Business sustainability through environmental and operational management in five-star hotels in Amman, Jorda

Tourism is one of Jordan's major sources of foreign currency. Jordan attracts tourists from all around the world due to its political stability, religious toleration, high quality of life, better healthcare and education compared with surrounding areas. The exquisite cuisine, friendly and welcoming people, together with a reasonably liberal social and economic environment also enhance its destination image. In Jordan, the hospitality and tourism (H&T) industry makes a substantial contribution to the Jordanian economy.;The purpose of this research is to investigate sustainable environmental performance in five-star hotels in Amman, Jordan. The study involved respondents from all 13 five star hotels in Amman, Jordan. The respondents were managers, senior executives, supervisors, and employees from five different operational departments including Maintenance and Security (MS), Food and Beverage (F&B), Kitchens (K), Purchasing (P) and Housekeeping (H). A total of 65 surveys and 13 interviews were conducted for the purpose of this study. The primary objective of the study is to determine the impact of business and operational practices of five-star hotels in Amman, on Environmental and Operational Sustainability. Moreover, there is some suggestion by scholars that Maintenance and Security and Purchasing are support departments because they are non-revenue producing. In the context of this study however, Maintenance and Security and Purchasing were defined as operational core (Primary) business units integral to environmental and operational sustainability as their contributions to operational roles in the business were vital for the enterprise to succeed.;The findings from empirical and qualitative data showed that all five-stars hotels applied different sustainable practices in their daily operations to achieve sustainable environmental performance. Most of the respondents from the five-operational departments acknowledged that proper use of water and energy saving were the most common and preferred choice when they were asked about sustainability in the hotel. Seventy-seven (77%) of the MS participants, 62% of the F&B participants believed that sustainability means proper use of water and energy.;Findings of this study show that water saving in the hotel industry can be achieved through applying different ways such as using the dual-flush system for toilets and using water saving shower heads. Also, technology can play a significant role in water recycling using recycling units or desalination plants. Jordanian hotels have already applied many techniques to save water according to the respondents from different operational departments such as using water catchment techniques to secure hotel water use, applying water efficient tools and educating employees and customers of the importance of water conservation. Water scarcity has become a greater challenge over the last two decades for Jordan as the population has doubled and climate change has made rainfall more uncertain and variable. Water supply has been highlighted by respondents as a major problem especially in the hotel industry because hotels consumed large amounts of water and energy. Respondents expressed their fears and uncertainty about water shortage in Jordan and how that affects travel and hotels.;The research findings provide recommendations to the hotels in Amman to enhance sustainable environmental and operational practices. These recommendations include recommendations to policy makers to establish connection with the industry and enhance their policies and regulations. The study also provides recommendations for the hospitality industry in Jordan to enhance the environmental sustainability performance and attain the benefits that result from implementing environmental performance. A set of recommendations are also provided for future researches which include implementing the study on a bigger sample to include four and three stars hotels in different cities in Jordan. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).