Elements of sustainability in the hotel industry Dissertation

Elements of sustainability in the hotel industry - Dissertation Example In order to achieve the aim of the study, the researcher set out some key specific objectives, based on which certain research questions were asked. On the basis of the specific objectives also, the researcher constructed key themes under which both primary and secondary data were collected. Four of the key themes around which data were collected are given as (1) the personality of people who patronized the services of hotels most (2) the influence of sustainability practices by hotels in their selection for occupancy by customers (3) specific elements of sustainability that contributes to customer satisfaction (4) indications concerning market directions in the demand for green hotel services. Apart from these four major themes, data were collected in other areas of the study. The secondary data collection took the form of a literature review whiles in the primary data collection, there was an online questionnaire model where 150 respondents answered various questions on the researc h problem. Results from the data collection processes showed that patronage of services of hotels is commonest among the working class, especially top executives whose work takes them on business trips. On the influence of sustainability in the selection of hotels, it was established that indeed greater number of people preferred to select a hotel that practiced sustainability to those that did not. This not withstanding, most respondents indicated that they were not satisfied with the kind of sustainability practices that go on in hotels and that they wished much emphasis would be given to areas of energy reservation, water reservation, reduced carbon emission, waste management and customer service that is based on technology. Finally, it was established that there is a growing market trend that makes most business oriented persons to settle for sustainable hotels as a way of fulfilling corporate social responsibility. The implication here is that if existing hotels want to continu e getting the services of these groups of customers they have no other option than making provisions for sustainability. Once such provisions are made, they will become competitive advantage over other hotels that do not have them in place. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1 Background of the study During times of economic crises, the most vulnerable industries are those which deal with products and services considered to be luxuries, or at least non-necessities. One such industry is the tourism and hospitality industry, which is closely related to the hotel sector. This is not to say that hotel patronage is solely determined by tourist take-up rates, because there is a significant amount of business that is generated by customers whose trips are related to business. Good examples of these are regional conventions or other such gatherings where a good number of participants come from distant locations, and need to stay over at hotels. Other than these, however, tourists typically stay for l onger periods of time and more benefited from the hotel’s services and amenities. Because of the contracting revenues as a result of the economic crisis, hotels feel the need to develop new, non-traditional sources of competitive