Hotels committed to CSR receive a positive impact on their brand value

Thursday 30 April 2015.The study "Doing Good and Doing Well: excellence case studies in CSR in the hotel and restaurant sector in Barcelona" by the Responsible Tourism Observatory of the Sant Ignasi (HTSI)-URL Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management concludes that hotels committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR) receive a positive impact on their brand value. "Committing to CSR and thinking of this as an investment rather than a cost represents a competitive advantage over competitors who do not follow this approach" said Jordi Ficapal, director of the Observatory.

The study was produced with the assistance of Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Hotel Association, and aims to determine the degree of development of CSR in the city's hotels, to identify whether there is a particular Barcelona style regarding the implementation of CSR in tourism establishments, and to perform research on the specific practices already under way in hotels and other businesses in the city that can serve as an example for other establishments. Of the 322 tourist accommodations analysed, twenty establishments stand out for good CSR practices.

In his presentation, Jordi Ficapal, director of OTR and head of the study, stressed that "the level of knowledge of the culture of CSR in the establishments of the city of Barcelona is not particularly high and therefore must be reinforced through promotion policies and support for their implementation." The study found that development in this area "is at a very early stage and therefore there are many opportunities for improvement.The bulk of CSR actions most repeated in all hotels analysed are in the environmental field".

In this connection, the study also found that there is a difficulty in distinguishing between actions that are legally enforceable and those to do with the voluntary nature of CSR. " In this regard, we need more training in establishments in terms of CSR culture," said Mr Ficapal.
 

Improving the communication of best practices in CSR

The study also concludes that there is a need to improve communication of best practices in CSR for hotels. The director of the Centre for Responsible Tourism stated that "we must highlight the direct correlation between news of CSR actions, campaigns or policies and the increase in the company's brand value." The recommendation is aimed at publishing these practices on the establishment's website, since this represents the virtual façade that is accessed by the customers, and drafting an annual CSR report.

Another important element is that this study points to the importance of the hotel as an agent of citizenship, allowing it to act as a lever of change on the surrounding area. It is therefore to necessary to demystify the figure of the hotel as an agent that is outside the territory and include it in the life and activities of the community. Nonetheless, the data also show that there is a new type of consumer (Millennials) that is highly sensitive to the principles of sustainability and responsibility, and therefore takes CSR activities into account when choosing which hotels to stay at. It will therefore be vital for hotels to adapt to these new travellers, and this includes implementing CSR.

The event was also attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management Sant Ignasi (HTSI)-URL, Ricard Santomà, vicechairman and coordinator of the Barcelona Hotels Association, Jordi Mestre Mateu and the Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, Sònia Recasens.

There followed a round table on "Best Practices in CSR in the hotel and restaurant sector in Barcelona" with the participation of Marc Riera, manager of H10 Arte Gallery; Ignasi Uñó, CEO of Twentytú - Tech Hostel, and Santiago Hernández, manager of the Barcelona Princess hotel, during which the representatives of these establishments talked about their success stories.

At the opening ceremony, Ricard Santomà, dean of HTSI-URL, said that "we have multiplied the number of tourists (in Barcelona) in the space of ten years," something that revealed the need to set up the Centre for Responsible Tourism (Observatorio de Turismo Responsable, OTR) and for the city to commit to responsible quality tourism. "The goal of the OTR is to find the real meaning of tourism from the point of view of university knowledge, and aims to promote the responsible management of tourist companies and destinations, thereby contributing to responsible and sustainable development of the tourism sector."

Finally, at the closing ceremony, Sònia Recasens, Deputy Mayor for Economy of Barcelona City Council, stressed that CSR initiatives are "an asset, a tool for competitiveness and an investment in human capital, training and resources" and called on the people involved in tourism in the city to implement it in their companies. "These practices represent the link between tourism and the kind of city that we want and point in the direction of the sustainable tourism model that we are advocating in the economic, social and environmental areas," she added.

More information:
Mónica Alonso Sarto
Communication
HTSI Sant Ignasi-URL
Tel. 932 522 891 | monica.alonso@tsi.url.edu