EXAMENSARBETE INOM TEKNIK, GRUNDNIVÅ, 15 HP STOCKHOLM, SVERIGE 2021

Sustainable Stakeholder Framework for Hotels Supporting Sustainable Tourism Management in Vlora, Albania

ALMA BERGGREN EK

ELLA ESPLING

KTH SKOLAN FÖR INDUSTRIELL TEKNIK OCH MANAGEMENT Abstract

Title Sustainable Stakeholder Framework for Hotels - Supporting Sustainable Tourism Management in Vlora, Albania Authors Alma Berggren Ek, Ella Espling Department Industrial Engineering and Management TRITA number KTH-ITM-EX-2021:92 Supervisor Safira Figueiredo Monteiro, Per Lundqvist Keywords Sustainable development, Sustainable Tourism Framework, Sustainable Management, Hospitality, Tourism, Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, Sustainable development goals, SDG, Agenda2030

This study aims to create a sustainable tourism stakeholder framework for hotels in Vlora, a popular tourist destination in southeast European country Albania. As tourism is one of the major driving forces towards better social and economical conditions in Albania but simultaneously poses threats towards nearby ecosystems and protected areas, local traditions and cultures and small suppliers, the importance of sustainability in the industry has risen as a top priority. Conducted on behalf of UNDP Albania, the stakeholder framework aims to function as an outline for a sustainable management plan, leading to future eco-certification for hotels. The stakeholder framework, which includes five-key stakeholder categories; operational, employees, clients, suppliers and local community, each with well tested CSR-practices linked to them, aims to promote sustainable development for the entire destination. The hotel, placed in the center, is used as a driving force towards closer collaborations with other stakeholder categories. The framework was tested on Vlora’s largest hotel actor, Regina Hotel Group, through a questionnaire and interviews with four top management executives. The key findings show that Regina Hotel Group has come far in their social sustainability, in particular regarding employees and local suppliers, but lack in sustainability training, leading to lower awareness and sustainability mainly being implemented for financial reasons. Lastly, a recommendation with examples of short- and long-term implementations is presented for the hotel, connected to each stakeholder category.

i Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Safira Figueiredo Monteiro, our supervisor from the institution of Sustainable Development and Energy Systems, for an ever lasting positive attitude towards our project and ideas, taking time to give us helpful feedback and guidance, always with great care and humor. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank Anabela Monteiro, professor in Tourism and Hospitality, for great insights in the field of sustainable tourism. We would also like to thank Per Lundqvist, our course responsible for Industrial Engineering and Management, for believing in this project and allowing us to think outside the box.

We would like to express our gratitude towards UNDP Albania for allowing us to write our thesis in collaboration with. In particular, we would like to thank Elvita Kabashi, Head of Environment and Climate Change, for believing in us, giving us this great opportunity and sketching out the initial project idea.

We would also like to thank Doreid Petoshati, Local Field Coordinator for UNDP Al- bania’s Biodiversity Conservation and MPAs Programme and our main point of contact in Vlora, for opening up his great network in Vlora to help us further in our study, as well as sharing valuable insights and experiences from the region. We would also like to mention our gratitude towards the Junior Experts for the UNDP MPAs Programme for their valuable input in our study.

We would also like to extend our warmest gratitude towards General Manager Mr. Ervin Bacaj, for having an open mind, believing in sustainable development through science and allowing this study to be conducted in Regina Hotel Group. We would also like to thank the Management at Regina Hotel Group including Ms. Manjola Rrapaj, Mr. Enea Turtulli and Mr. Ndricim Meminaj for patently taking time from their busy schedules to answer all our questions.

Lastly, we would like to thank Elsa H˚astad, Swedish Ambassador in Albania, for be- lieving in our ability, helping us with the initial contact with UNDP Albania, and for introducing us to this wonderful country.

From the authors,

Alma Berggren Ek & Ella Espling

ii Sammanfattning

Title Intressentramverk f¨orhotell - h˚allbar turism i Vlora, Albanien F¨orfattare Alma Berggren Ek, Ella Espling Insutition Industriell teknik och management TRITA nummer KTH-ITM-EX-2021:92 Handledare Safira Figueiredo Monteiro, Per Lundqvist Nyckelord h˚allbarutveckling, h˚allbaramanagement planer, hotell, turism

Denna studie kommer att unders¨oka h˚allbarturism i den popul¨araturistdestinationen Vlora, i s¨odraAlbanien. Turism ¨aren av tv˚an¨aringarsom bidrar mest till socio- ekonomisk utveckling i regionen. Samtidigt kan alltf¨orstor och oreglerad turistindustri hota bevarandet av omkringliggande natur, kultur, traditioner och sm˚a,lokala f¨oretag. Med detta i ˚atanke ¨arh˚allbarheten viktig aspekt f¨orVloras framtida turiststrategi. Genomf¨ordp˚auppdrag av FN:s utvecklingsprogram, UNDP Albania, tar studien fram ett intressentramverk, som ska ligga till grund f¨orett eko-certifieringssystem f¨orFN:s utvecklingsprogram. Fem kategorier av nyckelintressenter, teknik, anst¨allda,kunder, leverant¨oreroch lokalsamh¨alle,har intressentramverkets kopplat CSR-praktiker (Corpo- rate Social Responsability), v¨altestade f¨orhotells h˚allbarhet,till. Ramverket anv¨ander sedan hotellet, placerat i mitten, som drivkraft f¨oratt fr¨amjah˚allbarutveckling i hela destinationen. Genom ett fr˚ageformul¨aroch uppf¨oljandeintervjuer med fyra chefer fr˚an Vloras st¨orstahotellakt¨or,Regina Hotel Group, kristalliserades fem huvudslutsatser. F¨orst,Regina Hotel Group har kommit l˚angti sitt sociala h˚allbarhetsarbete, speciellt vad g¨alleranst¨allda och lokala leverant¨orer,men de saknar utbildning i h˚allbarhet, vilket leder till l˚agmedvetenhet och d¨arf¨orimplementeras h˚allbaral¨osningargenom finansiella argument. Avslutningsvis, presenteras en rekommendation med exempel p˚a kort- och l˚angsiktigal¨osningarsom ¨arkopplade till varje intressentkategori.

iii F¨orord

Vi skulle vilja tacka v˚arhandledare, Safira Figueiredo Monteiro, fr˚an institutionen f¨or Energiteknik och H˚allbarUtveckling, f¨orall v¨arme,humor, engagemang och positiva inst¨allningtill v˚artprojekt, och f¨orall feedback, m¨otenoch bollande av id´eer.Vi vill ocks˚apassa p˚aatt tacka Anabela Monteiro, professor inom i Tourism and Hospitality, f¨oren f¨orstainblick i vad h˚allbarturism inneb¨ar.Vi vill tacka Per Lundqvist, teknikin- riktingsansvarig f¨orEnergisystem och H˚allbarUtveckling f¨orIndustriell Ekonomi och Management, f¨oratt han guidat oss genom barinstorming fasen och f¨oratt alltid ha uppmuntrat oss till sp¨annandeprojekt och sv˚arafr˚agest¨allningar.

Vi vill tacka UNDP i Albanien, f¨orm¨ojlighetentill att skriva v˚artKandidatexamensar- bete i sammarbete med en s˚aprestigefull organisation. I synnerhet vill vi tacka Elvita Kabashi, Head of Environment and Climate Change, f¨oratt hon gett oss f¨ortroendet f¨ordetta samarbete och f¨orhj¨alpen med att ta fram den f¨orstaprojektplanen.

Vi skulle ¨aven vilja tacka Doreid Petoshati, Local Field Coordinator for UNDP Alba- nia’s Biodiversity Conservation and MPAs Programme, som varit v˚arhuvudkontakt i Vlora, f¨oratt han tagit sig an oss och delat med sig av sitt breda kontaktn¨atoch m˚angaerfarenheter fr˚anregionen. Dessutom vill vi tacka UNDP:s Junior Experts f¨or the UNDP Conservation and MPAs Programme f¨orderas viktiga input till v˚artarbete.

D¨artillvill vi tacka General Manager Mr. Ervin Bacaj, f¨oratt ha l˚atitoss utf¨orav˚ar unders¨okningp˚aRegina Hotel Group. Vi vill ¨aven tacka ¨ovrigainom management vi varit i kontakt med p˚aRegina Hotel Group, inklusive Head of Sales and Contracting Ms. Manjola Rrapaj, Assistant Manager for Regina Blu Enea Turtulli och Manager of Regina City Ndricim Meminaj f¨orsitt t˚alamod och f¨oratt ha svarat p˚aalla v˚arafr˚agor.

Slutligen vill vi tacka Sveriges Ambassad¨ori Albanien, Elsa H˚astad, f¨ortron p˚av˚ar f¨orm˚agaoch f¨oratt ha satt oss i kontakt med UNDP i Albanien, samt f¨oratt hon introducerat oss till detta fantastiska land.

Fr˚anf¨orfattarna,

Alma Berggren Ek & Ella Espling

iv Acronyms

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility.

CUTEC Clausthal Research Center for Environmental Technologies.

EU European Union.

GDP Gross Domestic Product.

GHG Green House Gases.

GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit.

MPA Marine Protection Area.

NGO Non-Governmental organisation.

PPNEA Protection and Prevention of Natural Environment in Albania.

PV Photovoltaic.

SDG Sustainable Development Goals.

SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprise.

UNDP United Nations Development Program.

UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

WWF World Wildlife Fund.

v CONTENTS CONTENTS

Contents

1 Introduction 3 1.1 Aim ...... 4 1.2 Scope ...... 5 1.2.1 Demarcations ...... 6

2 Background 7 2.1 Albania ...... 7 2.2 Vlora ...... 8 2.3 Albania’s Tourism Sector ...... 9 2.4 Tourism in Vlora ...... 11 2.5 Previous Work on Sustainability in Albanian Tourism ...... 12

3 Theory 14 3.1 Sustainability and Tourism ...... 14 3.2 Sustainable Hotel Management ...... 15 3.3 Sustainable Hotel Frameworks ...... 16 3.4 Corporate Social Responsibility ...... 17 3.5 Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hotel Industry ...... 18 3.6 Change Management ...... 19 3.7 Destination Theory ...... 20 3.8 COVID-19 and the Hotel Industry ...... 20

4 Method 22 4.1 Choice of Framework ...... 22 4.2 Adaptation of Framework: A Stakeholder Focus ...... 24 4.3 Questionnaire and Interview ...... 25 4.3.1 Questionnaire ...... 26 4.3.2 Interviews ...... 26

vi CONTENTS CONTENTS

5 Results 28 5.1 Operational Perspective ...... 28 5.2 Employee Perspective ...... 31 5.3 Client Perspective ...... 33 5.4 Supplier Perspective ...... 35 5.5 Local Community Perspective ...... 37 5.6 Assessment of Environmental, Social and Economical Impact ...... 40 5.7 Regina Hotel Group’s Experience with COVID-19 ...... 41

6 Analysis 43

7 Recommendation 46 7.1 Suggested Operational Practices ...... 46 7.2 Suggested Employee Practices ...... 47 7.3 Suggested Client Practices ...... 49 7.4 Suggested Supplier Practices ...... 49 7.5 Suggested Local Community Practices ...... 50 7.6 Suggested Assessment Practices ...... 51 7.7 Suggested COVID-19 Practices ...... 52

8 Discussion 54 8.1 Limitations ...... 56 8.2 Future studies ...... 58

9 Conclusions 59

A Appendix 60 .1 Questionnaire ...... 60 .2 Re-modeled Stakeholder Framework Picture ...... 68

References 70

vii LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF FIGURES

List of Figures 1 The city of Vlora ...... 4 2 Graphic illustration of the scope’s demarcations, illustration by authors 6 3 Albania and nearby countries (Britannica, 2019) ...... 7 4 Map over Vlora and mentioned sites(Google maps, 2021) with edit by the authors ...... 8 5 Zvernec monastery, the island Sazan in the background, courtesy Re- gional Administration of Protected Areas Vlora ...... 9 6 Arrivals of foreigners in Albania by the purpose of leisure travel (Turic- chia, 2020)...... 10 7 The framework by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018 adapted by the authors 24 8 Example of a questionnaire question...... 27 9 The Regina Hotel Group ...... 30 10 Boat trips to Sazan Island, courtesy of Regina Hotel Group ...... 35 11 Local fisherman ...... 37 12 The nature around Vlora ...... 39 13 The model by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018 adapted by the authors . . . 69

1 LIST OF TABLES LIST OF TABLES

List of Tables 1 Practices in the framework by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018 ...... 23 2 Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR practices regarding Operational aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder framework ...... 28 3 Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR practices regarding employee aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder framework ...... 31 4 Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR-practices regarding client aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stake- holder framework ...... 33 5 Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR prac- tices regarding supplier aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder framework ...... 36 6 Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR practices regarding local community aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re- modeled stakeholder framework ...... 38 7 Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR practices regarding the assessment of environmental, social and economical impact from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder framework . . . . 40 8 Suggested operational practices ...... 47 9 Suggested employee practices ...... 48 10 Suggested client practices ...... 49 11 Suggested supplier practices ...... 50 12 Suggested local community practices ...... 51 13 Suggested assessment practices ...... 52 14 Suggested COVID-19 practices ...... 53

2 1 INTRODUCTION

1 Introduction

Over the past decades, tourism has become one of the fastest growing industries in the world. To many countries and communities today, tourism constitutes a substantial part of the Gross Domestic Product, hereafter GDP, growth and, as a result, the industry is seen as a major driving force towards better social and economical conditions (UNWTO, 2021b).

However, the tourism industry also faces major challenges concerning both global and local sustainability. Tourism is the fourth most polluting industry and is expected to contribute with 12 % of the greenhouse emissions 2025 (Knezevic Cvelbar et al., 2021; G¨ossling,2002). While the contribution to GHG-emissions from air-travel and other modes of transportation seems obvious, tourism could also be damaging on a local level. Managed poorly or not at all, tourism poses a major threat to the environment in the host-region, culture and local actors (Butler, 1991). For example, coral reefs, can be harmed by raising global temperatures, but also by tourist tramping, picking or buying pieces, as well as from poorly managed waste and other pollutions from nearby businesses (G¨ossling,2002).

A country where tourism plays an important part of the country’s future development is Albania, who is investing heavily in its tourism sector. The southeast European country has a fairly new and small, but fast growing, tourism industry (Dibra and Oelfke, 2013). The amount of tourists visiting Albania doubled from 2014 to 2019 (Turicchia, 2020) and the tourism sector contributes with a little over one fifth of the country’s GDP (WTTC, 2021). United Nations Development Program, hereafter UNDP, in Albania has identified the sector as one of the two most important industries for future social- economic development. The importance of investigating how sustainability should be included increases in relevance as the Albanian tourism sector grows larger (UNDP Albania, 2018). These kinds of sustainability policies are also important as Albania became an official candidate for accession in the European Union (EU) in 2014, with negotiations starting in 2020 (European Union, 2016).

3 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Aim

Vlora is a southern region of Albania situated by the Adriatic sea, see figure 1, where the beach promenade in Vlora is shown. With a mix of mountains, white beaches with clear water and a rich cultural and historical heritage, Vlora is subject to becoming one of Albania’s most attractive destinations (Bollich et al., 2016; GIZ et al., 2018). Herein lies both great opportunities but also threats to the region, and both NGO’s and the local actors have started to look for sustainable solutions to handle the growing amount of visitors every year (UNDP Albania, 2018; GIZ et al., 2018).

(a) Beach Promenade, courtesy Regina Hotel (b) Historical center, courtesy Regional Ad- Group ministration of Protected Areas Vlora

(c) Classic city view, courtesy Regional Ad- (d) Historical center, courtesy Regional Ad- ministration of Protected Areas Vlora ministration of Protected Areas Vlora

Figure 1: The city of Vlora

1.1 Aim

The aim of this thesis is to create a stakeholder framework, as a first outline for the future implementation of a sustainable management plan for hotels in Vlora. The stakeholder framework will be based on the case of the biggest hotel actor in the region - Regina Hotel Group. The triple-bottom line model; including social, economical

4 1 INTRODUCTION 1.2 Scope and environmental aspects, will include relevant stakeholders to Regina Hotel Group. Further, the study aims to propose a recommendation, with suggestions of sustainability practices, linked to each of the stakeholders included in the framework.

The purpose of this thesis is to help UNDP Albania in their work towards sustainable tourism in Vlora by proposing this model as a first step to Regina Hotel Group, to later prepare for a sustainability certification. Being the biggest hotel actor in the region, Regina Hotel Group has for many years been driving change in Vlora’s hotel sector. By first testing the model on Regina Hotel Group, the study’s purpose is to convince other hotel actors in Vlora to engage in sustainable practices, in a long-term perspective.

1.2 Scope

This thesis will use a model to measure sustainable development in the hotel industry, proposed by Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 and tested by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018, con- sisting of 32 parameters. The model will be tested on three hotels of the Regina Hotel Group. The model will include contacts with clients, employees, suppliers and the local community, protection of close-by natural and cultural protection areas and business relations. Lastly the thesis will include an analysis of how Regina Hotel has handled the COVID-19 pandemic, to support hotels prepare for similar situations in the future, by investigating lessons learned from the past year.

5 1 INTRODUCTION 1.2 Scope

1.2.1 Demarcations The study will not include travel to and from the destination nor the impact from actors other than hotels. Furthermore, the aim is to create a framework for sustainable hotel management and the model will therefore not include implementations for each actor. As seen in figure 2, the model places the hotel in the middle, and is including local stakeholders, not including larger travel agents, national or global laws and policies nor infrastructure when seeing to the hotels impact.

Figure 2: Graphic illustration of the scope’s demarcations, illustration by authors

6 2 BACKGROUND

2 Background

This section will give background information about Albania and Vlora in general, and their tourism industry in particular. Focus will be on the current touristic situation, destination attributes, tourist profiles as well as previous sustainability work in the region.

Figure 3: Albania and nearby countries (Britannica, 2019)

2.1 Albania

Albania is located in southeastern Europe, on the west part of the Balkan peninsula, see figure 3, with a long coastline to the Adriatic sea. The coast region is characterised by a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters, while the inland has cold winters, yet warm summers. Albania exited the second world war as a communist dictatorship. Only in 1992, the country became a democracy. Today the republic has 2,8 million citizens, and although the country has come a long way since the communist era many areas are still less developed compared to neighbours like Greece and Montenegro

7 2 BACKGROUND 2.2 Vlora when looking to e.g. infrastructure or policy making. (NE, 2021; Britannica, 2019)

Albania is working to live up to the requirements for a EU-membership. In an interview with the Swedish Embassy in Tirana it became clear that the embassy is currently conducting several projects to prepare Albania for this, their focuses are policy making and financial stability. For future social and economic growth, the Head of Environment and Climate Change at UNDP Albania has, as previously mentioned, marked out the tourist sector as one of two most important for Albania.

2.2 Vlora

Figure 4: Map over Vlora and mentioned sites(Google maps, 2021) with edit by the authors

Vlora, in Albanian Vlor¨e,has Albania’s second largest port and is one of the most prominent tourist cities in Albania (GIZ et al., 2018). The city is surrounded by hilly olive groves, the mountainous Karaburun and the island Sazan, being the country’s only Marine Park, with close by National Park Llogora (Bollich et al., 2016) and natural protection area Narta Lagoon (PPNEA, 2017), see figure 4 for locations. Being epicentre for the independence declaration in 1912 Vlora has a famous independence museum, and among other cultural heritages the Muradije Mosque, built by the chief architect

8 2 BACKGROUND 2.3 Albania’s Tourism Sector

Figure 5: Zvernec monastery, the island Sazan in the background, courtesy Regional Administration of Protected Areas Vlora in the ottoman empire in 1542, and the Zvernec Monastery, see figure 5, stand out (Britannica, 2013).

2.3 Albania’s Tourism Sector

Albanian tourism is on the rise. Tourism contributed with 21,2% of the country’s GDP in 2020 with a growth rate of +8,5% compared to the country’s real GDP growth rate of +2,7%. The tourism sector currently constitutes 22,2% of total employment (WTTC, 2021). Albania is an international tourist destination, 76% of the total tourist spending comes from international tourists (WTTC, 2021). Between 2014 and 2019, 72-81% of all international tourists came from southern Europe (Turicchia, 2020) and 76% of all tourism is for leisure (WTTC, 2021). Figure 6 shows a clear annual growth of number of tourists, leading to an initial conclusion that the trend would continue. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global tourism industry hard (Le and Phi, 2021) making it difficult to predict the number of tourist in the near future, specially international arrivals (G¨ossling et al., 2021).

9 2 BACKGROUND 2.3 Albania’s Tourism Sector

Figure 6: Arrivals of foreigners in Albania by the purpose of leisure travel (Turicchia, 2020).

Albania has great potential to grow its tourism industry, with as written above, many different opportunities to unique tourist resources (Turicchia, 2020; Domi et al., 2019; Dibra and Oelfke, 2013). Among other the country has the possibility to develop cultural, coastal, mountainous (green and white), and adventure tourism (Dibra and Oelfke, 2013). However, Albania’s tourism sector is still in an early stage and so far, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (companies with less than 200 employees) con- stitutes the entire Albanian tourism sector (Domi et al., 2019). The sector is also characterized by a high level of informality, a high turnover of employees and strong seasonality (Domi et al., 2019) with visitor peak during summer and low activity in the winters (Turicchia, 2020).

Researches agree on the lack of sustainable initiatives in the Albanian tourism industry (Domi et al., 2019; Dibra and Oelfke, 2013; Siemers, 2018; Turicchia, 2020; Bollich et al., 2016). For instance, Siemers, 2018 concludes that the lack of infrastructure, evolving both disposal of waste and wastewater are not sufficient for an expansion of the tourism sector. Likewise, Dibra and Oelfke, 2013 states that Albanian tourism so far has been driven by short-term economical incentives, leaving little to no room for sustainable practices. Domi et al., 2019 and Bollich et al., 2016 both highlight how lack of regulatory policies and laws for the sector leads to high informality and vagueness

10 2 BACKGROUND 2.4 Tourism in Vlora in stakeholders accountability, effectively leading to negative impact on innovativeness within the industry.

Furthermore, Dibra and Oelfke, 2013 concludes that if not changing into a more sus- tainable path, Albania may loose its unique tourism offer. This by spoiling the unique nature and culture that is differentiating the country both regionally and internation- ally, leading to Albania being a much less attractive destination (Dibra and Oelfke, 2013). In this scenes, the Albanian tourism sector is in an unsustainable spiral, not only economically, but socially and environmentally.

2.4 Tourism in Vlora

There are 86 hotels in Vlora, with a capacity of accommodating 4845 tourists, and together with apartments the total capacity is 8512 (GIZ et al., 2018). So far, sun-and- sea tourism has been the dominant tourism offer and visitors stay on average for 4-7 days (Turicchia, 2020). GIZ et al., 2018 identifies that several tourist activities in Vlora are not fully developed, including cultural heritage and the region’s natural assets such as national parks and biodiversity. This is explained by both lack of promotion, tourism product quality, standardization, a lacking infrastructure and transportation network (GIZ et al., 2018).

Additionally, GIZ et al., 2018 declares that Vlora has more than 10 different attributes, from culinary and culture to nature and adventure. Vlora is already the main tourist destination in Albania largely because of its beaches (Bollich et al., 2016), with imple- mentation of the tourist development strategy by GIZ et al., 2018 many more tourist profiles could be attracted. This would give Vlora a possibility to attract different types of tourist profiles. While the cultural and culinary destination attributes welcomes tourist profiles such as elderly, culinary, cultural and urban, the natural protection areas, bird watching, and mountain destination attributes attracts tourist that enjoy biking, camping and adventure (GIZ et al., 2018).

11 2 BACKGROUND 2.5 Previous Work on Sustainability in Albanian Tourism

2.5 Previous Work on Sustainability in Albanian Tourism

Though Albanian tourism, as previously stated, is underdeveloped when seeing to sus- tainability, some initiatives are being done, where international collaborations plays an essential part. Siemers, 2018 had researchers from German CUTEC, Clausthal Research Center for Environmental Technologies, investigate what technical and organisational possibilities there are for a sustainable supply infrastructure, focusing on waste, water and energy. The study recommended a total of nine activities to better prepare Albania for increasing tourist arrivals (Siemers, 2018).

The University of Shkodra “Luigj Gurakuqi” in Albania, has a Masters program on ”Sustainable Tourism Management”, where the students, according to a study con- ducted by Dibra and Oelfke, 2013, show a high understanding of the various aspects on sustainable tourism, including both social, environmental and economical aspects. A project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and De- velopment and GIZ conducted between 2016 and 2018 a tourism strategy for three southern cities of Albania: Vlora, Himara, and Konispol based on sustainable tourism and human development, focusing on cultural and environmental protection, as well as identifying both potential tourism activities and tourism profiles (GIZ et al., 2018). Another project, granted by the Critical Ecosystem Partnering Fund in collaboration with Protection and Prevention of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), investi- gated nature based tourism activities in the nearby Narta Lagoon, to protect the area due to its significance to biodiversity but also cultural heritage (PPNEA, 2017).

At the energy resources department in poly-technical university in Tirane the conditions for geothermal heating in Albania has been examined. Several papers by Kodhelaj show that geothermal heating is suitable for Albania and it would enrich the current energy production. Kodhelaj’s research show that the surface water temperature in Albania range from 17 to 67 °C. Further, Kodhelaj, 2021 states that the investments in geothermal energy for energetic purposes is expected increase, at present the pay back time is 4,4 years. Moreover, Kodhelaj has done a case study of hotels with geothermal heating in combination with solar water heating panels that heated a system with house

12 2 BACKGROUND 2.5 Previous Work on Sustainability in Albanian Tourism heating, sanitary water, spa, sauna etc. (Kodhelaj, 2021)

UNDP Albania has also conducted several projects on sustainable tourism initiatives in Albania. One project in collaboration with Oxford Internet Institute identified that 12,2% of all jobs in the Albanian hotel industry could be classified as sustainable (Brae- semann and Buchwald, n.d.). Turicchia, 2020 describes the development of eco-tourism in Vlora, both needs and opportunities as well as exploring concepts for nature based eco-tourism in Karaburun-Sazan Marine Protection Area, MPA. The report has thor- oughly written about about the region’s attributes and the profile of tourists. In col- laboration with the WWF, Bollich et al., 2016 created a sustainable management plan for the MPA in Vlora. The report has different themes in the sustainable management plan, one of which concerns tourism offers. Furthermore, the report gives an overview of the area and tourism in Vlora. For another national protected area, Llogara National park, Diava Consulting et al., 2020, has studied the models for financial stability.

13 3 THEORY

3 Theory

The theory section aims to bring up relevant theory for the thesis. Firstly, sustainability in tourism in general will be presented, including the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030. Thereafter, this section focuses on Sustainable Hotel Management in particular, distinguishing Small and Medium Size Enterprises. Additionally, this section will cover Corporate Social Responsibility and its role in hotel management, as well as some theory on change management. Destination theory, and its relevance for sustainable tourism as well as some relevant theory on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic’s on the hotel industry will also be presented.

3.1 Sustainability and Tourism

The main adopted definition of sustainable tourism is the one supported and provided by UNWTO, from a triple bottom line (Ivars-Baidal et al., 2021) : economic, social and environmental should be in balance. In addition, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda gives a more precise idea of what sustainable tourism should include (UN, 2021a). In particular, in goal 8: Decent work and economic growth, goal 12: Responsible consumption and production and goal 14: life below water, sustainable tourism is included as specific targets (UN, 2021b). Target 8.9 aims to: “by 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products” (UN, 2021a). Target 12.b, aims to: “develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products” (UN, 2021a) and in target 14.7, sustainable tourism is seen as a tool to support least developed Small island states in increasing their economic benefits (UN, 2021a).

Today, sustainable tourism is viewed as a constant development and process rather than an idealized state (Ivars-Baidal et al., 2021). This links back to theories, such as Clarke, 1997 framework for sustainable tourism, where a specific end goal and final state is less important and sustainable tourism is rather defined as convergence towards more sustainable practices in all aspects of the industry, in constant process. Effectively,

14 3 THEORY 3.2 Sustainable Hotel Management there are no standardized road-map or strategy to achieve the best possible state of sustainability (Tilbury, 2011; Clarke, 1997). On the contrary, there are many different ways to operationalize sustainability, and should be adjusted to both sector and area where is should be implicated (Tilbury, 2011). Ivars-Baidal et al., 2021 explains this issue with sustainable tourism being ”a socially constructed and contested concept” and therefore there is still a lack of consensus on sustainable tourism. On the other hand, it is also widely accepted that the general success for any sustainability policy, program or strategy depends on peoples’ involvement, common acting to face the challenges of sustainable development, and acceptance of responsibility (Gimenez et al., 2012).

3.2 Sustainable Hotel Management

The research area of sustainable hotel management is quite saturated. For example, Y. H. Kim et al., 2019 reviewed 128 previous articles focusing on the hotel industry and sustainability with purpose of being guidance for more gap-filling, future work in the area. Similarly, dos Santos et al., 2017 found 1551 documents published on Scopus using the keywords ”Hotel”, ”Planning” and ”Sustainability”, and 568 when narrowing down to only articles published between 2010-2012 and in areas of either “Business, Management and Accounting”, “Social Science” or “Environmental Science”.

Some literature, such as Bohdanowicz et al., 2006, Knezevic Cvelbar et al., 2021, Gu- narathne and K.-H. Lee, 2021, Dolnicar et al., 2018, and Antonova et al., 2021, focuses on solely environmental, technical energy and water management practices. Other arti- cles, including Hassan et al., 2021 and von Friedrichs Gr¨angsj¨oand Gummesson, 2006, investigates hotels social impact on local communities. However, while specializing in one area of the triple bottom line of sustainability, all authors also mentions the impor- tance of an holistic approach to sustainability for hotels. Moreover, as the findings of dos Santos et al., 2017 and Y. H. Kim et al., 2019 shows, many articles bring forward comprehensive criteria or implementations, aiming to capture all different aspects of hotel sustainability, such as Mihaliˇc et al., 2012, dos Santos et al., 2017 and Tamaj´on and Font, 2013, implying that sustainability for hotels should be tailor made to suit the special case of the hotel and region.

15 3 THEORY 3.3 Sustainable Hotel Frameworks

The literature also makes a clear distinction between sustainability for big hotel chains, and Small and Medium-sized Enterprise within the hotel sector, hereafter SMEs. For example, Bohdanowicz et al., 2006, Mihaliˇc et al., 2012, Jones et al., 2014 and de Gros- bois, 2012 investigates global hotel brands such as Hilton, Accor Hotels, Marriot, Best Western, Hyatt, and Iberostar, characterized by significantly larger financial assets, bigger and more hierarchical organisations and often an international top management. These chains often have some sort of sustainable management or operations plan, al- though the reports vary in actual sustainable commitment (de Grosbois, 2012).

For small and medium sized enterprises within the hotel sector, the level of sustain- able commitment vary (von Friedrichs Gr¨angsj¨oand Gummesson, 2006) as the group is largely heterogeneous (Tamaj´onand Font, 2013). However, Tritto, 2020 suggest that small and medium sized hotels are broadly aware of the environmental issues but often lack incentives and reward mechanisms to implement relevant practices. Dibra and Oelfke, 2013 and Domi et al., 2019 also states that short-termed economical incentives often overpowers long-term, sustainable planning. Moreover, the reasons for imple- menting sustainable practices in SMEs differ from reasons for larger firms (Tamaj´on and Font, 2013). Murillo and Lozano, 2006 points out the owner’s personal values as a high driver for Corporate Social Responsibility, hereafter CSR, implementation, Jenk- ins, 2006 brings up improving community reputation and relationship. Jenkins, 2006 also point out SMEs prefer learning sustainable practices through networking and from peers.

3.3 Sustainable Hotel Frameworks

Reviewing the literature, some different frameworks for sustainable hotels have been found, all based on the triple bottom line, and each framework having a number of specific criteria and/or parameters linked to each tripe bottom line perspective. Mi- haliˇc et al., 2012 combines the triple bottom line and UNWTO’s Sustainable Tourism Model to create a Hotel Sustainability Business Model including environmental, con- sisting of 36 operational parameters, and based on evidence from Slovenia, a country similar in history and tourism situation as Albania. Gimenez et al., 2012 framework

16 3 THEORY 3.4 Corporate Social Responsibility shows that internal environmental management programs leads to both environmental, social and economical performance and socially-oriented management programs leads to environmental social performance. dos Santos et al., 2017 proposes a total of 67 business criteria, divided into the dimensions of environmental, social, cultural, eco- nomic and policy. Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 introduce a CSR-framework for small-and medium sized firms within the hospitality industry, based on a triple-bottom line, with 32 practices in total, that was later tested in 16 CSR-experts within the hotel industry by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018.

Given the significant difference in sustainability, as mentioned in paragraph 3.2, between SMEs and big firms, both regarding motives and implementation, Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 is chosen as the framework for the present study. The fact that the framework also has been tested by a group of CSR-experts (Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018) further added to the motivation to use this framework, as well as the manageable, yet holistic number of practices included, compared to for example dos Santos et al., 2017. Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 framework will be re-modified to a stakeholder prospective, which will be further described in section 4.2.

3.4 Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, is a concept without a universally accepted definition, the most commonly accepted is the definition proposed by the EU Com- mission (Engwall et al., 2018; Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018). The basic idea behind CSR is that companies should be responsible for more than making a profit, with CSR practices the enterprises takes responsibility for their impact on society.

Furthermore, the impact of CSR on the general profitability of the company has been discussed in several articles, and the sheer number is proof of the growing importance of CSR (Cochran, 2007; Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018). Some articles have found a positive relationship between implementation of CSR practices and increased profitability (Wu, 2006), while Cochran, 2007 highlights that firms that engage in CSR is not always more successful. However, some authors describes the complexity, lacking cohesion,

17 3 THEORY 3.5 Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hotel Industry consensus and theoretical maturity, of CSR and therefore CSR might led to ambiguity and confusion (Carroll, 1999; Coelho et al., 2003; Godfrey, 2005). Moreover, NGOs are today reviewing the company on the basis on e.g. human rights, working conditions, payment to suppliers, and environmental impact (Engwall et al., 2018). Therefore, having a clear CSR strategy has become increasingly important for the strategy of the company (Engwall et al., 2018) since CSR can be implemented holistically and therefor it can help with implementing the triple bottom line. The implementation of CSR could also be seen from a top-down and bottom-up approach, top-down refer- ring to integrate CSR-practices strategically into an already existing management plan, with initiatives from owners, where bottom-up means integrating and linking the sur- rounding stakeholders to CSR practices, where initiatives comes from employees (Asif et al., 2013; Sharp and Zaidman, 2010). Asif et al., 2013 argues that both approaches could be included, with an identification and standardization of key stakeholders needs, linked to the CSR-practices. Amaladoss and Manohar, 2013 also suggest to include a multi-stakeholder dialogue in their top-down framework, although ”bottom-down” is not explicitly mentioned.

3.5 Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hotel Industry

With a growing number of travelers, the hotel industry has an increasing ecological footprint (G¨ossling,2002; Kirk, 1995). CSR has been proven to be a powerful tool in the pursuit of achieving higher sustainability performance for the hospitality industry. A number of articles have found that CSR activities positively influence employees (He et al., 2019; H. L. Kim et al., 2017; C.-K. Lee, Song, et al., 2013; Luu, 2017; Supanti et al., 2015; Fung Wong and S. S. Kim, 2020). These studies found that employees’ awareness of CSR can reduce staff turnover, improve recruiting results, enhance staff enhancement, increase employees’ job satisfaction, and motivate to further citizen behaviors of employees. Oriade et al., 2021 underlines the importance of a robust organisational culture to achieve sustainability for hotels, especially the importance of managers empowering their employees.

Likewise there’s a growing amount of articles showing a positive relationship between

18 3 THEORY 3.6 Change Management hospitality firms involvements in CSR and residents quality of life, or perceived benefits to the local communities (C.-K. Lee, J. Kim, et al., 2018; Shin et al., 2021). Still there is a substantial risk that the tourism and hospitality industry impose unwelcome changes to the local communities, therefore these firms also need to engage in CSR activities that benefits the local community and residents (Serra-Cantallops et al., 2018).

Lastly, CSR practices conducted in hospitality firms affect their customers. Mart´ınez and Nishiyama, 2019 found that CSR activities influenced the decision making behavior among costumers. Further, numbers of articles have found a clear relationship between hotel CSR on customers hotel selection process (Li et al., 2015), brand satisfaction (Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006), and brand loyalty (Liu et al., 2014; Mart´ınezand Nishiyama, 2019). However some studies shows no clear relationship between hotel CSR and cus- tomer purchase behavior, due to lack of customer attention towards hotel CSR (Boccia et al., 2019; Carrigan and Attalla, 2001). This highlights the importance of commu- nication, to all key stakeholder, when implementing CSR practices (Kovaˇciˇc,2018; S. Kim, 2019).

3.6 Change Management

The most common definition of change management refers to taking an individual, group or organization from the current state to a desired future state (Bahadin, 2020; Andrew, 2017). Many researchers have tried to define change management, however change management lacks a universally accepted definition (Brown et al., 2016). Hau- dan and MacLean, 2001 views change as a journey through which a high level of adop- tion and engagement is the destination. The engagement of stakeholders is moreover considered to be important as it enables an exciting, enlightening, and successful trip, as a mean to reach high adaption rates, thus achieve the business result desired, from a state of aspiration to realization. In other words change management is the idea of engaging stakeholders in the organisation in such a manner, that stakeholders can think and act differently about change (Haudan and MacLean, 2001). Vanqa, 2006 and Errida et al., 2018 views change management as a way to manage the people-side of an organizational change to achieve desired outcomes. In contrast By, 2005 describes

19 3 THEORY 3.7 Destination Theory change management as the process of continually reviewing an organisation’s direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever-changing demands and needs of both in- ternal and external stakeholders. While there are many different suggestions to define change management the common features include a transition from a current state to a decided future state in which the stakeholders play a vital part in the success of the transition.

3.7 Destination Theory

The destination attributes and image are cornerstones when comparing different desti- nations, and understanding the success of some destinations. Crompton, 1979 defines that the destination image refers to the ideas, beliefs and impressions that individu- als acquired about the characteristics and activities at the destination, after analysing information about the destination. Further, the perceived image of a destination is one of the most searched topics in tourism due to its influence on the decision-making behavior of the visitor (Assaker, 2014). While the destination image is an individual and conceptual idea of the destination, the destination attributes are thought of as the extrinsic motivators of a destination, and therefore, destination attributes can pull tourist to a specific destination (Boit and Doh, 2014). The literature reveals several articles investigating how different destination attributes influence the tourist motiva- tion (G¨uzel,2017; Chacko and Fenich, 2000; Klenosky, 2002; S. S. Kim et al., 2003; Dwyer et al., 2004; C¸akici and Harman, 2007). These articles all states that, in order for a destination to be competitive, it should provide a unique attraction to tourists. This attraction will increase the tourist satisfaction and its intention to recommend the destination to others (G¨uzel,2017).

3.8 COVID-19 and the Hotel Industry

Writing this thesis in the spring of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic has been ongoing for approximately one year, and naturally with the many travel bans and restrictions implemented to reduce the spread of the virus, the tourism industry has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis (UNWTO, 2021a). While researchers’ and

20 3 THEORY 3.8 COVID-19 and the Hotel Industry companies’ assessments of the tourism industry’s handling of the pandemic are still very much in process, some reports and conclusion has already been published. A large amount of articles implies that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting impact on the tourism sector, well after the pandemic is over (G¨ossling et al., 2021; Villac´e- Molinero et al., 2021; Sharma et al., 2021; Le and Phi, 2021; Baum and Hai, 2020). As G¨ossling et al., 2021 suggests, the pandemic should be seen as an opportunity not to go back to business as usual, but create tourism activities more in line with the SDGs and Sharma et al., 2021 highlights the importance of stakeholders, especially involvement of local communities, to come together to create resilience. Villac´e-Molinero et al., 2021 focuses on the customer perspective in their analysis, stating that travelers perception of risk has changed with the pandemic and Baum and Hai, 2020 argues that some of the rights in terms of mobility evoked from citizens during the pandemic might not return. However, all articles agree that more precise conclusions regarding what to expect of COVID-19’s long-term impact on the hospitality industry can only be drawn over time (Baum and Hai, 2020; Villac´e-Molinero et al., 2021; G¨ossling et al., 2021; Sharma et al., 2021).

21 4 METHOD

4 Method

The method section aims to give the reader an understanding for the theoretical frame- work by Tamaj´onand Font, 2013, tested by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018. This frame- work is re-modified to five key groups of stakeholders, each linked to a number of CSR- practices. Each category will in this section be explained, and the re-modeled stakeholder framework used in the present study will be presented. Further, the method section de- scribes how the questionnaire and interviews was structured from the re-modeled stake- holder framework.

4.1 Choice of Framework

The triple bottom line framework, suggested by Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 and tested by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018, consists of a total of 32 CSR-related practices, as seen in Table 1, divided into the three aspects of sustainability. The framework, tested on 16 CSR-experts from the hospitality industry in Portugal and Spain (Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018), aims to measure the level of implemented CSR-practices in a small or medium sized hotel by presenting a holistic framework. As seen in section 3.2, having a frame- work specifically adapted to small or medium sized hotel is of importance. The number of practices presented was also seen as appropriate, as they are a manageable amount for the study, yet enough to be holistic. The practices includes operational practices related to infrastructure within and outside the hotel, practices regarding training and work-life of employees, practices for encouragement and engagement of clients, practices focusing on suppliers, and practices regarding local environment, culture and charities.

Regarding where to start with implementation of the framework, this thesis suggests both a top-down and bottom-up approach to implementation of CSR-practices. Top- down implies a managerial approach, where CSR is viewed from a strategic level and integrated in an already existing management system, where bottom-down refers to the efforts of linking the firms CSR-initiatives to the broader community (Asif et al., 2013). As Asif et al., 2013 framework of implementation of CSR-practices suggests, these two approached can be combined, by identification and systematization of the

22 4 METHOD 4.1 Choice of Framework

Environmental Practices EN1 Assess the company’s environmental impact EN2 Engage in energy and water saving EN3 Use renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass, etc.) EN4 Reduce, reuse, and recycle waste EN5 Use ecological products EN6 Choose green suppliers EN7 Encourage customers and suppliers to save water and/or energy EN8 Encourage the consumption of organic products EN9 Encourage customers to participate in environmental protection initia- tives EN10 Encourage clients to respect the environment within the company EN11 Encourage clients to respect the natural environment EN12 Take actions that contribute to environmental conservation Social Practices SO1 Assess the company’s social impact SO2 Collaborate with social projects and charities SO3 Promote the protection and conservation of heritage SO4 Promote the development of local communities SO5 Promote gender equality SO6 Non-discrimination between applicants for a job on the grounds of sex, race, nationality, etc. SO7 Try to provide a good work-life balance for staff SO8 Choose suppliers who demonstrate their social responsibility SO9 Encourage customers to contribute to social initiatives and charities SO10 Actively promote respect for cultural and language traditions SO11 Adapt facilities for people with disabilities SO12 Promote civic activities among customers Economic Practices EC1 Assess the company’s economic impact EC2 Whenever possible choose local staff EC3 Pay staff above the industry average EC4 Provision of additional benefits for employees EC5 Encourage customers to consume/use local products EC6 Encourage clients to contribute to charitable activities EC7 Select suppliers who contribute to local development EC8 Provide training programs for staff

Table 1: Practices in the framework by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018

23 4 METHOD 4.2 Adaptation of Framework: A Stakeholder Focus

firms stakeholders and their demands and linking these to CSR-practices implemented by management.

4.2 Adaptation of Framework: A Stakeholder Focus

From the theory above, five key groups of stakeholders were identified in Tamaj´onand Font, 2013: operational, Employees, Clients, Suppliers and Local Community. Each of the 32 practice suggested by Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 were categorized into one of these groups, in order to re-model the framework to better include a stakeholder perspective, please see figure 7. This re-modeled version is used to analyze Regina Hotel Groups current state of sustainability, and to easier identify which practices that Regina Hotel Group are currently already doing and also which practices can be improved and implemented. While some practices, such as EN11: Encourage clients to respect the natural environment (Client and Local Community) and EC7: Select suppliers who contribute to local development (Supplier and Local Community), could be placed in several stakeholder-categories, each practice is only mentioned once in the re-modeled framework, based on which stakeholder the hotel should communicate with.

Figure 7: The framework by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018 adapted by the authors

The operational perspective includes five CSR-practices linked to technical or infras-

24 4 METHOD 4.3 Questionnaire and Interview tructural implementations within the building of the hotel, or practices involving rou- tines regarding handling of water, energy and waste. The employee perspective consists of seven CSR-practices, all related to the improvement of work-life for those working within the hotel, including non-discrimination, good work-life balance, paying above industry standard and provide adequate training for staff. The client perspective has the most number of CSR-practices, nine in total, all of which in one way or other in- volves encouraging the customers of the hotel to partake in sustainable activities. This includes activities both within the hotel, such as save energy and/or water and respect the environment within the company, but also outside of the hotel such as participate in natural protection, contribute to civic activities and charities and consume local and/or organic products. The supplier perspective consist of four CSR-practices, and includes both choosing suppliers that are local, organic and contribute to local development, but also encourage suppliers to save water and/or energy. The local community per- spective includes of four CSR-practices which evolves around the local environments and communities around the hotel, where, among some things, language, culture and heritage should be both protected and promoted. Lastly, three practices; EN1, SO1 and EC1: Assess the company’s environmental/social/economic impact, are placed as bridges between the five groups of stakeholders, linking them together. The imbal- ance in number of practices between the five groups also indicates that, according to Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 and Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018 most CSR-practices within hotel firms evolve around the employees and the customers.

4.3 Questionnaire and Interview

The method used to answer the aim of this thesis consists of a literature review of current frameworks and relevant theory in the field of CSR practices within the hotel industry, as well as a two-step quantitative and qualitative investigation of Regina Hotels top managements perception of the hotels current state in terms of CSR practices and sustainability based on the re-modeled stakeholder framework presented above. By having four members of the top management of Regina Hotel Group from all the three hotels. The managers interviewed were the General manager, head of Sales and

25 4 METHOD 4.3 Questionnaire and Interview

Contracting, Assistant Manager of Regina Blu and Manager of Regina City. All four respondents both filled out a questionnaire about the 32 CSR-practices and had a following up with an additional interview. The thesis aimed to asses which of the practices were being done, and which practices Regina Hotel Group should focus on, moving forward in their sustainability work.

4.3.1 Questionnaire The quantitative part of the investigation was a questionnaire, constructed based on Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018 approach, where respondents rated the priority of each CSR-practice in the hotel and how important the respondents think the practice is for the sustainability of the hotel (from 1: ”Very low”, 2: ”Low”, 3: ”Average”, 4: ”High” 5: ”Very high”). The respondents also answered to if the hotel was currently doing each practice. If yes, they could state examples and if not, if they would like to. Below, in figure 8, an example of the questionnaire is illustrated. To see the full questionnaire, please see Appendix A1.

4.3.2 Interviews Qualitative interviews were then conducted based on each respondents questionnaire- answers, on Zoom or WhatsApp. Because of the exploratory nature of the investiga- tion, the semi-informal interviews were based on largely the same questions, evolving around the five key stakeholder (see Appendix) but sought to generate a conversation on sustainability about the hotels, where the main object was to find any question- naire of sustainability practices in the hotels, and also the respondents experience with these practices. Lastly, the respondents were asked questions about the past years pandemic, how the hotel handled COVID-19 and if there are any lessons learnt from that experience. An additional group interview with the UNDP Junior Experts from the Karaburn-Sazan MPA and Llogara National Park was also conducted, to inves- tigate what this NGO-stakeholder request in terms of sustainability actions from the hotels. Moreover, questions about the government and general infrastructure in Vlora was posed.

26 4 METHOD 4.3 Questionnaire and Interview

Figure 8: Example of a questionnaire question.

27 5 RESULTS

5 Results

This section presents the results from the two-step quantitative and qualitative investi- gation on top managers perception of Regina Hotel Groups sustainability status today. The result is presented from the five main stakeholders perspective, according to Su´arez- Cebador et al., 2018 re-modeled framework, see figure 7, previously presented under Theoretical Framework. The answers from the UNDP Junior Experts interview is also presented below. Lastly, the respondents answers about the hotels handling of COVID-19 will also be presented.

5.1 Operational Perspective

Respondents A B C D EN2: Engage in energy and water saving 5 4 4 4 EN3: Use renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass, etc.) 5 5 4 3 EN4: Reduce, reuse, and recycle waste 5 3 5 4 EN5: Use ecological products 5 4 3 5 SO11: Adapt facilities for people with disabilities 5 4 5 5

Table 2: Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR practices regarding Operational aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder framework

Regarding the operational aspects of sustainability, the study found that initiatives differed between the hotels in Regina Hotel Group. In practice EN2, engage in energy and water savings, four star hotel Regina City, in figure 9a, has reached maximum capacity for installment of solar water heating panels, while Regina Blu,in figure 9b and Regina Garden (currently under construction) only has a few panels installed. All respondents were positive to installing more panels, and saw this as one of the most important practices in this area of sustainability, see table 2. Several respondents also saw an increased capacity of solar water heating as an economical winning as well as environmental, as the hotels. Especially Regina Blu, suffers from both power and hot water shortage due to instabilities in the energy system in the region, something that has forced the company to use back-up generators. As all electricity operators are state- owned in Albania, Regina Hotel Group can not choose their own electricity supplier,

28 5 RESULTS 5.1 Operational Perspective and hence not control from what source the energy the hotel consumes comes from. This leads to practice EN3, use renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass, etc.), applying to the hotels own energy production. Other water and energy saving practices brought up linked to EN2 was controlling AC and light in all rooms by a card-key system by the door, and not cooling or heating more rooms than necessary.

Bed sheets are changed once in three days, partial cleaning is done once a day and every three days there is a full cleaning of the rooms, see figure 9c. The management is aware that a lot of hot water, energy and cleaning product is consumed in cleaning of both areas like kitchen, the bar and washing of sheets. Natural gas is used in the dryers in the laundry room, and the hotels also let the dryers simultaneously heat the water used in the washing machines, reusing the warm water, which is both a financial and sustainable winning for the hotel. For EN5, use ecological products, all respondents answer that their cleaning products are allergy tested, for the safety of the staff. However, no answer indicates that the respondents understands the requirement for organic products, or if there is a way to find out if a product is organic or not through for example a certification on the products. This is also something that the UNDP Junior Experts uphold, saying certification for ecological or organic products are none-existent. For SO11, adapt facilities for people with disabilities, all respondent stated this high or very high priority, shown in table ??, but only gave a few examples such as ramps for some toilets.

Regarding EN4, reduce, reuse, and recycle waste, Regina Hotel Group has done some efforts. Due to lack of recycling infrastructure to take care of for example metal, card- board, glass and plastics, all respondents state that separating waste is done in vain. There is a collaboration with private beverage company Coca-Cola where bottles are re- turned, and a similar project with Heineken existed until a few years ago when Heineken stopped collecting bottles due to risk of lacking sanitation. Food is also the area where most initiatives to reduce and reuse waste is being brought up. A recent initiative to re-cook uneaten food into new dishes has had large positive reactions from the staff, and using smaller plates when plating the dishes in the buffets has reduced some over consumption from guests.

29 5 RESULTS 5.1 Operational Perspective

(a) Regina City, courtesy of Regina Hotel (b) Regina Blu, courtesy of Regina Hotel Group Group

(c) A hotel room, courtesy of Regina Hotel (d) A bathroom, courtesy of Regina Hotel Group Group

(e) Food Buffet, courtesy of (f) Sundeck at Regina Blu, courtesy of Regina Regina Hotel Group Hotel Group

Figure 9: The Regina Hotel Group

30 5 RESULTS 5.2 Employee Perspective

Overall, all respondents state that the lack of governmental support and necessary in- frastructure hinder Regina Hotel Group to proceed with bigger operational implementa- tions. Many of the respondents have brought up the issue of lacking waste management infrastructure as one of the biggest problems. It is also one that the group finds the hardest to do anything about as a hotel stakeholder. The experience of lack of infras- tructure, especially in waste management but also roads, is shared with the UNDP Junior Experts, who state that too little is being done. One respondent suggested that several hotels could go together to put pressure on the local government, but no such initiative has started so far. However, all four respondents also expressed a feeling of change in sustainability, both within the group and in Albania in general, where more actors bring up the conversation and people in general becoming more aware. This view is also shared by the UNDP Junior Experts, who state that an increasing number of tourist are interested in more sustainable tourism and more initiatives to invest in for example solar panels are coming up.

5.2 Employee Perspective

Respondents A B C D SO5: Promote gender equality 5 3 5 5 SO6: Non-discrimination between applicants for a job 5 4 5 4 on the grounds of sex, race, nationality, etc. SO7: Try to provide a good work-life balance for staff 5 3 5 5 EC2: Whenever possible choose local staff 5 3 5 4 EC3: Pay staff above the industry average 5 5 5 5 EC4: Provision of additional benefits for employees 5 3 5 4 EC8: Provide training programs for staff 5 5 5 5

Table 3: Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR practices re- garding employee aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder frame- work

The four respondents answered very similarly on several of the CSR-practices involving employees, and in the interviews the respondents also were in large unanimous about employee management. All respondents stated that Regina Hotel Group fulfills prac- tices EC2, Whenever possible choose local staff, and EC3, Pay staff above the industry average, and that this is of very high priority, see table 3, for the hotel. One respondent

31 5 RESULTS 5.2 Employee Perspective mentioned that many employees has been within the company for 10 or 15 years, and that employees’ knowledge is highly valued by the management. The sense of family and loyalty among staff was clear talking to all four respondents. As to EC4, Provision of additional benefits for employees, the answered varied where some stating no and some stating yes, mentioning reduced booking fees for employees. The work-life balance of staff, SO7, was also highly rated, shown in table 3, by the majority of the respondents, where examples such as reduction of extra working hours, paid parental leave and paid over-time was brought up. Regarding SO5, Promote gender equality, all respondents rated this as a very high priority, given in table 3, and only one stated this was not being done. One respondent stated that the majority of the employees in Regina Hotel Group are women, and many in higher positions. For SO6, Non-discrimination between applicants for a job on the grounds of sex, race, nationality, half stated that there were no such practice in place, while one respondent mentioned policy for non-discrimination as part of the employee-contract.

Asking about the employees awareness of sustainability however, the answers varied vastly. Regarding EC8, Provide training programmes for staff, two out of four respon- dents answered yes, and examples given in this area included mostly customer service training, stating this was important, see table 3, for the overall perfromance of the hotel. No one mentioned any from of sustainability training for employees. Some respondents highlighted that the fact that most employees are local, makes them care more about the surrounding environment and the impact of the hotel. However, from these responses it was hard retrieving concrete examples of employees being environmentally aware. Moreover, there were several examples of staff being unaware of sustainable practices. For examples, leaving on AC and lights on in large spaces that are not being used due to lack of knowledge. It was also suggested that communicating sustainability was easier if using financial arguments, rather than environmental ones. Most employees understand economical winnings, while explaining why the same practice is sustainable is harder and takes longer time with a risk of not being accepted, one respondent stated. That employees were more educated about environmental protection was also one of the highest requests from the UNDP Junior Experts, when asked about what the hotels

32 5 RESULTS 5.3 Client Perspective could improve when it comes to the visits to Karaburun-Sazan MPA. Better educated employees from the hotels could lead to them helping customers better respect the en- vironment. The UNDP Junior Experts also answered positive regarding providing such training to hotel employees, if requested.

5.3 Client Perspective

Respondents A B C D EN7a: Encourage customers to save water and/or en- 1 2 1 5 ergy EN8: Encourage the consumption of organic products 5 2 2 4 EN9: Encourage customers to participate in environ- 5 3 1 3 mental protection initiatives EN10: Encourage clients to respect the environment 1 4 2 5 within the company EN11: Encourage clients to respect the natural envi- 1 4 2 4 ronment SO9: Encourage customers to contribute to social ini- 5 4 4 3 tiatives and charities SO12: Promote civic activities among customers 5 3 5 4 EC5: Encourage customers to consume/use local prod- 5 4 5 3 ucts EC6: Encourage clients to contribute to charitable ac- 5 5 5 3 tivities

Table 4: Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR-practices re- garding client aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder framework

As this perspective includes the highest number of CSR-practices, see figure 7, all involving encouragement of customers, all of the respondents had a hard time separating the meaning of the different practices. The discussion in the interviews evolved therefore mostly around communication about sustainability with clients in general, although different types of encouragements were being mentioned. This perspective is also where the respondents overall are the least positive and answered most negative to weather these practices are done or not, and rated them overall lower in priority than the other categories, see table 4. All respondents have a clear sense of customer service, stating that the customer satisfaction from guests are very high, and one respondent mentioned the customer service as the number one reason for customers to return to the hotel, for

33 5 RESULTS 5.3 Client Perspective an example of costumer service. Direct communication with customers mostly happen when checking in and out, and other efforts to communicate with customers is exampled by putting up signs and folders in rooms and at the front desk.

As for EN10, Encourage clients to respect the environment within the company, all respondents find encouraging customers to be more sustainable hard, as they state that the clients’ interest is low. Several respondents even gave examples of negative reactions by customers when encouraging them to reduce food waste, stating that clients are not interested in saving food as they are on vacation and ”only want to have a good time”. One respondent also mentioned this as a problem for the reputation of the hotel, where the customers food waste behaviour may tarnish the hotel standard. It is also clear that Regina Hotel Group has accepted the client’s lack of interest in sustainability, and do not bring up sustainable practices, such as practice SO9, Encourage customers to contribute to social initiatives and charities, SO12, Promote civic activities among customers or EC6, Encourage clients to contribute to charitable activities, with clients as they are afraid this would harm the good customer relationship. One respondent also stated that when customers do ask about why certain sustainability practices is being done, the employees find it difficult answering as they feel they have a lack of knowledge, even though they try their best.

The hotel arrange several trips to nearby Karaburun-Sazan MPA by their three tour boats, see figure 10 for the boats. This would be an opportunity to bring up EN9, Encourage customers to participate in environmental protection initiatives, and EN11, Encourage clients to respect the natural environment, but this is very little mentioned. The trips are very appreciated among customers, and one respondent stated that the clients understood for themselves not to litter in the MPA. The UNDP Junior Experts however had a different experience, with problems of day-visitors in the National Parks littering and not respecting the environment. Besides from educating employees about natural protection, the Junior Experts requested for the hotels to take bigger responsi- bility in educating their customers about natural protection. The Junior Experts also shared the view with several of the respondents that visitors might be offended by en- couragement to protect and respect the natural environment, although the feedback of

34 5 RESULTS 5.4 Supplier Perspective the natural protection initiatives from customers are mostly positive.

Figure 10: Boat trips to Sazan Island, courtesy of Regina Hotel Group

There is also a significant difference between customers’ interest in sustainability, de- pending on where they come from, two respondents mentioned. Guests from Eastern Europe such as Belarus, Ukraine and Kosovo, which also is the largest group of cus- tomers, are much less interested than guests from Western Europe. Despite this, some minor efforts to encourage clients are being mentioned by some of the respondents. Some signs encouraging customers not to waste food has been put up in the restau- rants, as well as similar signs regarding water and energy savings in the rooms, falling under EN7a, Encourage customers to save water and/or energy. As for EC5, Encour- age customers to consume/use local products, the hotel arrange trips to two close-by vineyards, where clients both learn about the wine-making process and buys wine. A similar project but with sheep-farms has also been discussed. With these types of ac- tivities, the customer feedback has been throughout positive. One could argue that this also falls under EN8, Encourage the consumption of organic products, but as mentioned earlier, there is no way for the investigation to determine weather the products are organic or not since there is no certification in place.

5.4 Supplier Perspective

Regarding the supplier perspective, one of the respondents stated that they could not answer these questions as they had no insight or responsibility of this area. The supplier perspective came to evolve mostly around food, as the majority of the hotels suppliers are linked to the restaurants and bars. Regarding EN6, Choose green suppliers, and

35 5 RESULTS 5.4 Supplier Perspective

Respondents A B C D EN6: Choose green suppliers 1 3 3 4 EN7b: Encourage suppliers to save water and/or en- 1 2 1 5 ergy SO8: Choose suppliers who demonstrate their social 5 4 3 3 responsibility EC7: Select suppliers who contribute to local develop- 5 4 5 3 ment protection initiatives

Table 5: Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR practices regarding supplier aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder frame- work

EN7b, Encourage suppliers to save water and/or energy, three out of four respondents answered that the hotel is not currently doing. These practices also score some of the lowest in priority among the environmental practices, shown in table 5, both for the hotel and the respondents impression of being important to the sustainability of the hotel. As earlier mentioned, the lack of certification for green or organic products also made these two practices hard to measure. In EC7, Select suppliers who contribute to local development, two stated this was being done and two stating not, all but one ranked this a high or very high priority, see table 5. Seeing to SO8, Choose suppliers who demonstrate their social responsibility, two of the respondents has stated that the hotel is not doing this, but ranked the practice as high priority, given in table 5 . On the other hand, two respondents has said that this practice is being done, but are ranking this as a low priority for the hotel, seen in table 5. When asked about if and how Regina Hotel Group communicate about sustainability with their suppliers, such as energy and water management, none of the respondents gave a clear answer or example of this being done.

However, when interviewing all four participants, it was clear that local suppliers, espe- cially local foods, were something they all were both very excited, proud and positive about. Several examples was mentioned of local products used in the hotel, such as locally produced eggs, fish, meat and vegetables. One respondent stated that as much as 80% of the food in the restaurants are locally produced and that the hotel’s gift-shop sells local ornaments that are popular among guests. Another mentioned that Regina

36 5 RESULTS 5.5 Local Community Perspective

Figure 11: Local fisherman

Hotel Group until a few years ago grew their own vegetables, and an initiative with homemade biscuits and jam from local producers sold to customers of the hotel. Posi- tive aspects, such as better economical benefits for the local community, higher quality of food and higher customer satisfaction was mentioned by all respondents. One respon- dent brought up that the board of owners in general are being prone to choose larger, more trustworthy suppliers, in order to create a stronger supply chain and reduce risk of not having products delivered in time or that the sanitation standards being too low. The examples given were chicken breasts and milk, products with high turnover and high sanitation standards. However, there were no examples of bad experience with local products.

5.5 Local Community Perspective

The perspective of local community includes five parameters, seen in table 6, concerning collaboration with charities, projects, NGOs, and the local community. All respondents agree that SO4, Promote the development of local communities, is very important, see table 6. Examples of current work to develop the local communities are collaborations with local companies e.g. local vineyards, as previously mentioned under the Supplier perspective. The respondents are not agreeing on weather they fullfill SO3, promote the protection and conservation of heritage. However, they agree that this is something that they would like to do and rate it very high in priority, shown in table 6.

37 5 RESULTS 5.5 Local Community Perspective

Respondents A B C D EN12: Take actions that contribute to environmental 5 5 4 conservation SO2: Collaborate with social projects and charities 5 5 1 5 SO3: Promote the protection and conservation of her- 5 5 3 5 itage SO4: Promote the development of local communities 5 5 5 5 SO10: Actively promote respect for cultural and lan- 5 3 4 4 guage traditions

Table 6: Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR practices re- garding local community aspects from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder framework

The hotels are arranging trips to the different heritages around Vlora - therefore all respondents agree that it is of great importance to protect these. One of the respondents mentioned that the hotels, when paying taxes, are paying a fee to protect and clean the Karaburun-Sazan MPA. As seen in table 6, only three of the four respondents rated EN12, take actions to contributed to environmental conservation. However, the three responses all show that the hotel would prioritize this as important or very important. In the interviews it became clear that the boat trips arranged by the hotel is very popular among the tourist and therefore there is a clear incentive for the hotel to contribute to the environmental conservation. In the interview with UNDP Junior Experts, several good examples of collaborations was highlighted. For example, hotels are directing tourist to the visitor centers to get more information about the area. Another good example, brought up by the UNDP Junior Experts, was guided trail walks. These initiatives are however for hotels in Vlora in general, and not Regina Hotel Group in particular. The Junior Experts highlighted that this was good since it avoided the usage of boats i the MPA, the Junior Experts expressed concerns about the boat trips which brings big impact on the environment.

To contribute to the MPA, the respondents from Regina Hotel Group mentioned that the hotels have arranged litter picking trips to the beaches. Some of the respondents however express that this is not their responsibility. Further, the respondents mention that the protection of the MPA and other heritages is today based around different

38 5 RESULTS 5.5 Local Community Perspective projects and is therefore lacking in endurance. Additionally, one of the respondents is concerned that only some beaches and areas are being included in the protection and cleaning - leaving other areas dirty.

(a) Flamingos in Narta Lagoon, courtesy of (b) Karaburun-Sazan MPA Regina Hotel Group

(c) Orikum Lagoon (d) Trail walks

Figure 12: The nature around Vlora

One of the respondents stated that Albania is a country known for the harmony be- tween the different cultures. Regarding SO10, Actively promote respect for cultural and language traditions, most of the respondents think it is important, two of them think it is very important, two states it is less important, please see table 6. Three of them also state that they are already doing this, mostly by giving employees leave when their culture has a holiday. In the interview with the UNDP Junior Experts it was suggested that more local entertainment could be promoted to the customers, e.g. a local tradi- tion of singing. One of the respondents from Regina Hotel Group mentioned that they have had activities with this type of entertainment and that it was very well received by the costumers.

Lastly, the respondents do not agree on the importance of SO2, Collaborate with social projects and charities. They also not agree on weather the are currently having such

39 5 RESULTS 5.6 Assessment of Environmental, Social and Economical Impact collaborations, see table 6. In the interviews, no one could exemplify any collaborations with social projects or charities. However, two of the respondents mark SO2 as very important and express a will to start collaborating, on the other hand one respondent marks it as very low important and expresses no will to starting.

5.6 Assessment of Environmental, Social and Economical Im- pact

Respondents A B C D EN1: Assess the company’s environmental impact 3 3 3 5 SO1: Assess the company’s social impact 5 5 2 5 EC1: Assess the company’s economic impact 5 4 5 5

Table 7: Results showing level of priority in Regina Hotel Group for CSR practices regarding the assessment of environmental, social and economical impact from Tamaj´on and Font, 2013 re-modeled stakeholder framework

In the re-modeled framework, see figure 7, the EN1: Assess the company’s environmen- tal impact, SO1: Assess the company’s social impact and EC1: Assess the company’s economic impact is seen as overall practices with a focus of measuring the progress within each category. Regarding EN1, besides the mandatory meters for water, waste water and energy by the state, no respondent mentioned any monitoring system or routine in place to keep record of the hotels’ environmental impact, and one respondent highlighted how difficult they found measuring food waste was. Three out of four re- spondents agreed that this was of average importance, however the fourth respondent gave this practices the highest importance, shown in table 7.

For the social sustainability impact, SO1, the overall opinion is that this is more im- portant than EN1, see table 7. Even though the overall knowledge of the social sus- tainability practices is higher compared to environmental practices the hotel group is lacking a clear system to measure the progress. Likewise the hotel group respondents show a great understanding of implementing practices that lower their overall spending, and the respondents have a clear economic focus. However, they weren’t able to share economic information, when asked if they could share an annual report for the past

40 5 RESULTS 5.7 Regina Hotel Group’s Experience with COVID-19 year. It is clear that they have a good understanding of their revenue, costs and other key financial figures, and all respondents believes that accessing the economic impact is important or very important, see table 7, but that they’re lacking in communicating their economic impact, according to EC1.

5.7 Regina Hotel Group’s Experience with COVID-19

All respondents stated that COVID-19 has directly effected Regina Hotel Group. Dur- ing the spring of 2020, Albania went through several lock-downs and curfews. Conse- quently, Regina Hotel Group did not have any, or very few customers from February to June. One respondent said that no staff had to be released during this period, while two said some were temporarily put on furlough with some payment and promise to have their job back as soon as visitors reappeared. This is also in line with the answers regarding the Employee Perspective previously presented. All employees were also re- hired during the summer, as Regina Hotel Group recovered in the summer, Regina Blu having an occupancy of 99% from June until the end of October 2020. Between October and December, the occupancy went down, and only some rooms were booked, but the number of visitors increased again in December, according to one of the respondents.

One respondents explained that more customers came from near by regions such as Northern Macedonia, Serbia and also Albania, compared with a ”normal” year. New routines in terms of cleaning, social distance and handling food always wearing face- masks and gloves has also been implemented, as well as hand disinfection in every room. All respondents answered positively when asked if the customers ask different questions than before the pandemic, where customer concerns now evolve more around what routines are in place to prevent the spread of virus, such as how many times the rooms are cleaned a day, what products are being used and if you have 1,5 meters distance in the restaurant. When asked about what lessons the hotels have learnt from the past year, one respondent brought up the handling of food, that will continue to be more carefully done even after the pandemic. Three respondents also replied that they will continue with the stricter cleaning routines of common and private areas in the hotel, and one stated that this was a good prevention as they did not think COVID-19 will

41 5 RESULTS 5.7 Regina Hotel Group’s Experience with COVID-19 be the last pandemic.

42 6 ANALYSIS

6 Analysis

In this section, the main findings from the interviews and the questionnaires are pre- sented, which gives a general view of what problems and possible solutions exist for Regina Hotel Group in terms of sustainability today. These findings, together with the results from the interviews and the questionnaire, will constitute the base for the study’s recommendation, found in the next section.

Key findings

• There is unwillingness to communicate sustainability with clients because of fear of ruining customer relationships. As the interviews showed, the unwillingness comes from perceived risk of not meeting the hotel’s high costumer satisfaction goal, as there is a perception that clients do not care about sustainability when going on vacation. The hotel management states that this fact could in some cases be true, and the hotel group faces challenges seeing to their large and diverse clients base, where the interest and knowledge of sustainability differ largely between clients. Some customers specifically request local products and environmentally protected areas to visit, while others are offended by encouragements of sustainability ac- tions, said some of the interviewed hotel management. As a result, Regina Hotel chooses in some cases not to showcase sustainability practices already in place, and not to encourage customers as much as needed. However, as the stakeholder framework shows, the customer perspective has the largest amount of practices included, indicating the importance of Regina Hotel Group not only to start com- municating clearer about sustainability with their customers, but recognizing this as the area where the group can make the largest impact. Finding smart and service-oriented ways to communicate about sustainability with customers could be one solution to this problem. Determining actual attitude of the customers towards sustainability through a thorough market research is another.

• The hotel management shows high awareness of social sustainability, particularly regarding employees and local suppliers. The top management have no problem in

43 6 ANALYSIS

seeing the potential and competence their employees bring to the company. Good work-life balance and working condition, above industry pay and locally employed staff are recognized as top priorities and deeply anchored in the company’s values. Whether the management formulate this explicitly as social sustainability or not is less important to the group. The same kind of pride and loyalty towards the local community and local suppliers is shown, for example valuing locally produced food as higher quality and better taste. These findings suggest that the management of Regina is highly aware of the benefits for the hotel of a prospering surrounding community and good employee management.

• It is easier to justify sustainability practices with financial arguments rather than environmental. From the interviews it became clear that justifying new routines among staff by upholding economic profitability as an argument is easier than arguments about sustainability. In part this fact could be due to the low level of sustainability awareness among employees. As a result, the majority of the sustainability initiatives of Regina Hotel Group is driven by economical motives. Either by minimizing costs, or by increase of customer satisfaction by strengthen- ing the reliability of the system. While some practices are strictly cost-effective, such as turning off lamps and/or the AC in rooms that are not being used and reusing warm water, many sustainability practices can be found in both cate- gories. For example, solar water heating panels both cuts electricity and warm water costs, and puts the hotel in a less vulnerable position in terms of energy and warm water shortage, directly effecting the hotel’s level of service. Choosing local suppliers is not only cheaper but is also seen as higher quality products, giving restaurant visitors a better experience and hence generating extra value.

• The hotel group has a hard time connecting the dots between already implemented practices and sustainability. The interviews showed the employees sustainability awareness to be relatively low. As mentioned above, social sustainability is a top priority and practices that classifies as sustainable are being implemented but rather for economical reasons than environmental. Nonetheless, there are clear risks not recognising these practices as sustainable. Both as already implemented

44 6 ANALYSIS

practices might end as they are not recognised as valuable, and as new initia- tives might not receive the response needed to be implemented. One solution to this could be clarifying the link between economical profit and sustainable prac- tices. Both when introducing new sustainable initiatives, as well as continuing with already established sustainable routines. Another solution would be overall sustainability education for all levels of staff, and a clear sustainability strategy, as suggested by this framework. Understanding that already made, successful investments and routines, regarding for example employee management and local community, are sustainable might lead decision making about new, sustainable investments.

• The lack of infrastructure regarding energy and waste poses large obstacles for local actors to act more sustainable. Both the Junior Experts and the hotel manage- ment agree that the non-existence of infrastructure, regarding for example proper recycling systems and possibility to chose greener energy suppliers hinders the ho- tels from pursuing sustainability. Naturally, this impedes the general sustainable development of Albania. Since the hotels alone can not impact the government’s decisions, policies or laws has been excluded from the proposed framework. How- ever, improvements towards sustainability on a governmental level would largely impact the sustainable development of the country.

45 7 RECOMMENDATION

7 Recommendation

In this section, the results and analysis will be summarized into suggestions, connected to each perspective in the stakeholder framework used in this thesis. Under each per- spective, the study proposes firstly already implemented actions the hotels are suggested to continue with, secondly actions that the study has found feasible to implement in the nearby future and thirdly actions to be considered in a further-reaching sustainability strategy. Together, these suggestions form a recommendation that could constitute a first draft of a sustainability action plan for Regina Hotel Group.

7.1 Suggested Operational Practices

There are several sustainable practices already implemented in all three hotels, as seen in Result 6.1 Operational perspective. The analysis showed these investments often to be justified by financial arguments. Nonetheless, these practices are still increasing the sustainability and hence should continue. The study also suggest more collaborations in the area of recycling when possible, such as sort out food waste for compost, to use as fertilizers in nearby farms or gardens. Previous collaborations e.g. bottles reused, are strongly urged to continue with and seek new ones. Further, the increase in capacity of already installed solar water heating panels is an easy solution to power shortages, and sustainable at the same time.

In the future, Regina Hotel Group is encouraged to invest in renewable energy produc- tion on site, since some of the hotels have reoccurring problems with outages. Energy sources such as back-up generators and natural gas for driers, could be replaced with renewable sources e.g. solar Photovoltaic, PV, systems or geothermal heating. Given the study by Kodhelaj, 2021, geothermal heating in combination with solar water heat- ing could reach temperatures as high as 90 °C, enabling the hotel to both heat rooms and replace the natural gas for the laundry driers. Solar PV panels could also replace bought energy from the state owned grid, increasing the hotel’s reliability, eliminating the risk of power shortage, and increasing their share of renewable energy. The sugges- tion is to consider the options mentioned above instead of re-investing in the natural

46 7 RECOMMENDATION 7.2 Suggested Employee Practices gas or power generator. To summarize, the study suggest the following:

Current operational practices to continue: ◦ using card-key controlled systems for AC and lights in all hotel rooms. ◦ cooling and heating only the rooms needed. ◦ cleaning fully every third day. ◦ recycling bottles from Coca-Cola. ◦ plating on smaller plates on the buffet. ◦ cooking leftover foods into new dishes. ◦ using heat exchangers to recover heat from the laundry dryers to the washing machines. Short-term operational practices to start: ◦ offering more `ala carte meals. ◦ using only low energy light bulbs e.g. LED lights in all facilities. ◦ exploiting full potential in solar water heating panels for all three hotels, for Regina Garden and Regina Blu. ◦ finding more collaborations to recycle materials and resources, like the Coca- Cola collaboration. ◦ collaborating with nearby farms for composting food waste to utilize as fertil- izer. ◦ evaluating the facility’s adaptation to people with disabilities. Long-term operational plans could include: ◦ investigate the possibilities for hotel owned/rented farm to grow vegetables. ◦ extend the renewable electricity production e.g. solar PV panels. ◦ investigate the possibilities for renewable energy sources e.g. geothermal heat- ing. ◦ initiate collaborations among the hotels in the region to influence local gov- ernment and policy makers.

Table 8: Suggested operational practices

7.2 Suggested Employee Practices

For Regina Hotel Group, social sustainability is highly prioritized and there are many good practices seeing to especially employees. The employees competence is key to any successful company, a fact Regina Hotel Group is already fully aware of. Naturally, this also includes sustainability performance. As the employer/employee relationship appears to be strong, with high level of trust and loyalty, investing in sustainability training for Regina’s personnel should not be far fetched. Including the large majority of employees in the sustainability discussion would not only increase awareness among staff, but also open up for new, undiscovered solutions as employees have valuable

47 7 RECOMMENDATION 7.2 Suggested Employee Practices insight of day-to-day practices. All this would strengthen Regina Hotel Groups sus- tainability profile. Below is listed suggestions on how to obtain higher performance in this area:

Current employee practices to continue: ◦ paying above industry average. ◦ hiring local staff whenever possible. ◦ providing additional benefits already existing. ◦ acknowledging employees competence as valuable for the overall success for the firm. Short-employee term practices to start: ◦ communicating additional benefits already existing. ◦ communicating the employee socially sustainable practices already imple- mented. ◦ initiating sustainability training, with the UNDP, regarding customer behavior in national nature protection areas. ◦ clarifying the financial gain of sustainable practices, e.g. food waste, solar water heating panels, key-card controlled systems etc. ◦ communicating the results of this study with all employees in a workshop or info meeting. Long-term employee plans could include: ◦ find suitable partner for introducing larger sustainability programme. ◦ introduce a full employee training programme, including energy and water management, customer communication and overall sustainability training.

Table 9: Suggested employee practices

48 7 RECOMMENDATION 7.3 Suggested Client Practices

7.3 Suggested Client Practices

At Regina Hotel, the customer is always right. This high level of customer focused services are within the core of operation and arguably a large factor for Regina Hotel Group’s success. Clients are key in promotion of local suppliers and communities, and drivers of business. This fact also applies for sustainability actions. Without ruining the customer experience, Regina is suggested that, in a service-oriented way, start communicating sustainability with their customers as this is the significantly most highlighted part in the stakeholder framework. The following suggestions are therefore presented:

Current client practices to continue: ◦ having high customer satisfaction goals. ◦ arranging guided tours to natural protecting sites and cultural heritages. ◦ encouraging clients to buy local products and engage in local culture. Short-term client practices to start: ◦ taking a higher responsibility for the clients actions, e.g. inform about where to find bins for litter. ◦ formulating service oriented ways to encourage customers about sustainable actions and sustainable practices in the hotel. ◦ collaborating with the UNDP about customer’s respect for the natural envi- ronment in the protected areas. ◦ actively recommending customers to visit the natural protected areas or local business and simultaneously remind to be cautious. Long-term client plans could include: ◦ conduct a customer survey about how the customer relate to sustainability. ◦ formulate a communication plan based on the findings in the survey mentioned above. ◦ collaborate with social charities and projects to find ways to enable the cus- tomers to interact with the charities and projects. ◦ collaborate with the UNDP to find ways for customers to participate in envi- ronmental protection initiatives.

Table 10: Suggested client practices

7.4 Suggested Supplier Practices

To the study it has become clear that the reliability of a strong supply chain is im- portant. Further, the local suppliers are sometimes perceived as being a less reliable, which in some cases is true. On the other hand, local suppliers are more appreciated

49 7 RECOMMENDATION 7.5 Suggested Local Community Practices among clients and staff. Additionally, working with local business brings a prosper- ous community and in may cases, local suppliers provides higher quality and lower prices. Therefore, the study suggest investigating the reliability of the local suppliers. In the future the study suggests to spread the knowledge about sustainability by having a sustainability policy for suppliers. Below the study has summarized the suggested practices:

Current supplier practices to continue: ◦ collaborating with suppliers for eggs, fish, meat and vegetables. ◦ collaborating with suppliers for the gift shop. ◦ collaborating with local vineyard. Short-term supplier practices to start: ◦ investigating food security among local suppliers. ◦ having conversations about farming, fishing and animal treatment with exist- ing partners, e.g. discuss use of pesticides etc. ◦ finding more local suppliers. ◦ collaborating with other actors who has actively work to developed the local community. ◦ discussing social sustainability, ex. employee conditions and local community responsibility, with suppliers. Long-term supplier plans could include: ◦ introduce policy of sustainability requirements for suppliers to agree to. ◦ evaluate and choose suppliers based on their social and environmental respon- sibility. ◦ chart the reliability in supply chain of local suppliers.

Table 11: Suggested supplier practices

7.5 Suggested Local Community Practices

Through out the local community perspective the study wants to encourage a strong collaboration with the UNDP, the hotels and the UNDP do not always share the same opinions but their over all objective is very much in line. Current examples of a good relationship is when the hotels are redirecting clients to the visitor centers or promoting the e.g. Karaburun-Sazan MPA. It is believed that this collaboration could stretch further to for example, environmentally improve the boat trips or offering guided trail walks. Moreover, it dose exist several other good partners to collaborate with such as local business, and it is encouraged to seek new collaborations in the region. Lastly, the hotels can largely impact the community. Therefore, promoting local culture and

50 7 RECOMMENDATION 7.6 Suggested Assessment Practices traditions is highly suggested, to help keep the culture and traditions alive. Please see the summarized practices below:

Current local community practices to continue: ◦ arranging trips to nearby heritages and sites. ◦ promoting Karaburun-Sazan MPA as a resource for the region. ◦ collaborating with local business, e.g. serve local wine and arrange trips to local wine yards. ◦ actively respecting different cultures and traditions e.g. have leave days when holidays are celebrated. ◦ passing on customers to the visitors centers to receive information about the national protected areas. Short-term local community practices to start: ◦ closer collaborating with UNDP in natural protection of national parks, edu- cate employees etc. ◦ inviting local community to use/rent Regina’s common areas for activities in off-peak seasons. ◦ seeking new, local organisations and charities for potential collaborations. ◦ collaborating with the UNDP to reduce the environmental impact of the boat trips. ◦ offering guided trail walks in the natural protected areas. ◦ offering local culture to clients ex. a traditional signing evening in the restau- rant. ◦ collaborating with other actors who has actively work to developed the local community. Long-term local community plans could include: ◦ launch a training programme for compromised youth in Vlora, teaching tasks such as reception, kitchen and restaurant work. ◦ become an ambassador for sustainability in hospitality in Vlora, inspiring other hotel actors to follow in Regina’s footsteps.

Table 12: Suggested local community practices

7.6 Suggested Assessment Practices

In order to keep track of the progress of the sustainability practices the study encourage to continue with an open discussion with clients and employees, moving forward the study suggests formalizing the the assessment channels, see suggested practices below. For the annual report the study suggests including information such as corporate gov- ernance, balance sheet and income statement. The hotels are currently collecting data about their water and energy usage, in the future the study suggest utilizing this data to prioritize and reduce their usages. Many of the practices below require knowledge

51 7 RECOMMENDATION 7.7 Suggested COVID-19 Practices on sustainability to enable a continuous improvement and learning the study suggests assigning one person as responsible for sustainability. See the summarized practices below:

Current assessment practices to continue: ◦ having a good consciousness of the hostels financial state. ◦ continuously assessing the client’s and employee’s satisfaction through conver- sations. Short-term assessment practices to start: ◦ producing a public annual report. ◦ gathering all information about sustainability in hotel for easy access on the website. ◦ compiling energy and water data from already installed meters to log en- ergy/water usage. ◦ giving one person or a smaller group official responsibility for sustainability assessment of each hotel. Long-term assessment plans could include: ◦ produce a Regina Hotel Group Code of Conduct based on the 32 CSR- practices. ◦ use the compiled energy and water data to improve the facility. ◦ estimate each hotel’s GHG-emission, and actively review where to minimize the emission.

Table 13: Suggested assessment practices

7.7 Suggested COVID-19 Practices

Since this study was conducted during the COVID-pandemic no clear results or rec- ommendations has been drawn. However, the hotels has implemented several good practices that the study suggests continuing with, please see table 14. continue with below. Lastly, there exists some uncertainty concerning several other sanitary prac- tices, e.g. whether employees have paid sick leave when they show symptoms of a virus infection, these practices have not been included in the thesis. The practices the study found to continue with:

52 7 RECOMMENDATION 7.7 Suggested COVID-19 Practices

Current COVID practices to continue: ◦ being responsive to change customer behavior. ◦ being flexible to meet and react to new demands from customers. ◦ strengthening the hotel to minimize the spread of infection, e.g. use gloves, provide hand sanitizer and reinforced cleaning routines.

Table 14: Suggested COVID-19 practices

53 8 DISCUSSION

8 Discussion

This section aims to to discuss the key findings of this study, connecting back to the information presented in the background and to the current literature and theory found. A short discussion about the study’s limitations and demarcations is also presented in this section.

It is evident from the theory that sustainable tourism is a field of academic interest, and since Albania is yet to experience their peak in tourism, improving sustainable tourism will be of importance for the country. One could argue that Vlora and Albania has a unique opportunity to implement sustainable management practices before the tourism peaks. If the hotels in Vlora succeed to communicate their sustainable initiatives, it could well become a part of the destination’s attributes and image, ultimately generating durable competitive advantages (GIZ et al., 2018). In order to achieve this, a sustainable framework for hotels is needed as part of the destination’s larger sustainability strategy (Mihaliˇc et al., 2012; Gimenez et al., 2012). This study aimed to provide a first outline to a sustainable management plan by presenting and testing a stakeholder framework for hotels in Vlora.

As Ivars-Baidal et al., 2021 states, sustainable tourism is a constant journey of develop- ment, with no clear end goal. Studying the case of Regina Hotel Group, this becomes evident. The hotel group is well under way of becoming more sustainable, having im- plemented for example solar water heating panels and valuing their employees highly. Given the recommendation in section 7, there is also more to be done. Additionally, as technology is constantly improving and enabling a never-ending refinement of the sustainability management, the journey never ends (Tilbury, 2011). Therefore, the rec- ommendation in section 8 must be seen as a first draft to a sustainable management plan, and not an accomplished list through which sustainability would be obtained if fulfilled.

The stakeholder framework, presented in figure 7, was based on the framework created by Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 and tested by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018. The stakeholder

54 8 DISCUSSION framework is based, similar to others frameworks (Hassan et al., 2021; Mihaliˇc et al., 2012; Gimenez et al., 2012), on a triple bottom line. The model by Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 proposes 32 different CSR practices for SMEs in the hospitality industry. In both CSR and change management, the stakeholder perspective is central. Therefore, the authors re-modeled the framework by Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 to focus on four cate- gories of stakeholders. The stakeholders that the study found was employees, clients, suppliers, local community. Additionally, a operational category was included.

In the study it became clear that the Regina Hotel Group has a strong relation with their employees. This is vital for succeeding with sustainable change, as the stake- holder framework presented suggests. Change management theory clearly highlights the importance of viewing change as a journey where the stakeholder’s involvement decides the success of the journey (Haudan and MacLean, 2001). To further strengthen the relationship between management and employees in the journey for increased sus- tainability, the study underlines the importance of employee sustainability training. Without training, lack of understanding sustainable practices implemented could leave arguments about sustainability useless (Oriade et al., 2021). As the owner’s personal interest in CSR is crucial for CSR-implementation in SMEs (Murillo and Lozano, 2006), sustainability education for Regina Hotel Group should be for all levels of employees. Moreover, as SMEs tend to prefer learning practices from networking and peers (Jenk- ins, 2006), the collaboration with the UNDP and other local stakeholders such as travel offices for further sustainability education would be a good first step.

The fact that most sustainable improvements today are justified financially is worth fur- ther discussion. This approach may cause problems to the future sustainability work, as not all sustainable initiatives are financially viable from the beginning and therefore not being implemented (Dibra and Oelfke, 2013). Additionally, practices with less obvious financial connections could also be under-prioritized, or at worst ignored. Moving for- ward, with more complex initiatives, a greater understanding among employees will be of importance since some initiatives will have to be justified by sustainability alone, and as anchoring sustainable practices within the personnel is crucial to the sustainability performance of a company (Asif et al., 2013). However, to be accepted, sustainability

55 8 DISCUSSION 8.1 Limitations in hospitality must make scenes economically as well (Mihaliˇc et al., 2012). If sustain- ability would be seen as a cornerstone for Vlora’s destination image and competitive advantage, not every sustainable practice would need to be economically viable on its own, as the destination economically benefits from being sustainable as a whole. The risk is, without the right training, hotel owners and managers might miss out on this vital connection between hotels sustainable behaviour and the destination’s competi- tiveness.

Another stakeholder of great importance are the clients. In the interviews, it became clear that Regina Hotel Group has an unwillingness to communicate sustainability with their clients. As found in the results, Regina Hotel Group has a wide range of customers, which further complicates the communication about sustainability, and more so, direct encouragements of customers to act more environmentally responsible. However, with- out communicating their sustainability actions with the clients, the hotel group risk not to enjoy the competitive benefits of sustainability profiling, as some customers specifi- cally request sustainable tourist activities. Further, actively encouraging and account- ing for clients behaviour, as part of the hotels sustainability plan, can not be ignored, as seen in the many sustainability frameworks for hotels reviewed (Mihaliˇc et al., 2012; dos Santos et al., 2017; Gimenez et al., 2012; Tamaj´onand Font, 2013), and especially the stakeholder framework presented in this study, where the largest number of CSR- practices can be linked to the client perspective. Therefore, it is of great importance that the hotels find a way to communicate about sustainability in an service-oriented, appropriate way. For employees and management, learning more about the benefits of being sustainable, as previously discussed as an important implementation, could also help in this regard.

8.1 Limitations

Due to COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions following as a consequence, this study has been conducted entirely on distance. Consequently, the conclusions drawn about Regina Hotel Groups sustainability are entirely based on the four respondents answers, and therefore perception and own experience. Ideally, the authors would have been on

56 8 DISCUSSION 8.1 Limitations site at Regina’s three hotels to conduct a case study including study of the facilities, interviews with more employees, suppliers and clients.

The questions asked in the survey was entirely based on the framework by Tamaj´onand Font, 2013 and Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018, and the main focus of the thesis was to find out how important the practices in the framework would be for the hotel, enabling a prioritization of these CSR-practices. Further, the respondents were asked to exemplify initiatives for each practices, to give further understanding of the current state of the sustainability in the hotel. All respondents stated that it had been tedious filling out the questionnaire. If the questionnaire was perceived as long, this might have affected the respondents motivation to fill out the questionnaire in detail. Nonetheless, as the literature and the aim suggests, it was important to receive an holistic picture of the hotel and therefore, the questionnaire had a considerable amount of questions. Further, the examples given by the respondents in the survey were the basis for the interview questions, as the given examples and rating of practices were different for each respon- dent the interviews held were also entirely different. In addition, the interviews were shorter than first intended since the respondents had less time than expected, lasting on average 40 minutes. The interviews were a useful complement to the questionnaire and gave a deeper and more nuanced picture of the sustainability of Regina Hotel Group.

As the study’s demarcations suggest, as shown in figure 2, the analysis does not include aspects such as travel to and from the destination, governmental polices etc. As the stakeholder framework focused one the hotel as the main actor, the system limit was drawn to only include local actors, this similar to the reviewed frameworks Gimenez et al., 2012; Mihaliˇc et al., 2012; dos Santos et al., 2017; Tamaj´onand Font, 2013. Likewise, the study has not included the direct impact from other actors in Vlora other than the hotel. However, the stakeholder framework includes encouragement and support of suppliers and the local community which gives an indirect pressure to change. Lastly, governmental policies and laws has been defined as the prerequisite for the hotel as the hotel can not change the policies or laws themselves.

57 8 DISCUSSION 8.2 Future studies

8.2 Future studies

Future work should focus on quantifying important data, possibly developing holistic Key performance indexes for each of the 32-CSR practices, to easily evaluate the im- plemented practices. This would also serve as a natural next step for the long-term plan of UNDP, to initiate suitable hotel eco-certification in Vlora. Naturally, as the study’s aim was to present an outline for a sustainable management plan for hotels in Vlora, a development of such plan should also be mentioned in the discussion of future work. The study also suggest an onsite case-study of Regina Hotel Group’s operational aspects, including investigating possibilities for wastewater systems, energy sources and energy and water management. Additionally, all plans mentioned under the headline ”Long term plans could include:” should be further investigated to find the best ac- tion plan for future implementations. Furthermore, extending the system barriers for Regina Hotel Group, it would also be of interest to study the local governments role in more depth, as this factor turned out to be of significant importance for the hotels sustainability performance.

58 9 CONCLUSIONS

9 Conclusions

The aim of this study was to create a stakeholder framework to improve sustainability for hotels in Vlora, Albania. The stakeholder framework, based on the 32 CSR-practices from Tamaj´onand Font, 2013, includes operational, employees, clients, suppliers and local community and was tested on Regina Hotel Group. It was concluded that (1) there is unwillingness to communicate sustainability with clients because of fear of ru- ining customer relationships, (2) the hotel management shows high awareness of social sustainability, particularly regarding employees and local suppliers, (3) it is easier to justify sustainability practices with financial arguments rather than environmental, (4) the hotel group have a hard time connecting the dots between already implemented practices and sustainability and, (5) the lack of infrastructure regarding energy and waste poses large obstacles for local actors to act more sustainable. Further, a recom- mendation with suggestions on current practices to continue, short term practices to start and long term plans, for each stakeholder was summarized. This will serve as a first outline to a sustainable management plan, for Regina Hotel Group in particular, and hotels in Vlora in general.

59 A APPENDIX

A Appendix

.1 Questionnaire

60 2021-03-30 Saa Ra H

Sustainability in Regina Hotel Thi i a fom abo ainabili pacice in Regina Hoel Gop, Vloa.

The fom ill ake appoimael 20 mine and o ane ill be anonmo fo ohe eponden. Yo epone ill be bae fo a ineie.

Yo ill be aked eion abo enionmenal, ocial, and economical apec ih hee eion fo each pacice. Thee i a oal of 32 pacice. Pleae o ane all eion a honel a poible. Pleae o be e oo if o'e doing i o no a ell a i impoance/pioiiaion fo he hoel.

Thank o fo o paicipaion!

* Reied

1. Name *

2. Position at Regina Hotel Group

3. In accordance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), we cannot save your information without your permission. By sending this form you authorize The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) to save your information. The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) is responsible for removing or editing this information at your request. *

Check all that appl.

I ndeand

Yo ill no ane 12 eion abo ke pefomance indicao fo enionmenal ainabili. Pleae o be e if o'e doing i o no a ell a i Environmental impoance/pioiiaion fo he hoel.

sustainability Thank o!

Skip to question 4

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Yo ill no ane 12 eion abo ke pefomance indicao fo ocial ainabili. Pleae o be e if o'e doing i o no a ell a i Social impoance/pioiiaion fo he hoel.

sustainability Thank o!

Skip to question 52

Yo ill no ane 12 eion abo ke pefomance indicao fo economic ainabili. Pleae o be e if o'e doing i o no a ell a i Economic impoance/pioiiaion fo he hoel. sustainability Thank o!

Skip to question 100

Environmental 1: Assess the EXAMPLES: Doe he hoel meae eneg, ae, ae age, companys environmental and/o meae ohe KPI ch a CO2-foopin? impact

4. Is the hotel currently doing this?

Mark onl one oval.

Ye

No

No, b e old like o

5. If yes, would you like to give an example?

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6. How high would the hotel prioritize this practice?

Mark onl one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Ve Lo Ve High

7. How important would this be for the sustainable development of the hotel?

Mark onl one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Ve Lo Ve High

Environmental 2: EXAMPLES: Implemened a aeg o minimie conmpion. E.g. age of AC, managemen of aeae, change of bed-hee Engage in energy and iniiaie ec. water saving

8. Is the hotel currently doing this?

Mark onl one oval.

Ye

No

No, b e old like o

9. If yes, would you like to give an example?

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6. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 10. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 14. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice

Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H H

7. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 11. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 15. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H H

EAE: I . E.. Enironmenal Enironmenal Ue EAE: I ? AC, , - D Enironmenal EAE: D Engage in energ and . reneable energ , , ? ? D ? Redce ree and aer aing olar ind bioma reccle ae ec

8. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 16. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 12. I he hoel crrenl doing hi Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a. , , ,

9. If e old o like o gie an eample 17. If e old o like o gie an eample 13. If e old o like o gie an eample

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18. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 22. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 26. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice

Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

H H H

19. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 23. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 27. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel

Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

H H H

EAE: A ( EAE: I ( , Enironmenal Enironmenal EAE: A , , Enironmenal ) ? A ? (, , , .) -? -, ) Ue ecological Chooe green Encorage comer / ? prodc pplier and pplier o ae aer andor energ

20. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 24. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 28. I he hoel crrenl doing hi Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a. , , ,

21. If e old o like o gie an eample 25. If e old o like o gie an eample 29. If e old o like o gie an eample

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30. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 34. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 37. If e old o like o gie an eample

Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

H H

38. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 31. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 35. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H H

Enironmenal Encorage EAE: D / Enironmenal EAE: I ( , 39. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel , , -, ) he conmpion of organic ? Encorage ? A Ma e a. prodc comer o / ?

paricipae in 1 2 3 4 5 enironmenal 32. I he hoel crrenl doing hi proecion H Ma e a. iniiaie

36. I he hoel crrenl doing hi Enironmenal EAE: D ( , , -, Encorage clien o ) ? Ma e a. , repec he enironmen ihin he compan

33. If e old o like o gie an eample , 40. I he hoel crrenl doing hi

Ma e a.

,

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41. If e old o like o gie an eample 44. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 48. I he hoel crrenl doing hi

Ma e a. Ma e a.

, ,

45. If e old o like o gie an eample 49. If e old o like o gie an eample 42. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice

Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5

H

46. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 50. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 43. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H H

Enironmenal EAE: D ( , , 47. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 51. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel -, ) Encorage , ? E.., , Ma e a. Ma e a. clien o //, , .

repec he 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 naral enironmen H H

Si eci 3 (Scia aiabii) Enironmenal EAE: A , - A EAE: D , Take acion ha A D) F - Social Ae - , , -? conribe o he compan ? enironmenal ocial impac coneraion

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52. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 56. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 60. I he hoel crrenl doing hi

Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a. , , ,

57. If e old o like o gie an eample 53. If e old o like o gie an eample 61. If e old o like o gie an eample

58. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 54. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice Ma e a. 62. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice

Ma e a. Ma e a. 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 H 1 2 3 4 5

H H

59. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 55. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel Ma e a. 63. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel

Ma e a. Ma e a. 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 H 1 2 3 4 5

H H

Social Promoe he EAE: D - A ? Social Collaborae ih EAE: D proecion and coneraion EAE: D : ? Social of heriage , / ocial projec and Promoe he /-/ ? . chariie deelopmen of local commniie

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64. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 68. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 72. I he hoel crrenl doing hi

Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a. , , ,

65. If e old o like o gie an eample 73. If e old o like o gie an eample 69. If e old o like o gie an eample

66. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 74. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 70. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H H

67. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 75. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 71. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H H

Social EAE: D ' ? A Social Tr o EAE: D ? A ? I ? I ? D - ? A EAE: A Promoe Social Non‐dicriminaion proide a good ? / ? ? I - gender beeen applican for a job on ? ork‐life balance eqali he grond of e race for aff naionali ec

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76. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 80. I he hoel crrenl doing hi Social EAE: I ( , -, ) Encorage / ? A / comer o /? Ma e a. Ma e a. conribe o ocial iniiaie

and chariie

, , 84. I he hoel crrenl doing hi

Ma e a. 77. If e old o like o gie an eample 81. If e old o like o gie an eample

,

85. If e old o like o gie an eample

78. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 82. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice

Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

H H

86. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice

Ma e a. 79. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 83. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 1 2 3 4 5 Ma e a. Ma e a. H 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

H H

Social Chooe pplier EAE: A ' ? A ho demonrae heir ? ocial reponibili

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87. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 91. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 95. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel

Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H H

Social Aciel EAE: D ' , . Social Adap EAE: I / ? A / ? D EAE: D promoe repec , , , faciliie for Social Promoe ? ? D ? for clral and people ih ciic aciiie ? langage diabiliie among comer radiion

92. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 96. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 88. I he hoel crrenl doing hi Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a.

, , ,

93. If e old o like o gie an eample 97. If e old o like o gie an eample 89. If e old o like o gie an eample

94. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 98. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 90. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H H

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99. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 103. If e old o like o gie an eample 107. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel

Ma e a. Ma e a. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H

Economic Pa aff EAE: A ? Si eci 4 (Ecic aiabii) Economic Wheneer EAE: D D ? ? I , A? aboe he indr poible chooe local Economic Ae he EAE: D , aerage , , ? aff compan economic impac 108. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 104. I he hoel crrenl doing hi Ma e a. 100. I he hoel crrenl doing hi Ma e a.

Ma e a. , ,

,

109. If e old o like o gie an eample 105. If e old o like o gie an eample

101. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice

Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5

H

110. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 106. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 102. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel Ma e a. Ma e a.

Ma e a. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H H

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111. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 115. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 119. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel

Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

H H H

EAE: I ( , -, EAE: I ( , -, EAE: D - Economic Economic Economic Proiion ) ) , , - , Encorage ? A / , .., , Encorage / ? A / of addiional benefi .? , ? /? for emploee comer o clien o conmee conribe o local prodc chariable 112. I he hoel crrenl doing hi aciiie

Ma e a. 116. I he hoel crrenl doing hi 120. I he hoel crrenl doing hi Ma e a.

Ma e a. ,

, , 113. If e old o like o gie an eample

117. If e old o like o gie an eample 121. If e old o like o gie an eample

114. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice

Ma e a. 118. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice

1 2 3 4 5 Ma e a.

H 1 2 3 4 5

H

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122. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 126. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 130. If e old o like o gie an eample

Ma e a. Ma e a. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 H H

123. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel 131. Ho high old he hoel prioriie hi pracice 127. Ma e a. Ma e a. Ma e a.

1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

H H

128. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel

Ma e a. Economic Selec EAE: D ( ) ? E, 132. Ho imporan old hi be for he ainable deelopmen of he hoel pplier ho ? 1 2 3 4 5 conribe o local Ma e a. deelopmen H 1 2 3 4 5 124. I he hoel crrenl doing hi H Economic EAE: A - Ma e a. ? D Proide raining ? programme for , ! aff (1 ) , , . , . A (A & E). 129. I he hoel crrenl doing hi Final - qeion . Ma e a. ne 125. If e old o like o gie an eample - , ""- . ep . A ? : @. & @. ,

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133. When are o aailable for an inerie

Chec a ha a.

F 9 A, 09.00 - 10.00 F 9 A, 11.00 - 12.00 F 9 A, 13.00 - 14.00 F 9 A, 15.00 - 16.00 12 A, 09.00 - 10.00 12 A, 11.00 - 12.00 12 A, 15.00 - 16.00 12 A 16.00 - 17.00 13 A, 9.00 - 10.00 13 A,10.00 - 11.00 13 A, 11.00 - 12.00 14 A, 13.00 - 14.00 13 A, 14.00 - 15.00 14 A, 13.00 - 14.00 14 A, 14.00 - 15.00 14 A, 9.00 - 10.00 14 A, 10.00 - 11.00 F 15 A, 9.00 - 10.00 F 15 A, 10.00 - 11.00 F 15 A, 11.00 - 12.00 F 15 A, 12.00 - 13.00 F 15 A, 13.00 - 14.00 F 15 A, 14.00 - 15.00 F 15 A, 15.00 - 16.00 F 15 A, 16.00 - 17.00 :

G.

Form

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.2 Re-modeled Stakeholder Framework Picture

68 A APPENDIX .2 Re-modeled Stakeholder Framework Picture

Figure 13: The model by Su´arez-Cebador et al., 2018 adapted by the authors

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