Green Tourism Gold
Clayton Hotel Sligo
Sligo
Hotel
€€€ Eco Accommodation in County Sligo: Certified Stays
County Sligo has three independently certified eco properties, all in Sligo town: Clayton Hotel Sligo (Green Tourism Gold), Sligo Park Hotel (Green Hospitality Eco-Label), and Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa Sligo (Green Hospitality Eco-Label). For a town of its size on the Wild Atlantic Way, Sligo has a stronger certified eco hotel offering than most comparable destinations in the northwest.
Sligo Town: Three Certified Hotels
Clayton Hotel Sligo holds Green Tourism Gold as part of Dalata Hotel Group’s portfolio-wide sustainability programme. Green Tourism Gold is the top tier of the internationally recognised Green Tourism certification programme, aligned with GSTC global sustainable tourism criteria. The hotel is a 4-star property on the Ballinode Road, with 170 rooms and a full leisure club including a 20-metre pool. It is one of the largest hotels in northwest Ireland and the highest-certified eco option in the town.
Sligo Park Hotel holds the Green Hospitality Eco-Label, awarded following the implementation of a formal sustainability programme. In 2024 the hotel made a capital investment in solar panel infrastructure as part of its climate action commitment, complementing the GHP certification with documented renewable energy capacity. The Eco-Label confirms the hotel has an independently assessed Environmental Management System in place.
Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa Sligo also holds the Green Hospitality Eco-Label, independently assessed under the same standard. The hotel is a 4-star property with 162 rooms and suites on the Rosses Point Road, 3km from Sligo town centre. Its certification adds a second GHP-certified option for travellers specifically seeking verified eco accommodation in Sligo.
Sligo town now has two certification frameworks represented: Green Tourism (through Clayton) and Green Hospitality (through Sligo Park and Radisson Blu), giving travellers a choice between different verified standards.
Green Tourism and Green Hospitality: What the Difference Means
Green Tourism is the UK-based certification programme widely used across Northern Ireland and increasingly across the Republic. It is aligned with GSTC global sustainable tourism criteria and independently audits properties at Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels. Gold is the highest tier and is the standard held by Clayton Hotel Sligo.
Green Hospitality is Ireland’s own hospitality sector environmental standard, operated under ISO 17065. Its Eco-Label is the foundation level, confirming the implementation of a documented Environmental Management System. Both Sligo Park Hotel and Radisson Blu Sligo hold Eco-Label, which distinguishes them from hotels without any third-party environmental assessment.
The two frameworks are independent, and both represent genuine third-party verification. Travellers with specific ESG reporting requirements may need to specify which certification their green travel policy recognises.
County Sligo as an Eco Destination
Sligo is one of Ireland’s most distinctive counties for cultural and landscape tourism. The profile of Benbulben, the flat-topped quartzite mountain north of Sligo town, is one of the most recognisable silhouettes in Ireland. The county’s association with the poetry and legacy of W.B. Yeats gives it a literary heritage that draws a distinct visitor demographic.
The surf beaches of Strandhill and Rossnowlagh (just across the Donegal border) are among Ireland’s most celebrated, attracting the country’s most active surf tourism community. The Sligo coast from Aughris Head to Mullaghmore is a significant stretch of Wild Atlantic Way scenery in its own right.
The Dartry Mountains and Ox Mountains form inland landscapes that have received less visitor attention than the better-known coastal routes, making them particularly suited to slower, less-crowded eco travel.
Sligo’s Connections to Donegal and Leitrim Certified Properties
Sligo sits at the intersection of the northwest’s most interesting eco travel geography. Donegal to the north holds four certified properties, including Ballyliffin Lodge and Spa (Green Hospitality Gold), Harvey’s Point on Lough Eske, Ard na Breatha guesthouse in Donegal Town (EU Ecolabel), and Lough Mardal Lodge (Green Hospitality, GSTC recognised). These are within 50 to 80km of Sligo town.
Leitrim, immediately to the south, has three certified properties of a very different character: Ard Nahoo Eco Retreat (EU Ecolabel), Pink Apple Orchard (Ecotourism Ireland Gold), and Bush Hotel Carrick-on-Shannon (EU Ecolabel). Together with Sligo’s three certified hotels, this northwest cluster offers an eco travel route through landscape that is some of the quietest and most rewarding in Ireland.
Find Your Certified Stay in County Sligo
Three certified eco properties: Clayton Hotel Sligo (Green Tourism Gold), Sligo Park Hotel (Green Hospitality Eco-Label), and Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa Sligo (Green Hospitality Eco-Label).
Certified Stays
