Seventeenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

There are 47,000 hotels in the US, spending annually $2,196 per room on energy cost. That is about $6 per hotel room per night. This represents around 6 percent of operating costs for hotels (EnergyStar 2020). Studies summarized that occupants’ behavior has major energy consumption of hotel buildings. In the past decade, there is little or no research studies analyzing behavioral phenomena in hotel buildings energy consumption. Existing research studies are either limited to offices and residential buildings, or lack of analysis showing occupants’ impact on hotel buildings energy consumption. To address this research gap, this study aims to find the effect of occupants’ behavior on reducing energy consumption in hotels. To achieve this, the study investigates energy reduction interventions on occupants’ behavior to reduce energy consumption in hotels. Furthermore, the study analyzes and synthesizes most effective interventions on hotel guests’ energy consumption, and provides suggestions for decision makers (i.e., hotel owners, managers, and guests) with reducing energy consumption strategies in hotels without compromising hotel guests’ comfort. The findings of this study will help: (i) reduce hotel buildings’ energy consumption; (ii) reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions; (iii) increase hotel owners’ profitability; and (iv) improve comfort level of hotel guests.