Table Of ContentCritical Questions in
Sustainability and
Hospitality
Informed by the scholarly and practical viewpoints of a myriad of internationally
recognised experts, this engaging and timely volume poses a set of pertinent questions
that cover critical and contemporary sustainability issues in hospitality and tourism and
proposes actionable solutions.
Embellished with informative tables, diagrams and photographs, key questions and
debates are discussed from a variety of angles with proposed solutions by industry
practitioners, academics and consultants belonging to the Hospitality Net World Panel
on Sustainability in Hospitality. Designed to facilitate contemporary discussion and
debate, this book presents constructive dialogues which are designed to lead to action
within the hospitality industry and education.
Key questions cover the following topics:
• Major contemporary sustainability challenges – e.g. climate change, biodiversity loss,
impacts of pandemics, water scarcity, human rights risks.
• Specific hospitality functions or departments – e.g. food and beverage, engineering,
health and safety, guest relationship, finance, purchasing, human resources.
• Strategic issues related to marketing and stakeholder relationships – e.g. sustain-
ability working groups, return on sustainability investment, marketing and reporting
sustainability, certification, supplier relationship, engaging guests.
This book is essential reading for students and academics in the field of hospitality and
tourism management, as well as industry professionals searching for answers to the
challenges they face in enacting sustainability in their business.
Willy Legrand, Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, IU
International University of Applied Sciences, Bonn, Germany.
Henri Kuokkanen, Postgraduate Studies, Institut Paul Bocuse, Écully, France.
Jonathon Day, White Lodging – J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism
Management, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
‘Sustainability is an undeniably critical factor in the future and prosperity of all
businesses – particularly hospitality – and we have a duty to protect the ecosystems
and communities in which we serve. This book asks the challenging questions that we
must all reflect on, while also providing practical advice and informed guidance from
over 60 specialists from the sustainability and hospitality worlds. This is crucial reading
for hospitality students, practitioners and leaders alike as we all seek to achieve net
positive hospitality.’
Glenn Mandziuk, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
‘Although the pandemic presented a harsh reset for the world, it was also a positive
catalyst in encouraging people to view sustainability as an essential consideration in their
everyday lives and lifestyle choices. What we are witnessing is an evolution of travel, and
it has never been so important for the hospitality industry to work together collectively
and learn from each other. This latest book by Dr Legrand, Dr Kuokkanen and Dr Day
provides us with a valuable and well-researched resource from the top experts in the field
to help guide us to make better choices and prioritise a more holistic commitment to
protecting the planet.’
Brenda Collin, Executive Vice President Europe, Preferred Hotel Group
‘The hospitality industry faces numerous challenges in meeting society’s environmental
and social sustainability demands. This book offers extensive literature on sustainability
and hospitality to meet those challenges. It is highly recommended, as it elaborates on
critical topics related to those challenges. The book’s format is user-friendly: asking
questions, developing answers to them, and providing practical examples and possible
solutions. The included chapters encourage discussion and exchange of ideas, enriching
students’ learning and the future leaders of hospitality.’
H.G. Parsa, Barron Hilton Chair & Professor, Daniels College of Business,
University of Denver, Colorado, USA
Critical Questions in
Sustainability and
Hospitality
Edited by Willy Legrand,
Henri Kuokkanen, and
Jonathon Day
Designed cover image: © Getty Images
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Willy Legrand, Henri Kuokkanen and
Jonathon Day; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Willy Legrand, Henri Kuokkanen and Jonathon Day to be
identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their
individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78
of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without
intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Legrand, Willy, editor. | Kuokkanen, Henri, editor. | Day, Jonathon G.,
editor.
Title: Critical questions in sustainability and hospitality / edited by Willy
Legrand, Henri Kuokkanen and Jonathon Day.
Description: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2022044246 (print) | LCCN 2022044247 (ebook) | ISBN
9781032111063 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032111025 (paperback) | ISBN
9781003218425 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Hospitality industry‐‐Management. | Hospitality
industry‐‐Environmental aspects. | Sustainable tourism‐‐Management. | Social
responsibility of business.
Classification: LCC TX911.3.M27 C76 2023 (print) | LCC TX911.3.M27
(ebook) | DDC 647.94068‐‐dc23/eng/20221121
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022044246
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022044247
ISBN: 978-1-032-11106-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-11102-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-21842-5 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003218425
Typeset in Stone Serif, Avenir and Rockwell
by MPS Limited, Dehradun
Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xi
List of Contributors xiii
Preface xxv
Organisation of the Book xxvii
Acknowledgements xxxi
Introduction xxxiii
How to Use this Book xxxv
Editors’ Take xxxix
PART I Global Sustainability Challenges Facing the
Hospitality Industry 1
1 Climate Change 3
Gabriel C.M. Laeis and Willy Legrand
2 Biodiversity Loss 13
Frauke Fischer
3 Water Scarcity 23
Natasha Montesalvo and Melinda Watt
4 Human Rights Risks along the Supply Chain 35
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
5 Risk Management 47
Trevor Girard and Bijan Khazai
PART II Operational Sustainability in Hospitality 61
6 Food Waste and Net Zero Ambitions 63
Rebecca Hawkins, Gaurav Chawla, Peter Lugosi, and
Van Thi Nguyen
v
CONTENTS
7 Food and Beverage Sustainability Criteria 77
Ernst Jonker and Elena Cavagnaro
8 Future of Food and Menu Design 87
Malu Boerwinkel, Sílvia Gabriela Abreu e Silva, Maud Meijers,
and Dai-In Danny Han
9 From Wellness to Wellbeing 97
Celine Vadam, Irene Hoek, Sheila McCann, Hylton Lipkin,
Chalana Perera, Reinier van der Veeken, Mattias Innocenti, and
Dai-In Danny Han
10 Balancing Health and Safety with Sustainability 111
Christine Young
11 Incentivising Guests to Save Resources 121
Christopher Warren and Maxwell Warren
12 Charging Guests for Carbon Emissions 133
Sonu Shivdasani and Arnfinn Oines
13 Sustainable Procurement and Product Certification 141
Johanna Wagner and Carina Hopper
14 Zero Plastic in Hotels 151
Rachel McCaffery, Jo Hendrickx, and Nicolas Dubrocard
15 Rewarding Employees for Sustainability Commitment 163
Georges El Hajal
16 Attracting Talent through Sustainability 173
Ralf Burbach, Julia Lenz, and Stefan Jooss
PART III Hospitality Strategies, Metrics and Stakeholder
Participation 185
17 Green Teams and Unlocking Collective Intelligence 187
Bastienne Bernasco and Franziska Altenrath
18 Supplier Relationship and Sustainability Standards 197
Cassia Patel
vi
CONTENTS
19 Return on Sustainability Investments 209
Celine Vadam, Chalana Perera, Reinier van der Veeken,
Mattias Innocenti, Hylton Lipkin, Sheila McCann, Irene Hoek,
and Dai-In Danny Han
20 Key Metrics and Reporting Sustainability 219
Xenia zu Hohenlohe and Joshua Papachristidis
21 Marketing Sustainability 237
Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen
22 Communicating Sustainability to Guests 255
Nancy Loman Scanlon
23 Engaging Guests in the Sustainability Experience 265
Adela Balderas-Cejudo and Belén López
24 Stakeholder Engagement and Regenerative Hospitality 277
Marina Laurent and Carlos Martin-Rios
25 Hotels and E-mobility 293
Jonathon Day and Roya Sadat Alavipour
26 Incorporating Nature in Sustainable Hotel Design 303
Willy Legrand, Clare Hindley, and Akupe Matthew-Bolofinde
27 The Greater Purpose of Hospitality 319
Henri Kuokkanen and Jeffrey Catrett
Conclusion 331
Index 335
vii
Figures
2.1 What has nature ever done for us? Ecosystem services 14
3.1 Water usage of a luxury resort per area 25
3.2 MyEarthCheck Benchmarking Program 29
4.1 The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s logo 35
4.2 Principles on Forced Labour, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance 39
4.3 Five essential elements of ethical recruitment 40
5.1 Natural hazards faced by the hotel sector 53
5.2 Hotel Resilient framework for resiliency planning in the
accommodation sector 55
5.3 The Hotel Resilient Standards and web-based software 57
6.1 The food and drink material hierarchy 67
6.2 The food process in hospitality businesses 68
7.1 Framework F&B sustainability benchmark 84
8.1 Personalised gastronomy conceptual framework 93
9.1 Hospitality of the Future Think Tank ‘sustainable wellbeing wheel’ 107
11.1 The butler selection screen on the guest mobile web-app 128
11.2 Noble Cause on the guest mobile web-app 129
13.1 Environmental Score example 146
13.2 Responsible procurement decision diagram 147
13.3 Life cycle assessment checklist 148
14.1 Waste hierarchy decision tree for eliminating water in plastic bottles
from travel and tourism businesses 157
20.1 Level of coverage of global reporting frameworks 225
20.2 Weekly electricity consumption for Q4 of the year 2018, with heating
requirements and room nights 230
20.3 Daily electricity consumption per room night for Q4 2018 234
21.1 Staying cool with the Kalahari Cooler guest information sheet 241
21.2 Turning discarded polyethylene fishing nets into delicate baskets 243
23.1 Luciana Bianchi Instagram 268
23.2 Golden Bay Galapagos Hotel 269
24.1 The planetary boundaries framework 278
24.2 From ego to eco: a necessary paradigm shift 279
24.3 The spiral of nested living systems 280
24.4 The iceberg model of underlying forces for systemic change 281
24.5 Environmental design trajectory diagram from green model to
sustainable model and to regenerative model 282
24.6 Regenerative development principles for tourism 286
ix
