ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY by Darren Tiller
in Business / Management (submitted 2009-04-23)
In the last two decades the concern for environment has raised spreading awareness among all. This is the result of terms like "Ozone depletion", "Greenhouse effect" and "Acid rain",
coming to surface and the increase in the level of awareness all over (Walker, 2000).
As people are becoming more aware of the environmental damage caused by regular business activities, it has become increasingly clear that the hotel industry, due to its very specific function, operating characteristics and services provided, consumes substantial quantities of energy, water and non-durable products. The resulting environmental impacts of hotel facilities are thus characteristically greater than those caused by other types of buildings of
similar size (Rada, 1996).
The hospitality industry does not grossly pollute the environment, nor does it consume vast amounts of non-renewable resources, but it does have a significant effect on global resources(Kirk, 1995).
A decade's research by German tour operator TUI illustrated that 'changing values and customer expectations show that traditional ideas of what constitutes product quality are outdated. Environmental quality is very high on the list of holiday essentials' (Middleton and Hawkins, 1998). According to Foster et al. (2000), the hospitality and tourism industry is under pressure to become more environmentally friendly from the following forces:
consumer demand; increasing environmental regulation; managerial concern with ethics; customer satisfaction; maintenance issues related to the physical plant; and the need for aesthetics.
Although concern for the environment can affect customers' choice, the current economic climate and sector downturn would suggest that price and value for money would be the overriding factors. Hoteliers can schedule high investment projects later when they have confidence in and have established benefits from earlier environmental actions.
"Green" is seldom the over-riding determinant of product or brand choice but just another benefit or attribute that adds value, usually a 'feel good' factor to the overall product" (Wong et al., 1996). Customers patronise hotels that have adapted green practices though not compromising on service or product quality. Consumers would prefer to use lodging that follows these practices but are not willing to pay extra for these services (Manaktola, 2007).
Many of the customers who seek hospitality services do so expecting to be pampered, with lashings of hot water, high-pressure showers, large baths, air conditioning, freshly laundered linen, an ample supply of towels, and bountiful supplies of food and drink. Clearly,
whatever is done to reduce waste can only be done either with the consent of the customers or in such a way that they do not notice any deterioration of service (Kirk, 1995).
Hotels such as Inter-Continental, Ramada, Fairmont, Accor, Hilton International, Holiday Inn Worldwide, and Marriott have implemented their own in house environmental management systems (EMS) with varying degrees of intensity. Kirk's survey found that the most
significant benefit of environmental management was the improvement in public image and better relationships with the local community (Kirk, 1995).
EMS brings significant benefits, reputation and competitive edge to the hotel and these benefits have always outweighed the cost (Tsai et al., 2003).Research has shown to date there is no regulation to which hotels and hospitality businesses self declare themselves as being sustainable, green, eco-friendly etc. With many definitions
around what is in and what is outside tourism, it is a difficult industry to regulate. In the case of governments taking an active attitude towards regulating claims, this is limited to governmental boundaries, which make it inefficient due to the international nature of the industry.
About the Author
Darren has been a hospitality manager for over 12 years, working for several 4-5 star international and privately owned hotel companies in the UK, West Indies and Australia. Darren is currently completing a final MA dissertation in Hospitality and Tourism Management Development at Liverpool JMU.
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