A model to explore circular economy activities in hotels and restaurants

Abstract

This work explores the different frontline and offline activities during the use of hotels and restaurants -represented as the touchpoints of a customer journey- to establish what circular actions could be implemented by stakeholders throughout the process, which lead to more circular business models that integrates the seven R’s (redesign, reduce, reuse, reneovate/repair,refurbish/remanufacture, recover/return and recycle) to achieve more efficient and sustainable performance. From the reservation step to the customer satisfaction evaluation, the interactions of hotels or restaurants with suppliers from many different economic sectors determine a variety of activities in their value chain that creates synergies, enhance circularity and add value to the tourism sector through the implementation of sustainable practices or the acquisition of sustainable products and services. Based on the literature, reports and lessons learned in the sector through specific Focus Groups previously carried for the research team, the proposed model can help hotels and restaurants decision-makers to take steps toward circular economy.