The Integration of Circular Economy in the Tourism Industry: A Framework for the Implementation of Circular Hotels

The hospitality industry, together with the transports one, represents the highest source of emissions and pollution in the tourism sector. The hotels, to respond to the pressing tourist demand, are forced to make a spasmodic use of resources, causing irreversible environmental damage that includes pollution, CO2 emissions, high waste production, and depletion of resources. Various initiatives have been proposed to the hospitality industry to improve the environmental performance of hotels: the use of international standards, environmental certifications, sustainable labels, and international tourism guidelines. One solution to this environmental disaster is represented by the introduction of the Circular Economy in the tourism management. In particular into in the hotels business: the realization of Circular Hotels. The objective of the Circular Hotels is to create a closed-loop for the tourist experience. Indeed, Circular Hotels seek to modify their business plans, reviewing supply chains, and engaging stakeholders. Finally, they aim to destroy the traditional idea of waste, considering it as a source of other activities or products. This work seeks to contribute to the existing literature through a review of case studies showing best practices of Circular Hotels. Additionally, this paper presents a systematic classification of best practices promoted by hotels in a circular lens. The Circular Hotels framework is based on a matrix consisting of four variables: the 11 Rs of Circular Economy, the Hotels Areas, the Guest Perception, and the Environmental Impacts. The result of this work explains how the road to the circularity is long, but many hotels have already begun to follow it. The framework demonstrates how the integration of these Rs in the hotels show the strong desire of hoteliers to improve their environmental performance.