Use of different sustainability management systems in the hospitality industry. The case of Spanish hotels

The focus of this study is to analyze the existence of Management Systems in the hospitality industry in Spain. This will be undertaken from the point of view of the organizational context – especially as far as environmental management is concerned – considering also its scope, implementation sequence and possible integration of different MSs. In order to study the aforementioned aspects, information from 294 hotels was used. The findings reveal differences with regard to previous research regarding other geographical areas and industries for adoption patterns and for integration of the management systems. Thus, this study contributes to a better understanding of the specific needs of the hotel industry for hotel management, consultancy firms, auditing firms and policy makers.