‘Sustainable’ Expectations Of Guests During Hotel Stay In A ‘New Normal’ World Post Covid | Prashanti Jaykumar

Purpose: With more and more travelers becoming sensitized towards the need for a ‘greener’ Earth & hotels recognizing a social & moral responsibility towards environment sustainability, we see many eco-friendly practices being adopted by hotels the world over. The hotel guests have also been enthusiastic about doing their ‘bit’ towards this cause. But today, when the world is still reeling under the horrific impact of the pandemic Covid-19, are the guests still as committed to the cause of sustainable environment? The purpose of this study is to gauge the expectations of a guest with respect to ‘green’ practices in hotels. Also, to assess whether these remain as important to the travelers, post Covid or would they take a backseat, giving way to more serious concerns like hygiene, sanitation and disinfection

Approach: The planned study mainly is exploratory in nature. It is based on secondary data in the form of literature review and survey done using questionnaires as required for the research. The research is focused on the change in perceptions and expectations of regular travelers with respect to sustainability. The relevant books, articles, papers and web-sites are also used in this study.

Findings: The study has analyzed the ‘sustainable’ perceptions and expectations of hotel guests and the shift therein post Covid . The research clearly demonstrates that the concerns for the environment seem to have lost its sheen when compared to personal health, safety and survival. Emphasis has been given to acquiring a new balance between sustainability on one side and health & hygiene on the other

Practical Implications: The paper recommends comprehensive solutions for the guests who have resumed travelling, to enable him a sustainable yet safe stay in hotels. This study lays emphasis on the need for stringent hygiene and sanitation practices in hotels for the guests’ loyalty and trust to be regained without forsaking the sustainability efforts that are part of hotel’s sensibility & culture.

Originality/value- The research addresses the shift in the perceived importance of sustainable efforts practiced in hotels in the ‘new normal’ world after life resumes once again, post Covid and how hotels can meet these expectations by making relevant changes in processes and practices in hotel operations.