Industry 4.0 applications towards sustainability in hospitality: First waves in the guest room

Digitalization is positioned as an important element for the future of hospitality related services, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (Gursoy & Chi, 2020; Shin & Kang, 2020). Historically, digitalization focused on amplifying returns by increasing revenue and operational efficiency. The hospitality industry utilizes resources intensely to function well; and when used properly, technological improvements can optimize the development of a sustainable business model. This manuscript explores the role of recent innovations in digitalization, such as Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) in enabling environmental sustainability in hotels. These innovations become transparent when a substantial portion of resource utilization is being consumed (Yu-Lun et al., 2019).