GUEST PERSPECTIVE ON SUSTAINABLE ACTIONS IN A LODGING FACILITY IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL. CASE STUDY.

Resumo

The aim of this study was to analyze the perspective of guests in a lodging facility related to the environmental aspects of the activity, especially about solid waste, and also to determine how far these aspects influence the decision making regarding the choice of hotel.The case study was conducted in a hotel focused on business tourism, located in Pelotas, southern Brazil. Questionnaires were available for guests at check-in, offering the option to participate in the research. Out of 240 questionnaires handed, 120 returned answered (n=96). Although the majority of guests who answered (99.2%) consider the development of environmental practices in this business relevant, only 43.3% observe this factor and make it determinative to choose a lodging facility. Furthermore, a large portion (14.2%) did not know about sustainability actions practiced by the enterprise in which they were staying. A lack of knowledge about solid waste and its handling by most guests was observed, and this may be related to the absence of publicity both about environmental actions taken by the hotel and the Brazilian environmental legislation applied to the lodging industry.