Wilco W. Chan

Environmental measures for hotels' environmental management systems: ISO 14001

Purpose – Implementation of environmental management systems (EMS) in hotels is gaining popularity world‐wide. ISO 14001, which is the only certifying document in the ISO 14000 series, provides guidelines to set up an EMS. However, there is a paucity of information about the actual environmental measures implemented in ISO 14001 certified hotels. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify and generalize the environmental measures undertaken by studied hotels and to evaluate the performance of these environmental measures.Design/methodology/approach – Three case studies were carried out to identify the green measures undertaken in ISO 14001‐certified hotels. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed. Then, regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between monthly utilities input (electricity, gas, fuel oil and water) and activity parameters.Findings – A total of 113 measures were identified, nearly half of which concern energy conservation. Results of m...

Hotels' environmental management systems (ISO 14001): creative financing strategy.

Purpose – Environmental concerns have been increasing in the travel industry. However, most hotels are unwilling to develop an international environmental management system (EMS) probably due to a lack of resources and knowledge. In order to encourage more organizations to take part in the EMS, three cases adopting international EMS are investigated to ascertain the ways to support the formation of EMS. Based on their experience, hoteliers are encouraged to team up with green members to apply for research funding for the investigation and implementation of EMS. Also, “energy performance contracting” methods to finance environmental improvement projects in hotels were also discussed.Design/methodology/approach – A single case study approach was adopted to illustrate the differences in the resources mobilization for setting EMS in these three hotels. A search of documentary evidence and interviews with hotel staff was the main instrument for data collection.Findings – The Shangri‐la Hotel used its own resou...

Energy-saving Supporting Tourism Sustainability: A Case Study of Hotel Swimming Pool Heat Pump

Based on energy-related measurements, this article evaluates the thermal performance, energy-saving, indirect emissions and financial feasibility of using heat pumps for hotel out-door swimming pools in subtropical climates. A rooftop pool of a city-centre hotel was investigated. It was found that the average coefficient of performance (COP) was around 2.0. The measured electricity consumption was 24.6 MWh and the total heat output was 49.1 MWh for the heating season studied (mid-December to the late April). Compared with conventional electric boilers and gas-fired condensing/non-condensing boilers, the total energy savings during the heating season ranged from 26.5 to 32.5 MWh. Greenhouse and noxious emissions can also be indirectly reduced by about 12,000 kg. A discounting approach was adopted to compute the net present value of fuel costs over a lifecycle of 10 years. It was found that, over a 10-year lifecycle, the energy cost could be reduced by HK

Environmental Accounting of Municipal Solid Waste Originating from Rooms and Restaurants in the Hong Kong Hotel Industry

226,400 when a heat pump with an average COP of 2.0 was used instead of a conventional electric boiler. Derived from the energy cost saving over other conventional type of water heating equipment, the simple pay-back period can be about 2 years and the lowest internal rate of return can be 39%.

Hong Kong Hotels' Sewage: Environmental Cost and Saving Technique:

This article focuses on the estimation and the environmental accounting of municipal solid waste (MSW) produced by the hotel industry in Hong Kong. Five models to estimate the amount of the hotel industry’s MSW were developed. It was revealed that plastic toiletries in the industry ranked highest, and newspapers ranked second. Also, the research found that the minimum amount of MSW produced for each occupied room was 1.978 kg, and the quantity of MSW created by the Hong Kong hotel industry reached at least 53,070 tons in 1996, with an estimated environmental cost of 3.02 million Hong Kong dollars. The model predicted that local hotels would produce 53,607 tons of MSW by the year 2000. On average, the hotel industry’s share in the overall MSW was 1.5% in the 1986 to 2000 period. Based on the methodologies and findings, suggestions concerning green accounting at three levels are made.

Predicting and saving the consumption of electricity in sub‐tropical hotels

With the continuing strong growth in international arrivals to Hong Kong, more hotels are planning to open in the coming years. The sewage problem stemming from local hotels is expected to be worsened. The current study covers the years 1998 to 2005, plus a projection for the years 2006 to 2009. A survey of water use and conservation in 28 local hotels has been conducted. All established norms and ratios related to water consumption in this study are on a per room basis. The environmental impact of sewage discharged is converted into monetary terms on the basis of how much the hotel industry would need to spend in order to avoid the impacts. It is found that the average volume of water consumed per occupied room decreased from 1.145m3 in 1994-1996 to 0.904m3 in 2001-2002. In 2005, the environmental costs value was more than HK

Team Creative Performance The Roles of Empowering Leadership, Creative-Related Motivation, and Task Interdependence

187 million and exceeded HK

Energy saving and tourism sustainability: solar control window film in hotel rooms.

364 million in 2008. It is also found that flow regulator and submeter are the two most commonly used water-saving devices in local hotels. Some recommendations are made to save water, particularly in the laundry, kitchen, and guestroom.

The Effects of Group Conflict and Work Stress on Employee Performance

Purpose – The over‐estimation of the energy requirements in new hotels would not only increase energy consumption but also result in other additional costs. To address this issue, this study attempts to establish the benchmark of electricity consumption and models energy demand of hotels.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 17 hotels and two power suppliers was conducted. Two approaches, namely averaging and multiple regression, were used to analyze the data.Findings – The former approach found that the average electricity usage was 313 kWh/m2/year for city hotels in subtropical areas. The multivariate analysis revealed two significant variables – cooling degree day and number of occupied rooms– which determine the level of electricity consumption. Based on these findings, projections on electricity consumption for hotels in the next few years were made.Originality/value – This study provides a fine‐tuned norm of electricity consumption, confirms the best temperature of cooling degree days for modeli...

Predicting Energy Saving and Life-Cycle Cost Analysis for Lighting and Daylighting Schemes

Drawing on theories of self-determination, leadership, and creativity, this study developed and tested a conceptual model that aligns empowering leadership with team creativity by simultaneously testing the mediating effects of team self-concordance and team creative efficacy. The results from survey data from managers and workers in mainland China reveal that empowering leadership positively influenced team creativity via team self-concordance and team creative efficacy. In addition, the moderation–mediation path analysis indicated that team task interdependence strengthened the direct effects of empowering leadership on team self-concordance and team creative efficacy, as well as its indirect effect on team creativity. Empowering leadership includes leading by example, coaching, participative decision making, informing, and showing concern. By implication, managers should identify tasks that require teamwork (such as guest service) and then make every effort to empower employees and improve their task interdependence.