Benefits and complication of Green Key Certification in the Hotel. Based on example of the Hotel-en Leisure Group Zuid-Nederland

Abstract

This thesis contains an analysis of statistical information of 3 Green Key certified Golden Tulip hotels. The Green Key certification is an international quality hallmark offering a model to review an organizations’ CSR and sustainability levels. The environmental data, measurements taken to reduce negative impact, and Green Key criteria are compared between the 3 Golden Tulip hotels and is being related to the amount of overnight stays, occupancy rate and price per unit. The sustainability levels of the hotels are followed by recommendations of potential measures to increase the sustainability levels in the future. After analyzing the statistical data, the usage and costs of water, electricity, gas, & laundry are affected by many different factors. The measurements taken to reduce the usage have in many cases led to higher sustainability levels, yet factors like the occupancy rate, amount of overnight stays and price per unit might not always lead to a great result (from a financial perspective). The questionnaire results among guests showed that many guests are not aware of sustainability certifications. Majority of the respondents indicated that they feel like they have not been informed about sustainability policies and/or certifications, yet many have indicated that they are willing to pay extra for their environmental costs. These costs vary per location and per year but are approximately 3-7 euro per overnight stay. By giving guests the opportunity to pay for their environmental costs, money collected could be spent on the planting of trees to take responsibility for the hotel’s CO2 emission. Improving sustainability levels is also about keeping track of innovative technologies that require low investment costs. These do not have to be just from a financial perspective yet measurements that require a big investment with a too long payback period are not attractive for an organization.