Efficient Sustainability Benchmarking in Hotel Water Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review (SLR)

Abstract

Current legislative regulations require the European hotel industry to establish intensity metrics and benchmarking systems to track their ecological footprint for non-financial reporting purposes. Water-related issues are especially prevalent in the environmentally re source-intensive hotel industry. Understanding and optimizing resource consumption is essential for improving sustainability and operational efficiency. The aim of this research is to illustrate current benchmarking practices, develop intensity metrics, and compare audit results. The conducted systematic literature review, based on around 40 keywords related to the topic, screened 928 peer-reviewed papers from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. 48 key papers were identified and analyzed in detail using distinct exclusion criteria and in-depth content analysis as a methodological approach. With a rising number of articles within the last ten years, findings reveal growing concern about water sustainability matters and its monitoring efforts. The dominant intensity metric is water withdrawal divided by the number of guests (water use per guest night, WUPGN). Furthermore, metrics related to floor area (water use intensity, WUI) must also be incorporated to accurately reflect the hotel industry's unique characteristics and facilitate benchmarking. Other input metrics, such as grey water, recycled water, or embodied water use, are commonly ignored and, therefore, unassessed in scientific benchmarking audits. An analysis of water audit results reveals a weighted average WUPGN of 419 liters across 1,667 hotels. Findings further indicate that water consumption is significantly influenced by hotel characteristics such as size, operating type, and number of services. In contrast to previous research, the findings of this study suggest that the quality level does not significantly impact water use. Additionally, the degree of outsourcing must be distinguished when performing water consumption benchmarking in the hotel industry. In a global context, location and climate normalization are crucial further determinants. Further research is needed to create a regulatory-compliant reporting matrix defining and auditing input factors supplementary to water withdrawal. Furthermore, benchmarking audits in under researched regions such as Central Europe may increase global comparability and help find further water-saving opportunities.