The mediation of the environmental strategies in hotel financial performance in the context of Creating Shared Value

Abstract

The tourism sector stakeholders in general, and the hotel companies stakeholders in particular, keep demanding more and more intensity the implementation and development of environmental policies that ensure sustainable tourist services, being the national and international large hotel chains the ones that make the biggest efforts in this area. There are numerous studies that value, in an unequal way, the cost and consequences of these environmental sustainability strategies on the performance of companies. For the hotel sector in particular, the scientific literature does not offer convincing enough conclusions in regards to the influence of these strategies on hotels performance. Some authors affirm that the clients are willing to pay higher rates when they recognise a high environmental component in the product. Other studies have concluded that when clients detect the proper implementation of energy saving, waste recycling or low emissions policies, they manifest very positive opinions on social media and online review platforms, notably improving the company’s reputation. In addition, the Creating Shared Value strategies between companies and stakeholders supported by Porter, consider that the redefinition of the companies’ configuration of their chain of value is highly important, including the implementation of environmental policies that involve the whole company. The results obtained grant clarity about the stimulus that entails the application of hotel environmental policies (in a shared value strategy) and the improvement of reputation, in hotel performance.