Green Practices and Policies in Hotels: Roles of the Hotel Manager in Green Practices, and the Opinions/Responses of the Consumer

Recipient Organization
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
1680 MADISON AVENUE
WOOSTER,OH 44691

Performing Department
COLLEGE OF HUMAN ECOLOGY

Non Technical Summary
Hotels contribute a large amount of solid waste to the environment and use huge amounts of energy. Green/conservation practices are needed to reduce pollution and protect the environment. This project will examine the existing green practices in hotels, and will identify the perceptions toward application of these practices among hotel managers and customers.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
803	6010	3100	25%
803	6099	3100	25%
804	6010	3100	25%
804	6099	3100	25%

Knowledge Area
804 - Human Environmental Issues Concerning Apparel, Textiles, and Residential and Commercial Structures; 803 - Sociological and Technological Change Affecting Individuals, Families, and Communities;

Subject Of Investigation
6010 - Individuals; 6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;

Goals / Objectives
1. Identify conservation/green practices for a major service industry in Ohio. 2. Identify perceptions and opinions of hotel managers and employees regarding conservation practices and the need for and value of these practices. 3. Identify the perceptions and opinions of hotel customers about green practices in hotels. 4. Determine factors affecting consumer decisions to patronize companies/properties which follow green practices. 5. Determine perception of cost effectiveness of green practices and procedures.

Project Methods
The project will focus on the development, testing and validation, and the implementation of two comprehensive survey instruments designed to measure "greening" practices, and to determine manager, employee and consumer beliefs and perceptions of the commitment to resources conservation. The questionaires will ascertain 1) Management practices and opinions/attitudes of managers and employees of hotels toward green practices and the implementation of policies and procedures for conservation of natural resources, and 2) Consumer perceptions of the need for green practices in hotels and their opinions about hotel green practices. Survey questions will determine consumer opinions about the influence of conservation practices on room rates, and the willingness of consumers to assume part of the costs of green practices. Data will be obtained on how and why companies and individual managers seek to conserve: whether for concern about the environment, because of corporate mandates or local ordinances, or because the practices contribute to financial profitability. Distribution of the questionaires will be by mailings and hand distribution to hotel managers and customers. Data analysis methods will include descriptive statistics, correlational comparisons, and multivariate statistics. Data will be coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences.

Progress 01/01/03 to 09/30/06

Outputs
The project progress is just beginning, with focus groups discussing the questions to be written for the survey instruments, and reviewing/critiquing the completed questions. Focus groups are composed of volunteer hotel managers, hospitality management students with hotel experience, and people who have recently stayed in hotels (consumers). Survey instruments will be distributed with the assistance of the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association, through provision of names/addresses of hotel managers and hotel properties, and with a letter requesting cooperation in the study, co-signed by the Executive Director of the OHLA. The results are expected to benefit hospitality management curricula by providing indicators of the role of hotel managers and staff in the implementation of green practices and conservation procedures, and will give insights into the reactions and feelings/beliefs of consumers who may be asked to comply with or cooperate in the conservation/environmental-friendly practices. This termination report does not reflect the end of the project, but is being submitted because the principal investigator is no longer required to have a Hatch project due to converting to 100% university appointment.

Impacts
The project will provide much-needed information on managerial functions and consumer perceptions of green practices. The expected impact is to improve student instruction in hospitality management programs with respect to this important concept, and will enable hotel companies to enhance their understanding of managerial functions related to conservation, and their ability to effectively convey this to consumers.

Publications

"Green Practices in the Hotel Industry". Ohio Hotel and Lodging Magazine, 2003