Differences in Sustainable Management Between Four- and Five-Star Hotels Regarding the Perceptions of Three-Pillar Sustainability

TLDR

Sustainability has long been studied in tourism destination management, but only recently has it begun to be examined within hospitality management. This study aims to capture hotel managers’ perceptions and practices regarding the three‑pillar sustainability framework. Using a literature‑based self‑administered questionnaire completed by 423 hotels, logistic regression tested four hypotheses. Hotel star ratings significantly affect managers’ perceived importance of financial viability and social responsibility practices, but not environmental practices, and hotel location has no significant impact on sustainability perceptions.

Abstract

Although there are a wealth of publications about sustainability in tourism destination management literature, the concept has only recently started coming under examination within the area of hospitality management. This article's main focus is on capturing the perceptions and practices of hotel management in respect to the concept of three-dimensional sustainability. A literature-based self-administered questionnaire was used and 423 hotels participated in the study. Logistic regression was employed in order to examine four research hypotheses and extract useful findings. The findings suggest that hotel star ratings play a significant role in the perceived importance of financial measures of economic viability, as well as in the application of socially responsible practices by hotel management; the same conclusion does not apply to environmental practices. Furthermore, it was found that hotel location does not play a significant role in shaping perceptions of sustainability dimensions.