"There is definitely value for hotels in going green"

Hotels that go green definitely have a positive impact on guest satisfaction.  

This was the outcome of research done by Wittenborg IBA student, Meng Fu, who did a case study at the eco-friendly Park Plaza Hotel in Amsterdam’s Vondelpark.  

Fu has been following a Bachelor in Hospitality Management (BHM) at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences since September, 2015. She presented the findings of her research, which entailed questioning more than 100 guests as well as lengthy interviews with managers and other staff - at the end of 2018.  

She studied the relationship between implementing green practices at the hotel and guest satisfaction. “There is definitely value for hotels that go green – it is a means of distinguishing themselves and often serves as motivation for guests to revisit the hotel,” Fu said in her presentation.  “The more green initiatives the hotel takes, the happier guests are and the more likely they will return.”

She recommends the hotel focus even more on recycling of waste, investing in clean and renewable energy sources, and using environmentally safe cleaning products. “They should not only invest in green attributes, but also promote those particular attributes as part of their marketing strategy.”

On why she chose this particular topic, Fu shrugs and simply says: “I hate waste.” She originates from the city of Nanchang in the southeastern part of China. She came to Holland because of “the culture, the friendly people and because most Dutch people speak English”.

She chose to study at Wittenborg considering its flexible entry date system. “When I came to Holland in May, 2015, I wanted to give myself time to adapt and so travelled around Europe first before starting in September.”

WUP 9/1/2019

By James Wittenborg
©WUAS Press