife.org.
We also have “business KPIs” that we set each year and monitor monthly. These relate to things like customer growth and retention, and ensuring we are on track with auditing all properties that have audits due.
Our policies
We have developed and implemented a series of policies that help us ensure we consistently meet our quality commitment, along with the purpose, objectives, goals and guiding principles that it underpins.
These policies contain the guidelines and rules our staff and auditors must follow, often referring to supporting tools, standard operating procedures and systems or tools such as templates, a step-by-step process for carrying out a specific task or using software to ensure a task is carried out effectively.
Our quality management system
The Travelife quality management system (QMS) has been designed to ensure that we are consistently following our policies. The QMS contains a series of processes we must follow in relation to the following:
- Developing, implementing and monitoring strategies, plans (including resource requirements) and budgets that support our purpose, core goals and guiding principles.
- Identifying and managing risks, opportunities and changes.
- Staff and auditor training that ensures they understand the policies that apply to them, and how to carry out the tasks assigned to them.
- Regularly monitoring our key performance indicators (KPIs) to both identify and act on risks and opportunities for improvement.
- An internal audit and review process to check that we are following our policies and the international best practices that apply to our business. This includes checking that our goals, KPIs and policies remain relevant, meaningful and fit for purpose.
QMS activities
The Travelife business plan: The business plan outlines our business goals over a five-year period and the strategy we will use to achieve those goals. It also involves a review of the purpose, objectives, core goals and guiding principles of the TASC scheme. Developing the business plan is a detailed process involving a full review of the previous five years, stakeholder consultation and a robust assessment of risks and opportunities. The plan is approved by the Travelife Board of Directors.
The annual plan: The annual plan is designed to help us achieve the business goals we set in the business plan and to ensure we are staying on track with our purpose, objectives, core goals and guiding principles. The plan contains a series of objectives we need to complete as well as financial targets for the year. These objectives are funnelled into workstreams so and are usually cascaded down into a series of smaller sub-objectives that are assigned to different teams, or perhaps a specific team member. The annual plan is supported by a budget that is approved by the Travelife Board of Directors and the ABTA Board of Directors.
Annual internal audits: Travelife operates an internal compliance and quality control (ICQC) auditing programme. This involves each of the guiding principle KPIs being audited to ensure they are being met. This is administered by the Managing Director with an internal ICQC team conducting the audits. This team is led by the Managing Director and is composed of Travelife team managers. Although the audits are spread throughout the year, each set of guiding principle KPIs is audited at least once per year. The ICQC team also monitors compliance with our accreditation requirements.
Weekly monitoring and reporting: Each week we produce and circulate a weekly team update which includes a place for us to note any specific actions each team has taken to achieve the objectives assigned to them in each workstream. Additionally, the update has a special area for feedback we have received that needs to be actioned. This might be a hotel not being able to access Evergreen or a complaint from a hotel guest about sustainability at a property. The status of those actions is carried over into subsequent weekly reports until it is complete. Weekly team updates are shared with the Travelife team and the Travelife Operations Group.
Monthly reports and planning: Each month we produce a report that is designed to track and monitor our progress against the annual plan and some of our KPIs. It summarises financial performance against the budget, how well we are doing with our business KPIs and objectives, customer feedback provided in our post-audit surveys and auditor competency. At the beginning of each month, the Travelife team meets to review our objectives for the year to ensure that we are staying on track, that everyone has the resources they need and to capture any new actions/objectives that we need to complete. Monthly reports are shared with the Travelife team and the Travelife Operations Group.