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The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/1477-7835.htm
Adopting green and sustainable
practices in the hotel industry
operations- an analysis of critical
performance indicators for improved
environmental quality
Surya Prakash
Operations Management Department, School of Pharmaceutical Management,
IIHMR University, Jaipur, India
Vijay Prakash Sharma and Ranbir Singh
Department of Mechanical Engineering, BML Munjal University, Gurgaon, India
Lokesh Vijayvargy
Department of Operation Management, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur,
India, and
Nilaish
School of Commerce and Management, Starex University, Gurgaon, India
Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to address the adoption issues of green and sustainable practices in the hotel
industry. The study identifies critical performance indicators (CPIs) and utilizes Hotel Carbon Management
Initiative (HCMI) framework to prioritize CPIs for achieving a robust adoption framework for green and
sustainable practices.
Design/methodology/approach – The hotel industry is driven by changing ecological degradation, and it is
necessary to achieve feasible development goals. This research article formulates the CPIs derived from
HCMI and decision-making model is created using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP).
Findings – In this research, CPIs of HCMI are considered and aim to formulate five major CPIs of HCMI,
namely air pollution, energy efficiency, water conservation, noise pollution and waste management. The
study identifies the need for better control and sustainable growth in the Indian hotel industry with
minimum carbon emissions coupled with the green approach adoption.
Research limitations/implications – The CPIs work on minimization of risks and maximizing optimality of
return on investment. The development of the hotel industry will be improved and immensely welcomed by
capping the carbon emission with the green initiatives. This research is limited as urban hotels are surveyed
in this study.
Originality/value – This work makes a valid argument to establish HCMI as a model initiative for
environment quality improvement and further extension of other activities in the hospitality sector and
scale-up sustainable practices for future-ready circular economies.
Keywords Hotel carbon management initiatives (HCMI), Green practices, Sustainability, Eco-friendly
hotels, Supply chain, Analytic hierarchy process (AHP)
Paper type Research paper
The authors would like to thank respondents, hotel staff and industry experts (names are confidential)
for the assistance, help and insights provided during the study. This research received no specific
grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Data Availability Statement (DAS): Data sharing does not apply to this article due to privacy and
ethical concerns, neither the data of industry expert nor its source can be made available to the public.
No conflict of interest to report.
Sustainable
practices in the
hotel industry
Received 31 March
2022 Revised 17 May
2022 11 June 2022
Accepted 21 June 2022
Management of Environmental
Quality: An International Journal
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1477-7835
DOI 10.1108/MEQ-03-2022-0090
MEQ
1. Introduction
The hotel business is a crucial component of the service sector that provides safe
accommodation/networking facilities as per the need and requirements of customers. It
works in close combination with allied service sectors like travel, tourism, and hospitality.
The hotel industry is emerging as a vast sector of growth and catalyzed by the higher rate of
globalization and urbanization across the world. Developing nations have also shown a
tremendous scope of business in recent decades in this sector. Considering the scope and
business scope of a developing nation like India, it is approaching to reserve fifth place among
the top rankers globally by the end of 2030 in the hospitality sector (EHL, 2022). The travel
expenses rose enormously amounting to US$ 40 billion in 2020. It is likely that international
hotel conglomerates are also going to bid on this puffy economic boom and will attract
Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) (Kirkegaard, 2020). The expected growth in FDIs in the
hospitality sector is nearing 50% by 2022 unlike the current 43% (UNCTAD Report, 2020).
Research shows that post-COVID-19, travel is happening, and domestic travel is increasing.
This has given rise to highly conscious clients looking for compelling services in the hotel
sector in India. Leisure holiday destinations in India like Shimla, Gulmarg, Ooty, etc. are
seeing a surge of high demand; coping with the needs and wants of the new growth markets.
It will be challenging to accommodate a large population demanding the need for an eco-
friendly environment with maintaining the desirable services and other facilities at a large
scale for the hotel and tourism industries in developing nations like India. In recent times,
health, hygiene, and green practices in the hospitality and hotel sector are the need of
the hour.
The current trend in the hotel industry presents sustainability as the hallmark of the
recent decade. It advocates the extended implementation of green practices like removing
plastic disposal items, eliminating unnecessary consumption of resources, reducing food
waste, and other environmental considerations. Seeing this growth landscape, it is essential
to formulate and debate and search for methods that can yield sustainable results. The
government policy regulating this sector necessitates the inclusion of green management in
their supply chains (Badhotiya et al., 2016). India is the powerhouse of the ever thriving
economy and foreign investors who are looking for sustainable competitive advantages while
keeping an environment-friendly focus as per need. The major areas of consideration will be
the implementation of sustainable green models with the aim of profit maximization policies
contributing to yearly growth. The optimal utilization of resources is the central agenda in the
policy that has environment-friendly work culture (Soni et al., 2020).
Carbon management/emissions are one of the critical issues which emphasize sustainable
growth for any industry. As per the report of UNEP (2019), the member countries of the G20
are responsible for global carbon emissions based on the point of consumption. Notably, India
is placed among the top four countries responsible for CO2 emissions. Therefore, we must
understand the need for evaluating and resolving current business practices in the hotel
industry that contributes much to the hospitality sector. The diabolical practices in the hotel
sector such as poor building design, poor service design, and poor maintenance will lead to
adverse environmental problems. The practices because of superficial planning thus risk the
environmental conditions and decrement green practices ratings of the Indian hotel industry.
Therefore, there is a need to develop eco-friendly and sustainable models for the Indian hotel
industry. The energy consumption and its residual carbon emissions need to be taken care of
for the sustainable growth of Indian hotels. Hotels are forced to use green practices due to the
fluctuating economy and consumer loyalty there being delayed by the government and
corporate sector both. Figure 1 shows the determination of unconstrained energy by sub-
sectors.
The HMCI provides a powerful framework for control over carbon consumption and
monitors its growth pattern. The study of HMCI is largely dependent on secondary data
Sustainable
practices in the
hotel industry
Figure 1.
Determination of
unconstrained energy
by sub-sector
considering the criteria which are responsible for the carbon emission in the hotel industry
such as air pollution, water conservation, noise pollution, waste management, etc. Many
initiatives regarding the control and mitigation of carbon emissions are being taken from
the last few decades when the intercontinental hospitality firm came up as a whistle-
blower in the field of eco-friendly hotel services in the year 2008. It was the world‟s first
100 percent eco-accommodating hotel brand. This created a milestone for establishing the
concept of sustainability in the hotel industry. Their green CPIs included: giving non-
perishable food to foundations, utilizing solar energy, twist energy to create power for the
hotel, water collecting framework to supply water to toilets, reused glass windows,
furniture, and apparatuses made altogether from reused materials, family unit waste to
give warmth and water. The hotel building may be planned to utilize eco-accommodating
materials capable of decreasing the heat of summers amid the coldness of winters. The
hotels have unique designs and utility for several rooms. The swimming pool may be
situated at the housetop to keep the building cool for summers. Eco-friendly steps are
being taken to diminish waste products, water contamination, air contamination, and
sound contamination since 2008. All such initiatives are elements that help in adopting
green and sustainable practices in the hotel industry for improved environmental quality.
Nowadays, the global scenario for sustainable and eco-friendly hotels is being discussed by
social activists, environmentalists, and regulatory bodies creating pressure to amend the
corporate strategy at large. The growing problem of climate change is a burning issue globally
and every organization is looking for an inductive alternative. Brand management and eco-
friendliness have become a focus for hotels and the hospitality industry too. There are several
abrupt strategies in practice for achieving sustainability; some of them are discussed in past
literature. Newman and Dale (2005) talk about the role of agency in brand building and
maintaining the image of the organization by addressing cohesiveness and overcoming
challenges. Therefore, we see an inherent need to prioritize/formulate the critical performance
indicators (CPIs) for green hotel management. Gossling (2010) explains greenhouse gases and
air pollution. Air traffic and air pollution show an impact on various greenhouse gases and the
CO2 is studied for the determination and reduction of the carbon footprints in the hotel
industry. The tourism and hotel industry is in definite need of various methodologies to reduce
carbon footprints in a strict sense by managing energy resources by waste management and
recycling processes (Gossling, 2010; Gossling et al., 2013). The factors
MEQ
such as air pollution, water conservation, energy, noise, and waste management were also
studied in the sustainability survey of the Indian Hotel Accreditation Society (IHAS). The
IHAS has considered all the factors and given these factors the status of supreme
adaptability. This consideration helps in adopting green and sustainable practices in the
hotel industry operations for improved environmental quality.
This research paper tries to answer the following research questions (RQ):
RQ1. What is the recent development in the hotel industry for establishing green
practices for sustainable growth of the hotel industry?
RQ2. Which are the CPIs impacting green hotel management practices?
RQ3. What is the impact of various CPIs on the eco-friendly environment of the hotel
with the help of a case study?
The research questions considered focus on meeting the goals of minimizing the carbon
footprints in the hospitality industry (especially the hotel industry) by adopting green
practices and investigating the important environmental factors. The most important factors
are identified using a very popular Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology. The next
section presents the literature review.
2. Literature review
Green practices in the hotel industry are very broadly discussed in the past literature
(Manaktola and Jauhari, 2007). The practical and tactical applications of green and
sustainable practices for making eco-friendly hotel chains are being in the focus from the start
of the 21st century (Graci and Dodds, 2008). Some efforts are in practice from the start of the
21st century for improving the eco-friendliness of hotels and provide sustainable growth for
the service industry. Some of the recent contributions and systematic growth in the field of
green and sustainable hotel industries for an eco-friendly environment are presented in
Table 1.
The literature reveals that the consumers are also concerned about the environment where
the hotel is located and are willing to pay higher for eco-friendly hotels for a better experience
(Kang et al., 2012). There is a need of giving importance to providing an eco-friendly and fresh
experience to tourists and visitors. An analytical and strategic approach was required to
implement the green practices in the existing hospitality and services industry leading to
the development of sustainable hotels (Han et al., 2010). This would require staff and
management training for the implementation of green practices (Kim and Choi, 2013). Water
utilization and climatic/environmental disturbances are come out as major concern areas for
the hotel industry. The relevance of the climatic factors in the growth of the hospitality
business is given importance while policymaking. The studies sufficiently give the specificity
of water as the one of major criteria for the food enterprise for growth and preservation
(Fleming et al., 2015). Earlier, Jones et al. (2014) highlighted major issues for consideration in
hotel management, which indicated the importance of sustainability reporting methods.
One example is the agriculture and food industry, where waste needs to be better disposed
of and utilized. Waste management techniques are crucial for the sustainable growth of the
food industry. The increasing use of green manures improves the fertility rates of the soil and
the waste management process. The sustainable development of the hotel industry can be
achieved by tactical and strategic moves, analyzing the environmental factors affecting the
hotel industry growth (Mardani et al., 2016; Al-Aomar and Hussain, 2017). The appropriate
location and the noise levels at the hotel also have equal importance in attracting customers
and visitors. So, there should be also consideration given to noise level reduction in the
periphery of the hotel sector to provide the customer with a satisfactory residence experience
Region of
Type of
S. No.
Author and year
research
research
Major finding
1
Kang et al.
USA
Empirical
The paper determines the willingness of
(2012)
research
consumers to pay for premium for green
services in luxury hotels. Total 37%
customers were willing to pay extra for eco-
friendly causes and 67% of them were
female
2
Kim and Choi
Florida
Qualitative
The research article investigated the
(2013)
research
employee‟s seriousness towards
implementation of green hotel practices.
According to the survey the overall
performance which was achieved in a green
practice drill is lower
4
Fleming et al.
Australia
Descriptive
The paper focuses on empirical study of two
(2015)
research
Australian wines companies
„
organizational
behavior and practices towards green
industrial practices for climate change and
seasonal demand
6
Mardani et al.
Malaysia
Empirical
The article focuses on energy efficient
(2016)
research
technique analysis with analytical decision-
making for five-star hotels. It recommends
ranking the electrical appliances based on
their consumption and power utility to
determine the effectiveness of the hotel
industry
7
Al-Aomar and
UAE
Descriptive
The article develops a framework for green
Hussain (2017)
research
practices in hospitality by focusing on value
creation and green awareness. The study
reveals that 63% of U.A.E five-star hotels are
aware about the green practices and are very
aggressive for its implementation
8
Baqar et al.,
Pakistan
Empirical
The study evaluates the level of discomforts
2018
research
due to the noise pollution to the patients in
the hospital and the side effects to the health
of the patients. It was observed that all the
multi-specialty hospitals surpassing the
international noise standards
9
Fuentes-Medina
Spain
Exploratory
The paper identifies the critical performance
et al. (2018)
research
indicators (CPIs) of hotel industry by
analyzing the customer needs. 2. The
attributes of the value chain like staff
training, customer perception, room service,
eco-friendly buildings need to be addressed
properly
10
Ma et al. (2018)
China
Empirical
The author‟s purpose is to develop a
research
technique to safeguard the world heritage
buildings with analytic hierarchy approach
(AHP) to make effective decision-making.
The study concludes by suggesting the reuse
and redevelopment of the resources with
proper maintenance activities for Non-World
Heritage Tulous
(continued )
Sustainable
practices in the
hotel industry
Table 1.
Recent contributions in
the field of green and
sustainable practices
MEQ
Region of
Type of
S. No.
Author and year
research
research
Major finding
11
Hsiao et al.
Taiwan
Quantitative
The study analyses how the hotels are
(2018)
research
rearranging there work procedures to adapt
to the green and sustainable hospitality
practices. 2. The paper recommends
reorganizing functional activities like
inventory collection, customer pick and drop,
service delivery system as per green
sustainable management
12
Calabrese et al.
Italy
Descriptive
The article focuses on applying the strategic
(2019)
research
decision-making approach to determine the
crucial factors to address sustainability
issues. The results show the importance of
running hotels using fair practice leading to
more sustainable model as it holds the
maximum weightage of 15.48%. Human
rights are given least importance in the
survey that is needed to address in detail
13
Rahman et al.
Bangladesh
Empirical
The study emphasizes on developing a
(2019)
research
hierarchy model for ranking the quality
factors to achieve sustainable growth and
business excellence in Bangladesh hotel
industry
14
Kularatne et al.
Sri Lanka
Linear
The study adopts the double bootstrap
(2019)
programming
approach to determine the efficiency level of
the several hotel buildings technically in
Sri Lanka
15
Asadi et al.
Malaysia
Descriptive
It studies the effect of green innovative
(2020)
research
practices for achievement on sustainable
development emphasizing on carbon
footprint reduction. The study concludes
that innovative green practices can explain
55% of variance in environmental
performance leading to 50% economic
growth
16
Han et al. (2020)
Korea
Quantitative
It studies the mechanism of hotel waste
research
reduction and water conservation
techniques for sustainable and green
practices. The paper concludes that
customer awareness towards environmental
concern is an import attribute for
implementation of green practices in hotels
17
Vatan and
Istanbul
Exploratory
The study explains new ceramic techniques
Yilmaz. (2020)
research
for providing sustainable solutions for safer
and comfortable stay of customers. The
hypothesis conceptual model fills the void
present tourism industry and extent
hospitality. It emphasizes on use of
technological innovations to provide green,
healthier, and safer experience to customers
Table 1.
(continued )
Region of
Type of
S. No.
Author and year
research
research
Major finding
18
Omune et al.
Kenya
Descriptive
The research article focuses on the
(2021)
research
implementing environmentally friendly
practices by considering energy saving,
waste management and water conservation.
2. The study recommends awareness and
training programs for hotel employees in
green and environmental practices, It also
urged subsidization in inventories related to
recycling of products and waste
management
19
TM et al. (2021)
India
Descriptive
It is systematic literature review focusing on
research
sustainability, environment effects and
green practices in restaurants. The paper
recommends widening the scope from
restaurants to big hospitality industries and
tourism
20
Oriade et al.
UK
Empirical
The study focuses on the sustainable and
(2021)
research
green practices to improve hotel efficiency
and organizational behavior. The paper
concludes by saying customer and staff
environmental awareness is the most crucial
green practice parameter that needs to be
considered by Nigerian and Ghanaian hotels
Sustainable
practices in the
hotel industry
Table 1.
(Baqar et al., 2018). Sajjad et al. (2018) presented the study of sustainability in Pakistan
hotel industry. They highlighted that there must be collaboration between government,
community, and private sector to embrace sustainability.
The analytical approach for studying the crucial factors affecting sustainability and carbon
footprints is formally understood to determine the importance of each factor affecting hotel
energy efficiency (Fuentes-Medina et al., 2018; Ma et al., 2018; Hsiao et al., 2018). The various
factors which contribute to the growth of the hotel industry by increasing its efficiency level
and decreasing carbon emissions are classified and ranked in the literature for the development
of high performing sustainable models for the hotel industry (Calabrese et al., 2019; Rahman et
al., 2019; Kularatne et al., 2019). Hotels are rated as the most energy consumption buildings
leading to excessive release of greenhouse gases. Energy consumption has a major role in
controlling carbon emissions (Asadi et al., 2020). The control necessarily provides us with the
proper utilization of energy resources and gives the energy conservation for the proper
utilization in the hospitality sector (Han et al., 2020). In most developing countries the
knowledge about energy efficiency, particularly in the building sector, is low level and this is
needed to be addressed (Vatan and Yilmaz, 2020).
The strategies of developed countries used for industrialized countries might not be suitable
for developing countries (Omune et al., 2021), so there is a need to have demographic and
geographically customized solutions for the developing nations regarding green practices in
various service sectors. This will have a direct impact on the sustainable growth of the hotel
industry in India. Energy-efficient and cost-effective building design options for the case of
developing nations like India are very much required (TM et al., 2021). The Energy-efficient
building design is a non-trivial issue involving several interdependent design criteria which are
very well utilized in European countries (Oriade et al., 2021). The global critical factors, which
encompass the essence of sustainable practices in the hotel industry, highlight
MEQ
the importance of green motivation in the management policies (Ahmed et al., 2021). Green
motivation is seen in all major practices as well as procurement facilities of the hotel industry.
It is crucial to set green motivation in the proactive environmental management of the hotel
industry. Pereira-Moliner et al. (2021) establish that in Spain‟s hotel industry synergistic
sustainability performance relationship is an unwinding factor in the managing process. The
major pillars of sustainability were identified in three dimensions; namely, economic,
environmental, and social. These pillars must be optimally addressed to optimize the
sustainability angle of the management.
Past studies reveal that developing nations like India is having a huge potential to work
towards eco-friendly and green sustainability for hotel industries. This also emphasizes the
need to develop energy-efficient systems for the Indian hotel industry‟s growth that can
sustain changing environment and comply with government green policies. In changing
climates, poor and passive design strategies might conflict with each other leading to an
inefficient building. There is an urgent demand for energy conservation techniques in the
hotel design and hotel service industry. There is a need for an in-depth study of green
practices and sustainability models for hotel chains using building energy simulation with
parametric analysis (Kwatra et al., 2021). Industry 4.0 is coming up with smart solutions for
increasing energy efficiency and decreasing carbon footprints. Industry 4.0 smart digital
solutions help to reduce the wastage of food and improve the recycling of the water for
conservative. It also manages the guest transport services effectively using internet of things
(IoT) connectivity leading to efficient customer services (Youssef and Zeqiri, 2022). It is very
evident from the literature that the hotel industry requires to identify the CPIs and provide
them weightage in their building design and policy for making eco-friendly hotels. This can
be only achieved through an empirical study of the existing hotel industries. Zotova et al.
(2020) established that carbon-neutral interventions should be implemented in the current
hotel management scenario. The hotel industry is now looking to cut down greenhouse
carbon emissions and reduce ecological footprints. The management is considering the
reduction of carbon footprints from transportation, venue and accommodation, catering, and
hotel waste. Major steps are being towards carbon neutrality by maximizing virtual
participation and video conferencing. There is solid room for innovations in the development
of eco-friendly waste management systems. The use of recyclable units in hotels is cutting
down carbon emissions from hotel waste. G
€
ossling and Lund-Durlacher (2021) recently notes
carbon emissions from tourist accommodation and climate change in Austria. The current
accommodation strategies are investigated and asserted that these strategies should be
adapted to fewer carbon emissions systems. They should switch to renewable energy curving
away from traditional energy sources which are resulting in high carbon emissions. The next
section presents the methodology of prioritization.
3. Methodology
In this study initially, the topic was searched and explored to know the background details
and requirements of the hotel industry covering environmental concerns. The paper covers
the available published literature and information in the domain of eco-friendly sustainable
hotel industries. It determines the need of investigating the major CPIs for the sustainable
growth of the hotel sector. A sampling survey strategy was adopted to determine the CPI‟s
impact on the hotel industry and its plan for eco-friendly sustainable practices. The data
collection was done by arranging appointments with the managerial staff of the hotel selected
for the study. The data analysis was done using the AHP methodology. It provides concrete
results to the existing environmental concerns of the hotel for having green practices
implementation. The following Figure 2 presents the research methodology adopted. The
method adopted is the standard approach used to estimate the priorities of CPI or critical
indicators (Prakash et al., 2021).
Literature review on green and sustainable hotel
Sustainable
management
practices in the
Five crucial CPIs identified
hotel industry
Sampling stratergy for survey
Industry survey
Data collection
Data Analysis and AHP Implimentaion
Figure 2.
Case study and conclusion
Methodology adopted
3.1 AHP as prioritizing tool
The study requirement was to identify a suitable tool or methodology which can provide the
priority level amongst the crucial factors for the sustainable and eco-friendly hospitality sector.
In this context, various tools are available, and the authors have decided to select AHP for
prioritizing/formulating the various factors as it is one of the oldest and most reliable decision-
making approaches that many businesses have been using to carry out their decisions to achieve
long-term goals (Emrouznejad and Marra, 2017). It was introduced by Thomas L. Saaty in the
1970s and has been contemplated and refined ever since then. The AHP is an organized system
for investigating and sorting out complex choices, because of social decision problems. It
provides logical and rational solutions for a given problem with quantifying parameters of the
concerned issue along with alternate paths for goal achievement. It is a method with multi-
criteria decision-making capable of determining levels and preferences for these kinds of
problems. AHP helps to design the whole structure of the problem and removes the inconsistent
data sources before giving a framework. AHP strategy is connected to the poll overviews
gathered from meetings/surveys. As a matter of primary importance of objectives; they are
being chosen and after that choice of a few criteria as per objective. The AHP is a well-
established method for detecting the importance of factors with their respective contribution in
totality. The formal mathematical setting and steps for AHP are given as follows. The readers
are requested to follow articles on analytic hierarchy process overview, applications, and
methods by Vaidya and Kumar (2006), Ku and Fan (2009), Emrouznejad and Marra (2017).
With challenging economic conditions existing in many markets, hoteliers often lack the time
and resources to properly evaluate the business costs and benefits of investment synced with
environmental technologies and sustainability initiatives (Delmonico et al., 2018). The potential
investments are required, and the same evaluation needs to be done. The broad objective may
be kept as including cost-saving opportunities and enhancing operational efficiency to
demonstrate a positive commitment to the environment (Calabrese et al., 2019; Asadi et al.,
2020).
3.2 AHP model
The AHP problem is formulated here using a mathematical model. AHP is distinctive because
it can quantify criteria and alternatives. AHP converts the comparisons of empirical nature
MEQ
into numerical data. The importance of the chosen factor defines hierarchy through the
assessment of elements. The AHP problem is formulated here using a mathematical model.
AHP is distinctive because it can quantify criteria and alternatives (Saaty, 1990). AHP
converts the comparisons of empirical nature into numerical data. The importance of the
chosen factor defines hierarchy through the assessment of elements (Hwang and Yoon, 1981).
In the first step, the problem is decomposed into a hierarchical structure or criteria on
which the subsequent levels depend. In the next step, pair-wise comparison of the criteria
based on the hierarchy is carried out. The attribution presents a hierarchy of a minimum of
three levels. The main idea is to classify them from top-level to middle to bottom-level
alternatives. If the criteria are vague or abstract then, the sub-criterion is generated through
the multi-level hierarchy. The calculation of the weights is done by the formula given by
Belton and Stewart (2002):
W
¼
n
:ð
n
1Þ
(1)
2
In equation (1), n
5
total number of elements being compared. Further, using j
5
total number
of criteria, i.e. ½n:ðn − 1Þj . The comparison matrix is given by:
2
w
1
. . .
w
1
3
w
w
6
7
C
c
kp
n 3n
..1. ...
. .
n
.
(2)
¼ ½
6
7
¼ 6
wn
wn
7
6
. . .
7
4
w
1
w
n
5
In equation (2), c
comparison rating for the k-th and p-th criteria. The Matrix
kp ¼ is a pair-wise
c−1
and all its diagonal elements are unity. Hence, we get
C is reciprocal, which means c
pk
¼
cpk
cpk ¼ 1; k ¼ p. After this, the vector of weights of criteria is given by (Saaty, 1990),
(3)
w ¼ ½w1; w2; . . . ; wn
Then the solution can be obtained to calculate:
λ
max
(eigenvalue of C ) by the equation:
λmax ¼ Cw
(4)
In the next step, the local consistency of the priority is estimated. The calculation of maximum
Eigen weights (λmaxÞ is done. The calculation of CI (Consistency Index) and CR (Consistency
Ratio) is done. The maximum Eigen weight is given by,
2
y
1
3
2
a
11
x
1
. . .
a
n1
x
n
3
6
.
¼
λmax ¼
. . .
... ...
(5)
.. 7
4
5
4
y
n
5
a
n1
x
1
. . .
a
nn
x
n
Next, a global priority by summing corresponding criteria weights and the results are
calculated. Braunschweig and Becker (2004) gave a method to sum these values to
calculate the final priority list.
3.3 Utilization of AHP
The study considers the following factors for AHP implementation to know the effect of carbon
emission on the hotel industry. These factors are attributes such as minimizing air pollution
(A1), preserving energy (A2), increasing water conservation (A3), reducing noise pollution
(A4), and effective waste management (A5). The criteria selected are cost (C1),
hotel image (C2), government regulations (C3) and local community pressure (C4). The
objective is the selection of the best attributes/CPIs for fulfillment of the Hotel Carbon
Management Initiative (HMCI) goals.
3.4 AHP implementation
The AHP is implemented to achieve the results of the criteria and the selection of the
factors for prioritizing the CPIs. The data is collected by the survey from a hotel (referred
as hotel ABC) located outskirts of Gurugram district of the state Haryana, India. The
survey form was used to collect to capture the thoughts of the industry experts. A total of
five experts were able to provide us with the required inputs and were considered
decision-makers for this study. The expert requested not to disclose their identity and full
privacy. Table 3 weightage is the mean of the survey response of the experts. In the
present work, the contribution for each of the CPIs in HMCI is calculated using AHP. The
goal is to determine which CPIs, i.e alternatives, are best given the criteria. In step 1,
perform weigh the criteria, and compare the five alternatives to the criteria. Table 3 shows
the weightage given by experts to all criteria for relative importance. In the next step, the
weights of all five alternatives (A1 to A5) against the criteria set (C1 to C5). Finally, the
weighted importance of each criterion is then multiplied against the score of each
alternative to get the weighed score and the overall priority score is calculated.
Figure 3 shows the CPIs priority score summary graph. Table 2 depicts the evaluation
criteria and alternative summary for established CPIs for HMCI. Table 3 shows the weightage
given by experts to all criteria for relative importance towards their contribution to the overall
adoption of green and sustainable practices. Table 4 calculates CPIs evaluation with respect to
criteria C1, i.e. cost which could be saved and minimized by controlling water harvesting
techniques and its conservation. Table 5 presents CPIs evaluation with respect to criteria C2,
i.e. hotel image shows most dependency on controlling the increasing water conservation and
reduction of noise pollution. Table 6 shows CPIs evaluation with respect to criteria C3, i.e.
government regulations are governed by factors of air pollution. Table 7 presents CPIs
evaluation with respect to criteria C4, i.e. local community pressure gets more affected by the
proper waste management system. Smart technology can help in the above cases by enhancing
environmental quality in the supply chain and operations of the hotels.
Sustainable
practices in the
hotel industry
0.3
0.25
Priority Score
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
Figure 3.
CPIs priority score
summary as per
weightage
MEQ
S. No.
CPIs, i.e. alternatives
Abbreviation/Code
1
Minimizing air pollution
A1
2
Increasing water conservation
A2
3
Preserving energy
A3
4
Reducing noise pollution
A4
5
Effective waste management
A5
S. No.
Criteria
Abbreviation/Code
1
Cost
C1
Table 2.
2
Hotel image
C2
Evaluation criteria and
3
Government regulations
C3
alternative summary
4
Local community pressure
C4
C1
C2
C3
C4
Eigen vector
Weight
Comp Eigen vector
C1
1
1
1/3
3
1
0.2141
0.9775
Table 3.
C2
1
1
3
5
1.968
0.4214
1.8943
C3
3
1/3
1
3
1.3161
0.2818
1.3127
Weightage given by
experts to all criteria
C4
1/3
1/5
1/3
1
0.3861
0.0827
0.3323
for relative importance
Consistency index 5 0.1722
λmax 5 4.5167
Consistency ratio
5
0.1914
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
Eigen vector
Weight
Comp Eigen vector
A1
1
1/3
5
7
1/7
1.1076
0.1561
0.9792
A2
3
1
5
7
3
3.1598
0.4453
2.4081
A3
1/5
1/5
1
5
1/5
0.5253
0.074
0.4399
Table 4.
A4
1/7
1/7
1/5
1
1/3
0.2671
0.0376
0.234
A5
7
1/3
5
3
1
2.0362
0.2869
2.011
CPIs evaluation with
respect to criteria C1,
λmax 5 6.0722
Consistency
Consistency
i.e. cost
index 5 0.2681
ratio 5 0.2393
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
Eigen vector
Weight
Comp Eigen vector
A1
1
3
3
1/3
1/5
0.9029
0.1615
1.4321
A2
1/3
1
5
1
5
1.5281
0.2734
1.7697
A3
1/3
1/5
1
1/3
3
0.5818
0.1041
0.6736
Table 5.
A4
3
1
3
1
3
1.9332
0.3458
1.7617
A5
5
1/5
1/3
1/3
1
0.6444
0.1153
1.1274
CPIs evaluation with
respect to criteria C2,
λmax 5 6.7646
Consistency
Consistency
i.e. hotel image
index 5 0.4411
ratio 5 0.3939
4. Result and analysis
The comparison between criteria and their specific impact analysis shows the priority order as
given below in Table 8. The score obtained has order A2>A1>A5>A4>A3. Based on the above
results, the scores of the A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5 are obtained. The scores are tabulated
in Table 8. The criteria A2 (increasing water conservation) has obtained the highest score
regarding the carbon management system for the hotel sector based on a survey of Hotel
ABC Gurugram. The ranking is purely based on quantitative data and tool application for
criteria‟s weightage. The study also provides the histogram of the criterion‟s score as found
in Table 8. It can be easily seen that A2 is the highest and rendering A1 be second highest.
This means that the first focus of any hotel should be increasing the water conservation
methods and avoiding the air polluting substance (Gossling, 2010) used in abundance with
alternate energy sources. The results presented above show that increasing water
conservation (A2) is the most critical factor contributing about 28.28% towards
environmentally friendly sustainable growth as per HMCI green practices requirements.
While energy preserving techniques scores with minimum weightage in the overall
priority index with 7% sensitivity towards environmental concerns of eco-friendly hotels,
the histogram clearly explains the clear difference in the contribution of all five CPIs to
achieving the goal of HMCI for better growth of hotels.
5. Discussion
Based on the results, it is recommended that Hotel ABC, Gurugram must first focus on
increasing water conservation as the first and foremost objective for the implementation of
green practices to achieve HMCI goal. The implication of this critical factor is most crucial in
Sustainable
practices in the
hotel industry
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
Eigen vector
Weight
Comp Eigen vector
A1
1
5
7
1
3
2.5365
0.4089
2.507
A2
1/5
1
3
3
1
1.1247
0.1813
1.0169
A3
1/7
1/3
1
1/5
1/3
0.3165
0.051
0.2733
Table 6.
A4
1
1/3
5
1
1/7
0.7505
0.121
0.8793
CPIs evaluation with
A5
1/3
1
3
7
1
1.4758
0.2379
1.5553
respect to criteria C3,
λmax 5 6.2318
Consistency
Consistency
i.e. government
index 5 0.3079
ratio 5 0.2749
regulations
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
Eigen vector
Weight
Comp Eigen vector
A1
1
1
5
3
1/3
1.3797
0.2278
1.2007
A2
1
1
3
3
1
1.5518
0.2563
1.3246
A3
1/5
1/3
1
1/3
1/5
0.3385
0.0559
0.2931
Table 7.
A4
1/3
1/3
3
1
1/3
0.6444
0.1064
0.5533
CPIs evaluation with
A5
3
1
5
3
1
2.1411
0.3536
1.8921
respect to criteria C4,
λmax 5 5.2639
Consistency
Consistency
i.e. local community
index 5 0.066
ratio 5 0.0589
pressure
CPI
Priority score
Rank
Comment
Minimizing air pollution
0.2355
2
Increasing water conservation
0.2828
1
*First priority
Preserving energy
0.0787
5
Reducing noise pollution
0.1967
4
Table 8.
Effective waste management
0.2063
3
Scores for CPIs priority
MEQ
HMCI for other hotels with similar standards. Considering next, minimizing air pollution is
the second critical factor in maintaining an eco-friendly environment in hotels with better
quality living standards and air quality index in the periphery. They must also focus on
effective waste management techniques in their hotels. The wastage of the hotels should be
recycled. The eco-friendly process should be performed to utilize waste and reduction of
carbon emissions from harmful products dumped inside the grounds. Noise pollution
reduction is also a concern of hotels nowadays as it contributes to the customers
‟
service and
satisfaction level a lot. The soundproof building design is thus, recommended that customers
are not getting disturbed by annoying noises around the periphery of the hotel. Energy
conservation is a growing need in the current business scenario where growing machinery
usage is heavily contributing to the problem of carbon emissions at large. It is recommended
that building design should primarily focus on water management, and green practices to
avoid air pollution as CPI for achieving the goals of HMCI. The study results are based on an
expert survey and the AHP technique. It is recommended that hotels must keep water
conservation in the most priority with proper utilization, recycling, reuse, and storage for
effective HMCI that can help in adopting green and sustainable practices in the hotel industry
operations for improved environmental quality.
6. Conclusion
It has been observed that they are a need for focusing more on green practices for the
satisfaction of the HMCI concerning global needs. The Indian hotel industry has shown
initiatives to focus on eco-friendly measures and practices in the recent few years leading to
sustainable and green development in the tourism and hospitality sector. This paper has
identified the contribution of crucial factors like minimizing air pollution, preserving energy,
increasing water conservation, reducing noise pollution, and effective waste management.
The significance of each element for HMCI is explained and their importance is briefly
summarized. Water Management and air pollution reduction are the most crucial factors in a
profitable sense for strong as well as weak stakeholders of the hospitality sector. For these
two cases, smart technology can help by enhancing environmental quality in the supply
chain and operations of the hotels with proper water conservation to reduce the unnecessary
cost involved in the utility. Waste management can reduce the cost as well as improve the
service level of the hotel with proper image building in the market. It also considers a few
government concerns and regulations regarding cleanliness and the environment. The
exploration of methodologies based on the advancement of this model will allow hotels to
achieve HMCI goals with the development of the widely accepted model for the hospitality
sector. This will lead to competitive and stress-free sustainable growth for developing
nations‟ hotel industry without compromising on profit margins and service quality. This
research is focusing on energy-efficient systems by proper utilization of available natural and
man-made resources. Renewable sources for power generation can lead to viable
environmental solutions and cost savings. The results conclude that these potential
investments require the same evaluation as any other business decisions – focusing on the
minimization of risk and optimization of return on investment. This paper has recognized
cost-saving opportunities and enhanced operational efficiency revealing a positive
commitment to the environment.
The various contributing factors are analyzed with AHP, and the final priority order of
CPI is obtained as A2>A1>A5>A4>A3. This has presented that water conservation is
needed to be focused on a priority basis leading to a 28.28% weightage in overall
operational efficiency. Air pollution reduction and effective waste management contribute
by 23.55% and 20.63% respectively towards achieving sustainable and eco-friendly
growth of hotels. This study helps us to improve the overall efficiency of sustainable
hospitality without comprising cost and resources. This is a continuous process where the
adoption of green practices in the hotel industry is needed at the organizational level to
cope with the need for sustainable hospitality. Water management is a worldwide issue
and proper policymaking from the government and tourism agencies is required
considering the future requirements and sustainable growth of all hostels. The hotel
managers should run programs and awareness drills for the staff for conserving energy and
having proper waste disposal and recycling.
This is very evident from the conclusion that operational efficiency plays a vital role in
the sustainable and economic growth of the hotel industry. The adoption of advanced and
smart technology solutions can further increase the effectiveness and efficiency of major
operations through innovation.
7. Managerial implication and future scope
Sustainable practices in the hotel industry impact customer experience in a positive
manner and the probability of revisiting customers also increases that will certainly help
business. The implementation of sustainability methods increases employee happiness
levels and pride, feeling more connected to their organization. This creates a positive
environment and works culture for the staff and guests. The managers can direct the hotel
team to purchase more environmentally friendly supplies for hotels e.g. cleaning products
to achieve sustainable goals. This will lead to total monitoring of the purchased raw
materials from the initial stage to the final consumption providing proper utilization of
energy and avoiding unnecessary wastage of food and other services.
The current study focuses on only deluxe and large-scale hotel chains situated in
suburban locations of India. So, there is a wide scope for improving the study by looking
at rural cottage hotels, and hotel villas far from cities. There is a need to study the
dimensions that this cross-sectional study will bring to the table. The hotel industry in
India is growing at a very large scale so the small hotels and restaurants which are not
using these green practices (HMCI) in their work culture can implement the suggestions of
this study for making their hotels green and sustainable entities. It would also help them to
take government subsidies and compete in the global eco-friendly scenario. To assess the
recognized components further with wide aspects CPIs are needed to explore with more
extended research work in rural areas. Assessment of other relevant parameters in a wider
context is very much needed. In the future, the extension of present work can be done
using any mathematical modeling/software-based modeling method to make the study
more accurate and practical. This is very evident from the conclusion that operational
efficiency plays a vital role in the sustainable and economic growth of the hotel industry.
So, this is a clear indication that the adoption of advanced and smart technology solutions
can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of all operations by adding innovative
solutions to the present status.
Sustainable
practices in the
hotel industry
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Appendix
Sample survey from for adopting green and sustainable practices in the hotel industry
Please rate your response/agreement regarding the following green practices in your organization on
the scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is lowest score and 5 highest. Provide your comment to the specific
questions.
Rate your green practices followed
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate commitment by top management to adopt green practices
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate strategic planning practices
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Need of commitment for ecofriendly services
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Status of green suppliers of raw materials
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Status of environmental partnership with suppliers
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the emphasis in improving air quality
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the status of reward system for energy saving in hotels
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Hotels are in need of increasing water harvesting capacity
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the waste management services postproduction/service
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the green innovations
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the status of environmental knowledge
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the process followed in your hotel for air pollution control
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the process followed in your hotel for reducing noise pollution
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the process followed in your hotel for effective waste management
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the process followed in your hotel for water conservation
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rate the process followed in your hotel for preserving energy
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
How much HMCI norms followed, Plz rate.
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Comments
Sustainable
practices in the
hotel industry
Name (Optional):
Company Name:
Location:
Figure A1.
Experience (in years):
Position:
Age:
MEQ
About the authors
Surya Prakash is working as Associate Professor, Supply Chain Management and Logistics, IIHMR
University, Jaipur and has completed PhD (Supply Chain Management) from Malaviya National Institute
of Technology, Jaipur, India. Dr Prakash completed his BE in Mechanical Engineering from the Dr B.R.
Ambedkar University, Agra (India) and ME in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the Birla Institute
of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS-Pilani) (India). He had worked as Associate Professor, BML
Munjal University, Gurgaon and Assistant Professor with the Mechanical Engineering Department,
Northcap University (formerly ITM University), Gurgaon, India. He has over seven years of experience in
teaching and research. He has published papers in journals of international repute, such as Annals of
Operations Research, European Journal of Operations Research, Journal of Cleaner Production,
Benchmarking: An International Journal, Grey Systems: Theory and Application, International Journal of
Advanced Operations Management, etc. His areas of research interest are supply chain management, risk
management, network design, robust optimization, Industry 4.0 and operations management. Surya Prakash
is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: suryayadav8383@gmail.com
Vijay Prakash Sharma is Research Scholar in Mechanical Engineering Department at BML
Munjal University, Gurgaon (Hero Group Initiative). He holds around five years of industrial,
research and teaching experience. He has done his Masters in Mechanical Engineering from
Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana. He has completed his Bachelor of Technology
(Hon.) from Rajasthan Technical University, Kota. His research interest areas are industrial
engineering, operations and supply chain management, manufacturing systems and optimization
techniques. He has published papers in journals of international repute, such as Measuring Business
Excellence and International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management.
Ranbir Singh is working with BML Munjal University, Gurgaon since June 2016 as Assistant
Professor in Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology. He is having his
research interest in areas like industrial instrumentation, production planning and control, automation
etc. He is having a rich teaching cum industrial experience of over 15 years. He has been awarded
PhD from DCRUST Murthal. Haryana, India.
Lokesh Vijayvargy is PhD in Green Supply Chain Management, MTech in Industrial Engineering from
IIT Delhi. His overall experience spans over 14 years and he is currently working as Associate Professor
for the last ten years in the area of Decision Sciences and Operations Management at Jaipuria Institute of
Management, which is one of the top MBA colleges in Jaipur Rajasthan. He is Dean (Student Affairs) and
Chairperson-Alumni Relations and Anti-Ragging at Jaipuria Institute of Management Jaipur. Previously, he
was associated with Amity University Rajasthan and Visiting Faculty at BIT Jaipur, Institute of Agri-
Business Management, Bikaner, JECRC Jaipur for a period of two years.
Nilaish is working as Assistant Professor (Supply Chain and Marketing) in School of Commerce and
Management at Starex University, Gurugram. He holds MBA degree from Coventry University (UK), Post
Graduate Certificate in Management from University of Wales (UK) and PhD in Management. He is
certified from Harvard University (USA) in Statistics and R and certified in Data Science from Microsoft.
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