Environmental Sustainability in the Hotel Industry: A Perspective from Eco Hotel Managers in Portugal

ABSTRACT

Issues such as environmental sustainability have become a prominent theme, especially in the hotel sector. The growth of this sector has given greater visibility to its environmental impacts and raised concerns about how the industry is dealing with this issue. Faced with the recognition that the future of the planet is under threat, consumers are increasingly aware and, consequently, opting for environmentally sustainable solutions. As a result, an increasing number of hotels have begun to change their operations and proactively implement environmental initiatives that, today, play a critical role in marketing and management. However, the current state of research on this subject is relatively recent and limited, especially in Portugal. To address the previously mentioned research gap, the main purpose of this study is to understand the perspectives of Portuguese green hotel managers in relation to the environmental management practices in which the hotel is involved. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured online interviews with green hotel managers certified with Green Key in Portugal. Several motivations, benefits, and difficulties regarding adoption of environmental strategies were identified from the data analysis. The results reveal that covid-19 caused setbacks in environmental performance, generating more nonrecyclable waste, but, for some hotels, there was time to reflect on strategies, new green measures and to raise employees' awareness. This research is expected to contribute to the increase of knowledge about sustainability assumptions and to the creation of new approaches to environmental management in hotels.