Sustainability Practices at Hotels and BnB Establishments …
335
(Tao and Wall 2009) has not yet been agreed upon, even though the concept itself is
well known (Garrod and Fyall 1998). The maximisation of benefits of tourism has
also limits. It is not possible to increase tourism exponentially since there is a limit in
terms of carrying capacity. Tourism should be kept at a level that allows both social
and environmental sustainability rather than merely economic sustainability with
maximisation of profit (Swarbrooke 2002). In the past decades, a new wave of tourism
research has emerged that calls for the co-creation of sustainable values and solutions
through the direct engagement of local stakeholders and communities (Richards and
Hall 2000; Li and Hunter 2015). Within this perspective, Bed and Breakfast (BnB)
and hotel accommodations are interesting research platforms that can potentially
lead to an improved understanding of the sharing economy accommodation sector,
and its impact on the environment and society in particular. The BnB phenomenon
has seen a global increase over the past forty years, also thanks to technological
advancements such as the internet and the rise of major room rental companies
within the shared economy. It has literally exploded in Gotland in the last five years,
particularly through the online platforms.
Research shows that there is a genuine willingness among BnB organizers to offer
sustainable accommodations within the BnB industry (Oxenswärdh 2016, 2017).
Many of the hosts can be defined as part-time life-stylers, that is, small entrepreneurs
who often have a clear orientation towards non-economic motives. Their services,
solutions, products, and world views can be seen as a venue for the creation of values
of sustainability (Griggio and Oxenswärdh 2018). However, this informal sector of
housing recruitment is growing, which means that a large proportion of providers
are outside municipal supervision but also support. Hotel business has also been
expanding on the island of Gotland due to increasing number of visitors over the
past decade. Hotel’s sustainability work, on the other hand and in general in Sweden, is controlled by authorities and owners. Laws and directives regulate the work
towards sustainability at the hotels. But how do the hotels and BnB establishments
work and manage to implement sustainability issues in practice? This study aims
to investigate BnB establishments and hotels and their daily, practical work towards
sustainability in Sweden, on the island of Gotland. This exploratory study discusses
how BnB entrepreneurs and hotel managers on the island of Gotland reflect on issues
of sustainability, what kind of solutions they implement in their establishments, and
what the potential policy impacts could be. This study focusses on two distinct parts:
(1) owners’ and managers’ motivations and choices for sustainable practices at their
accommodations, and (2) the factors that hinders to realize their sustainability goals.
2 Theoretical Background
The concept of shared economy has become popular since the publication of Botsman and Rogers’ book (2010) on collaborative consumption or economy (a term
first coined by Felson and Spaeth in 1978) and has entered public discourse between
2011 and 2012 following the global success of Uber and Airbnb (Martin 2016).
335
(Tao and Wall 2009) has not yet been agreed upon, even though the concept itself is
well known (Garrod and Fyall 1998). The maximisation of benefits of tourism has
also limits. It is not possible to increase tourism exponentially since there is a limit in
terms of carrying capacity. Tourism should be kept at a level that allows both social
and environmental sustainability rather than merely economic sustainability with
maximisation of profit (Swarbrooke 2002). In the past decades, a new wave of tourism
research has emerged that calls for the co-creation of sustainable values and solutions
through the direct engagement of local stakeholders and communities (Richards and
Hall 2000; Li and Hunter 2015). Within this perspective, Bed and Breakfast (BnB)
and hotel accommodations are interesting research platforms that can potentially
lead to an improved understanding of the sharing economy accommodation sector,
and its impact on the environment and society in particular. The BnB phenomenon
has seen a global increase over the past forty years, also thanks to technological
advancements such as the internet and the rise of major room rental companies
within the shared economy. It has literally exploded in Gotland in the last five years,
particularly through the online platforms.
Research shows that there is a genuine willingness among BnB organizers to offer
sustainable accommodations within the BnB industry (Oxenswärdh 2016, 2017).
Many of the hosts can be defined as part-time life-stylers, that is, small entrepreneurs
who often have a clear orientation towards non-economic motives. Their services,
solutions, products, and world views can be seen as a venue for the creation of values
of sustainability (Griggio and Oxenswärdh 2018). However, this informal sector of
housing recruitment is growing, which means that a large proportion of providers
are outside municipal supervision but also support. Hotel business has also been
expanding on the island of Gotland due to increasing number of visitors over the
past decade. Hotel’s sustainability work, on the other hand and in general in Sweden, is controlled by authorities and owners. Laws and directives regulate the work
towards sustainability at the hotels. But how do the hotels and BnB establishments
work and manage to implement sustainability issues in practice? This study aims
to investigate BnB establishments and hotels and their daily, practical work towards
sustainability in Sweden, on the island of Gotland. This exploratory study discusses
how BnB entrepreneurs and hotel managers on the island of Gotland reflect on issues
of sustainability, what kind of solutions they implement in their establishments, and
what the potential policy impacts could be. This study focusses on two distinct parts:
(1) owners’ and managers’ motivations and choices for sustainable practices at their
accommodations, and (2) the factors that hinders to realize their sustainability goals.
2 Theoretical Background
The concept of shared economy has become popular since the publication of Botsman and Rogers’ book (2010) on collaborative consumption or economy (a term
first coined by Felson and Spaeth in 1978) and has entered public discourse between
2011 and 2012 following the global success of Uber and Airbnb (Martin 2016).