Factors Influencing the Adoption of Sustainable Design Strategies (SDS) in Large-Sized Hotels in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Hotels are increasingly embracing practices that promote environmental sustainability especially in the areas of energy efficiency, water use and waste management. Nevertheless, the hotel industry is still confronted with excessive generation of waste and high utilization of resources such as water and energy which contribute substantially to carbon emissions with detrimental effects on environmental sustainability. In order to minimize the negative environmental impacts of hotels, it has been underscored that hotels need to adopt sustainable strategies across the entire hotel value chain, especially at the design stage for energy reduction, water conservation, and waste minimisation. Extant literature indicate that adoption of sustainable design strategies (SDS) is not yet widespread in the Nigerian hotel context. Anecdotal information suggests that low adoption of SDS in hotels is associated with a number of factors. These factors have not been studied on a comprehensive basis in the study context.

Objectives: Hence, this study investigated the factors that influence the adoption of sustainable strategies at the design stage of hotels in the study context. Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria with a preponderance of hotels is the study area. Prior to the investigation, the main factors in the literature were identified.

Methods: A survey research design was adopted for the study. The quantitative data were gathered from 130 hotel managers and 56 architectural design professionals through a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire is based on thirteen factors of adoption identified in the literature, The data were analysed using descriptive statistics.

Results: The study revealed that costs associated with adoption of sustainable design strategies, level of and enforcement of government policies, level of environmental knowledge for hotel managers, availability of adequate and right information, level of technical know-how and general level of stakeholders awareness are the critical factors that influence the adoption of sustainable design strategies in hotels within the study area.  .

Conclusions:  The implications of the findings for design professionals, hotel managers, government, and other stakeholders in the built environment were examined. In all, a multi faceted approach hinged on effective acquisition and dissemination of knowledge and information, acquisition of requisite skills and critical evaluation of cost implications are critical to the adoption of sustainable strategies in hotels.