A Study on Pollutant Emission Through Gas Consumption in the Hong Kong Hotel Industry

A survey of 11 hotels in Hong Kong was carried out to collect three years' energy consumption data. Regression analysis indicated that gross floor area was a major and statistically acceptable factor in explaining the gas consumption in new hotels. Based on past consumption data and some established pollutant emission factors, the amount of sulphur dioxides, nitrogen dioxides, carbon dioxides and particulate created by the Hong Kong hotel industry's gas usage during a 10-year period from 1989–1998 was estimated. The study predicts the increase in these amounts in 1999–2003 accompanying the rise in the number of hotels. The findings indicate that emissions will rise by nearly 40% in the next few years, requiring urgent discussions. The study also finds that a heat pump running on coal-fired electricity and with a coefficient of performance (COP) greater than 3 could produce lower level emissions than a gas-fired boiler. It is further suggested that an effective method to reduce the emissions is to substitute naptha with natural gas as the fuel for generating town gas and electricity. We believe the hotel industry should adopt a more proactive approach to reduce gas usage and propose the inclusion of environmental reporting in trade journals.     

Carbon dioxide emissions generated by energy consumption of hotels and homestay facilities in Taiwan

In the field of the tourism, hotels and homestay facilities account for considerable amounts of energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. This study presents an investigation conducted on the CO₂ emissions from four types of hotel in Taiwan. According to the results, the average CO₂ emissions of international tourist hotels, standard tourist hotels, general hotels, and homestay facilities are 28.9, 19.2, 12.5, and 6.3 kg-CO₂/person-night, respectively. Hotels with higher service levels produce higher average CO₂ emissions per person-night. Analytical results indicate that increasing stays at hotels with low CO₂ emissions (such as homestay facilities and general hotels), accommodating more guests together per room, and enhancing energy usage efficiency, can effectively reduce hotel CO₂ emissions without reducing the total number of guests. The results of this study may be applied to CO₂ reduction programmes for tourists, hotel enterprises, and contribute toward the formulation of government policy in Taiwan.     

Hotel chain affiliation as an environmental performance strategy for luxury hotels

Stakeholders are increasingly aware of the potential of environmental performance to benefit their health; however, there is a paucity of sustainability studies addressing the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance and the brand equity of hotel chains. Unlike traditional economics that treat undesired outputs such as carbon emissions as costless, this research presents an accurate, concise and clear empirical examination of hotel chain affiliation strategy through the Malmquist-Luenberger index to measure the brand competitiveness of the strategy while considering carbon emissions reduction using objective official panel data from Taiwan. The findings reveal that a group of hotel chains has a significantly higher average energy efficiency and branding value than those of a group of independent operators when holistic carbon emissions reduction is considered. Thus, this study encourages stakeholders to promote green hotel policies to independent hotel operators to achieve a higher brand value with lower carbon emissions and to adopt greater use of business intelligence to assist the decision-making of hotel operators in conformity with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).     

Analysis and benchmarking of greenhouse gas emissions of luxury hotels

Hotels are one of the most energy intensive building types due to their multi-usage functions and round the clock operations. We investigated the energy consumption of 58 Taiwanese luxury hotels for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄). The average yearly GHG emission density of the investigated hotels is 132 kg-CO₂e/m². The results show an expected 29 kg of equivalent carbon dioxide emission (CO₂e) for each accommodated guest/night, or 50 kg-CO₂e generated for each room/night sold. A multiple regression model was established to normalize the GHG emission intensity, which includes GHG emissions potential variables and a benchmark model, plotted as a cumulative percentile distribution, in which hotels can rank their GHG emissions intensity. By comparing hotel GHG emission performances, hotel managers can determine if and where improvements should be implemented.     

不保与盈利：环境管理对酒店绩效的影响

环境管理对酒店绩效的影响越来越受到人们的关注。国外学者使用了不同的方法来研究其关系，但至今没有一个明确的定论。以“波特假说”为代表的学者认为，环境管理所带来的效益可以弥补环境管理所需的费用，并让酒店产品产生差异化，增加新的竞争力。然而，一些学者却认为，对环境管理的投入会减少酒店的利益和酒店的竞争力。因为其所节约的成本不足以弥补所要付出的费用。为了对这两种观点在实践中的表现进行验证，该文通过对广州高星级酒店的调查，获取第一手数据，借SPSS统计软件的相关功能，确定酒店环境管理对其绩效的影响表现。结果显示，酒店环境管理的投入越多，其对绩效的积极影响越明显。同时，酒店环境管理中的几个变量对酒店绩效存在着不同程度的影响，可得到酒店环境管理对其绩效产生影响的回归方程。最后，文章提出了一些建议及研究展望。     

Energy use and management in hotels in Hong Kong

This paper reports on a study of energy use in 16 quality hotels in Hong Kong. An overview of energy use in these hotels is firstly presented, and this is followed by a detailed analysis of energy use in one of the 16 hotels. The overview indicates that the energy use situation in hotels in Hong Kong is very much diversified. The total energy use in a hotel is dominated by electricity, with the greatest portion for air conditioning because of sub-tropical climate. A detailed multiple variable regression analysis indicated that a number of hotel operating parameters as well as climatic condition can affect electricity, diesel and gas use in a hotel building. In order to achieve both operating cost saving and environmental protection, it is recommended that an energy management programme be established, and key elements of such a programme based on the experience of implementing energy conservation strategies in hotels in Hong Kong are highlighted.     

Converted Heat Pumps for Small- and Medium-Size Hospitality Enterprises: More Energy Saving and Commercialization

Government officials have recently paid more attention to emissions produced by power plants and have called for more adoption of innovative energy-saving facilities. Among these energy-saving facilities, many scholars and governments have recommended using heat pumps. A heat pump is a kind of heat exchanging device capable of producing cooling and heating function or even hot water with energy-saving properties. Nevertheless, the principles and theories indicate that the heat pump functions should not be limited to a single functional mode at a time. It is possible to achieve bi-functional modes simultaneously via the heat recovery process. While some large heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems possess the dual functions simultaneously, this kind of bi-functional mode has not been available for the household size air-conditioner or heat pump. To prove this and check for its technical feasibility, a conversion of the existing household size air-conditioning system using the heat pump principle into the bi-functional mode was undertaken. Given over millions of small- and medium-size hospitality operators may benefit from it all over the world, a further investigation was undertaken in the second stage. Focus group interviews were conducted to identify the factors slowing and quickening the commercialization of the bi-functional mode type of the heat pump or air-conditioner with reference to network theory.     

Assessing Hotel Cost Control Through Value Engineering: A Case Study on the Budget Hotels in a Middle-sized City in China

This study employed a value engineering approach to identify and evaluate the factors integral to the efficiency of operation and management of the budget hotel sector in China. A combination of qualitative panel judgments and quantitative statistics was applied in the analysis of a Chinese budget brand which is publicly listed in the USA. Findings reveal that out of the six categories of costs identified, the two items of standard room cost and energy & maintenance achieved the ideal value, while lease rental and human resources are overvalued, with franchise fee and refurbishment cost being undervalued. The implication for hotel investors as well as operators is that for the budget sector to fully realize its potential, a delicate balance needs to be obtained so that resources can be more evenly distributed and customer experiences enriched.     

A room with a view—A valuation of the Mediterranean Sea view

Aesthetic view is one of the ecosystem services of the Mediterranean Sea which can be estimated using price differences in the hotel market. Hotels situated on the Mediterranean Sea charge higher prices for a room with a sea view than for a room without it. The value of this view in 10 major Mediterranean regions was estimated in this paper using a hedonic price method. Data on 2819 hotel rooms in high season and 2406 rooms in the low season were collected from Booking.com and fixed effects regression was used to estimate the model coefficients. Hotel room prices were found to be higher by about 10% for a room with a view than for one with no view specification. No significant difference was found between regions or season. These findings lend support to the fact that the view of the Mediterranean is equally valued in all regions.     

Cost structure and productivity growth of the Taiwanese international tourist hotels

This study investigates the cost structure and economic implications of the Taiwanese international tourist hotel industry. A multi-product translog cost function with three inputs and three outputs is estimated using seemingly unrelated regression estimation and three-stage least squares. A balanced panel dataset consisting of 47 international tourist hotels in Taiwan over the period 1997–2001 was obtained from Taiwanese Tourism Bureau and used to estimate the cost function. The results show that both scale and scope economies exist in the Taiwanese international tourist hotel industry. In addition, productivity growth is positive over the study period. Managerial and policy implications for the Taiwanese international tourist hotel industry are also discussed.     

城市旅游业CO_2排放态势及旅游业低碳化发展模式

城市是旅游活动CO2排放的主要集中地。基于旅游者消费视角,文章以深圳市为例,对其2001~2011年旅游业碳足迹态势进行分析。结合脱钩理论和Kaya恒等式,以2011年为基期,模拟深圳市未来旅游业CO2排放量。研究表明:(1)深圳市近11年旅游业能源消费及CO2排放量呈逐步上升趋势;(2)旅游业能源消耗及CO2排放的变化规律与旅游业GDP、游客接待总量有着密切关系;(3)A模式惯性情景下2020年CO2排放将达到1578万t,为基期的1.92倍,与国家的承诺及旅游局的目标背道而驰;(4)B模式绝对脱钩情景下CO2排放增长为零,这是非常理想的模式,但"反增长计划"和"能源生产效率改进"两条道路都走不通;(5)C模式相对脱钩情景下CO2排放是基期的1.38倍,旅游业在维持适宜增长的同时能源消耗和CO2排放状况得到明显改善,C模式是既考虑发展权益又承担大国责任的适宜发展模式。文章最后指出,C模式的实现需要旅游产业发展战略由供给导向向需要导向转型,并采取能源替代、效率改进、技术研发、规制治理和社会创新等综合路径。     

Energy benchmarking in support of low carbon hotels: Developments,challenges, and approaches in China

Achieving effective and objective energy benchmarking for hotels is integral in fostering the sustainable development of the lodging sector. In this work, we reveal the major and minor streams of hotel energy benchmarking and ascertain that the most popular approach in benchmarking is normalized energy use intensity (EUI) based on floor level. Previous efforts to establish EUI indicators using subsystem average, data envelopment analysis (DEA), and regression technique are also studied. We propose that hotel energy benchmarking based on floor area is useful from the top-down management perspective. However, on a practical perspective, energy benchmarking based on facilities should be the first priority for hotel management or owners. Compared with the general energy benchmarking in the building sector, we find that the hotel sector lags behind in the adoption of computer modeling for benchmarking.     

International hotel chains and environmental protection: an analysis of Hilton's we care! programme (Europe, 2006–2008)

Using the case study method, this paper evaluates and analyses Hilton's we care! programme for improving the environmental performance of the 70 Hilton Worldwide hotels in operation in Continental Europe in 2006–2008. It explores the practical dimension of “greening” hotel operations in the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and demonstrates the close links between CSR and human resource management (HRM) in hotels. It deepens the understanding of corporate environmentalism and seeks to disseminate best practice among hospitality managers. The programme's distinctive and innovative character as well as its weaknesses and strengths are highlighted. Barriers to behavioural change in hotel operation are discussed. The programme involved over 16,000 employees, created hotel-specific action teams linking all employee levels and reduced energy use per square metre by 15%, water use and CO₂ emissions per guest night by 8% each over three years. Avoided utility costs totalled US$16 million, of which US$9.6 million can be attributed to changes in human behaviour. The paper makes a case for a holistic approach that combines the introduction of IT-based measurement and performance-assessing tools with genuine employee empowerment and green awareness raising. The study concludes with future managerial policy recommendations that simultaneously bear upon corporate environmentalism and HRM.     

Market demand variations,room capacity,and optimal hotel room rates

This short note develops an optimal hotel room rate model and proposes optimal room rate strategies in both high and low seasons. We then examine our model with the data from tourist hotels in Taipei, Taiwan. The empirical results support our model's major predictions: (1) market demand variations significantly affect the difference between high season and low season optimal room rates; and (2) hotel's room capacity negatively affect the difference between high season and low season optimal room rates, which also means that fixed costs shall negatively affect the high season optimal room rate. This result contradicts with conventional wisdom.     

A preliminary assessment of the function and conference service product at a UK stately home

The UK conference market is estimated to be worth £6 billion and is thought to be the fastest growing sector of the hotel industry. An increasing number of less conventional venues are aiming to attract corporate business, though most empirical research focuses on the hotel conference product. A UK stately home is the venue studied in this article. To identify possible areas for improvement, a telephone survey of customers was undertaken to assess the service and facilities. The high average ratings indicate that generally organisers have a favourable impression of the stately home. The research revealed significant differences in the average ratings given for the Main Hall and His Lordship's Apartment, the two rooms available for functions. Event category and organiser experience were not found to influence the ratings. Due to the relatively small sample size, only tentative observations are made about the trends which emerged from the analysis.     

The profitability impact of REIT requirements: A comparative analysis of hotel REITS and hotel C-Corporations

Under the influence of regulatory requirements, REITs have evolved into entities that have distinct financial and organizational characteristics from their C-Corporation counterparts. This study aims to investigate whether hotel REITs are more profitable than hotel C-Corps and how REIT regulations contribute to this difference. The results indicate that despite the differences in tax obligation, operating expense, and dividend policy, hotel REITs and hotel C-Corporations are not significantly different in profitability. However, the analysis suggests that hotel C-Corps have advantage over hotel REITs in improving profitability through dividend payout increases. The findings also suggest a possible non-linear relationship between profitability and dividend payout, presenting an opportunity to extend Jensen's (1986) agency cost theory.     

Exploring the Financial Leakages in the Classified Hotels in Jordan: A Managerial Perspective

The study aimed to provide a better understanding of financial leakages in a sample of classified hotels in Jordan in terms of its reasons, its channels, and potential ways to reduce it from hotel managers’ perspective. Eighteen semistructured interviews were conducted with hotel managers. The results showed a high level of awareness regarding financial leakages by hotel managers. Furthermore, the main reasons for financial leakages included: the high cost of energy, the need to import products not produced locally, and the lack of awareness of sustainability practices. The main channels of financial leakages were: importing furniture and electronics, human resources, and food and beverages not produced in Jordan. The study’s main suggestions are to reduce financial leakages, especially energy consumption, and to increase trust in local products.     

Sustainable service design and revenue management for electric tour bus systems: seoul city tour bus service and the eco-mileage program

Sustainable tourism has true sustainability when it is designed economically and in an environmentally friendly fashion. A variety of methods has been explored to achieve sustainable tourism, and the use of new technologies is a significant trend for sustainable tourism. In the City Tour Bus service, an environmentally friendly tour service can be achieved by using electric buses. Moreover, the social energy saving program helps to reduce the economic burden of building eco-friendly services by providing economic incentives as rewards for environmental contributions. Two mathematical models are newly developed to quantitatively design and operate a sustainable City Tour Bus service. Mathematical model I is developed with two objective functions of minimizing total investment cost and CO₂ emissions. It derives from Pareto solutions with different number of electric buses and battery capacities. Based on the solutions of mathematical model I and the economic incentive from the social energy saving program, mathematical model II investigates the optimal unit service price. Proposed quantitative approaches are applied to the Seoul City Tour Bus service with Seoul Eco-Mileage Program. These new approaches are expected to build and manage sustainable tourism system in scientific way. Moreover, they will provide quantitative bridge between sustainable transportation system and social programs beyond tourism industry.     

A novel hotel recommendation method based on personalized preferences and implicit relationships

On tourism websites, hotel recommendations have drawn growing attention from researchers, as they can help customers select a satisfactory hotel from many options with massive information. However, some inherent challenges exist in conventional hotel recommendations, specifically the extent to which there is considerable room for improvement in user preference models and neighbour recognition. Therefore, we propose a two-stage hotel recommendation approach that employs hotel feature information to support preference analysis. First, in the filling stage, association rules between features are considered to accurately capture users’ personalized preferences, which can be incorporated with public preferences to estimate potential ratings of users for unvisited hotels. Then, in the recommendation stage, we combine rating similarities between users with their closeness relationships to identify more reliable neighbours. Finally, a hotel recommendation case on Ctrip.com is performed to evaluate the model. Experimental results confirm that our method outperforms the other five benchmark methods.     

Environmental Tactics Used by Hotel Companies in Mexico

Summary

The impact which environmental law and management has had in the hospitality industry is substantial. Hotels have begun conservation and recycling programs as a means of reducing energy cost and solid waste. A significant number of environmentally related regulatory and consumer pressures are being imposed upon the hospitality industry. The purpose of this study is to begin to explore the environmental programs that hotel corporations in Mexico are adopting. Eight managers at eight hotel corporations in Mexico were included in the study. The corporation hotels located in Mexico started to implement environmental strategies in 1995, and the most common reason was because of the legal pressures they faced. Efficient use of lighting and eliminating use of diesel in the boiler were the most frequently sited strategies. Seven hotel managers benefitted from the application of these strategies, while one indicated he did not benefit. The hotel managers feel social, legal, and political pressure in Mexico to implement environmental strategies but consider consumer pressure unimportant. They believe these strategies are not very important when facing competitors, and only one manager mentioned that in the future the competitive threat will be important in developing environmental consciousness.