Discover the vision behind Green Stay Croatia
Development Engineer, MSc Tourism
Green Stay Croatia was founded by Ines Kovačić, a Sustainable Development Engineer with a Master's in tourism, who has built her studies and her work around a single question: how travel and nature can move forward together.
She grew up in Ludbreg, a town in northern Croatia known as the "Center of the world". In a small town where everyone still knows their neighbours, caring for nature was never a cause to sign up for, but simply part of everyday life.
The idea that would become this platform first took shape quietly, while she was still a student, deep in the research for her thesis.
hosts & stay-worthy homes
Experiences
Marketplace in Croatia
2 Years Running
A search that revealed a gap across the tourism industry
The search began simply enough. Working on her master's thesis on sustainable tourism, Ines tried to find a unified platform that listed accommodations in Croatia operating under verified, authentic standards.
What she found instead was silence - just a few scattered mentions across dozens of websites, and no clear system of trust. If finding verified choices was this difficult for a sustainable development engineer, how hard must it be for an ordinary traveler looking for genuine local stay options?
Launching a new kind of travel platform in Croatia
Aware that the market lacked clarity, Ines decided to build the solution herself. In January 2024, years of research turned into a live platform - the first in Croatia focused exclusively on authentic, responsibly run places to stay.
The result drew directly on both sides of her expertise: the engineer who understands how buildings efficiently use resources, and the tourism specialist who knows what makes a stay truly worth making.
Standardizing trust with the Green Stay Trust Index
Trust has to be earned through clarity. To eliminate greenwashing and provide full transparency, we established the Green Stay Trust Index—a 6-pillar framework that evaluates every accommodation on concrete practices. We don't issue internal eco-certifications. Instead, a stay only receives an eco-badge on our platform if it holds a recognized third-party certification.
To be listed, a stay meets at least six of twelve main standards, such as:
Every property is evaluated through transparent operational criteria backed by host documentation and photos.
Where a stay holds an independent third-party certificate (such as EU Ecolabel, Eco Domus, or Good Travel Seal), it is explicitly highlighted.
Where it doesn't, our Trust Index gives travelers clear, reliable visibility into exactly how the property operates.
Real stories from hosts and guests
Listing a stay is only the beginning. We also gather the real stories behind each property: hosts telling how their place came to be, and guests sharing what it truly felt like to stay there. It’s these genuine stories we publish across our platform and channels.
That way, the character of every home reaches the travelers who will appreciate it most, thoughtful hosts get the recognition they deserve, and the beauty of authentic Croatian hospitality spreads around the world.
Industry recognition and strategic support
A clear vision quickly attracts the right partners. Green Stay Croatia earned prestigious accelerator support and funding, including European Union backing through the FU-TOURISM program. Our innovation was further validated as a Top 10 finalist in the Pokreni nešto svoje program and as Croatia's National Nominee for the prestigious World Summit Awards. Expanding our footprint, we also established an official partnership with the Istrian County to advance transparent tourism standards across one of Croatia’s premier travel regions.
Strengthening TravelTech leadership
What began as a focused research project grew into a scalable platform backed by senior commercial leadership. In 2026, international business leader Robert Beber joined Green Stay Croatia as Co-Founder.
Bringing over two decades of experience scaling high-tech and automotive ventures - including work with global brands like Bugatti and Rimac Automobili - Robert drives our commercial strategy, international expansion, and strategic partnerships.
20+ years in international business development & high-tech ventures
Proven track record in scaling operations and global market expansion
Scaling a trusted TravelTech network
The most exciting chapter is the one currently unfolding. To lead the way in transparent travel, we transitioned our platform entirely to the Green Stay Trust Index, eliminating vague claims and setting a clear, verifiable standard for every listing.
As new hosts, partners, and travelers join us every day, our map across Croatia continues to grow - built on real guest comfort, authentic local culture, and honest hospitality.
Setting a new standard for transparent travel
Our goal reaches far beyond a single booking. For hosts, we provide the tools and visibility needed to showcase their properties through clear quality criteria, helping them attract guests who value authentic, well-managed stays. For travelers, we are building a seamless, trust-first marketplace that makes choosing dependable accommodations effortless.
Whether you are a traveler looking for genuine hospitality or a host ready to present your property with total transparency, there is a place for you in our story.
Built on data and academic research
Long before the platform launched, there was rigorous research. Ines’s awarded undergraduate and Master’s studies in environmental engineering and sustainable tourism laid the analytical groundwork for our framework.
Her research focused on resource management, operational transparency, and host standards - forming the technical foundation of everything we build today.
Green Stay Croatia in the media
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