Drivers, barriers and key practices of corporate sustainability strategy implementation in hotels

Abstract

This paper analyzes the implementation of corporate sustainability strategies (CSS) in hotels, identifying key factors and practices as perceived by middle-managers. Using qualitative methods, we conducted initial and in-depth interviews with owners, top-managers, and 37 middle-managers from various departments of a hotel chain in the Canary Islands. An existing literature-informed CSS implementation framework guided our analysis, revealing nine key factors that act as drivers, barriers, or both to CSS implementation. We identified crucial practices including paper-use reduction, employee well-being, plastic-use reduction, energy efficiency, recycling, water management, air quality, social contribution, food waste management, and green chemicals, noting varying relevancies across departments. Particularly, work-wellbeing, plastic-use reduction, and energy efficiency showed the highest alignment with CSS. Our findings offer insights into the practical application of CSS, underscoring the importance of tailoring department-specific practices to overarching sustainability goals to bolster organizational sustainability strategies.