Sustainability In The Hospitality Industry

No industry is more exposed to the inspection of the public and customers than the hospitality industry. Guests have clearly highlighted that they desire a more sustainable manner of operation, however frankly not all guests are willing to support it financially. It is important to remember that the concept of sustainability, which hotels strive to, has both environmental and cultural aspects that must be taken into consideration. The keystone of hospitality is social responsibility – an ethical theory that highlights that an entity has an obligation to act to benefit the society at large. Equilibrium between the two sides needs to be established and therefore it includes human rights and promoting the best possible working conditions. A location’s

All companies are aware that it is a business that fundamentally belongs to the people; the profitability of hotels is completely dependent on the guests. One major concern for the industry is the illusion where guests are hasty to demand eco-friendly operations but are often not willing to pay more to cover the extra costs of the sustainability programs as well. A trending argument in the hospitality industry is based on the principle that people should pay for environmental protection just as they do health care. People can pay for preventative activities that maintain their health as well as cover the costs of curing a disease as it occurs, but either way something must be paid for. Similarly, the industry needs to develop a model that embodies environmental costs and then establish an understanding with guests of the extra payment to cover the costs of sustainability. The key to the developing approach is to ensure that it is more effective and less expensive. This environmental development would be an opening into the ecotourism market that in 20 years will be an essential feature that is expected to be incorporated by any

Nonetheless, a more challenging part to the development of programs is that large corporate chains that have 3000 hotels worldwide cannot produce the same programs throughout all their locations. Many hotels within the same brand are based in different positions and must, first and foremost, correlate the initiatives to the locality. The Marriott has established that although their guests appreciate many of its sustainability programs they do not seem to attract more customers, contrary to expectations. A vital part of guest involvement is ensuring that the program fits the market position of the hotel; many argue that some green operations may conflict with the luxurious mindset of upscale guests. Although it is arguable that it is all a matter of education and incentive, it is important to remember that essentially the desires and needs of the guests should always be the first priority of a hotel. The green programs often force an interaction between the guests and property of the hotel that demonstrates a mutual sacrifice, in order for green operations to be established a hotel requires a guest to reciprocate their movement and