Purpose While there has been global progress in integrating circular economy (CE) principles into the hotel industry, there is a notable disparity between hotels in developed and developing nations regarding transitioning toward circular practices. This paper aims to explore the extent to which the hotel industry in the developing world has embraced circular practices and to devise a human-centric strategy for their successful transformation toward circular hospitality. Design/methodology/approach The service-oriented nature of the hospitality industry makes the adoption of CE principles highly context-sensitive and notably more complex. This complexity requires the use of nuanced data to fully understand the factors that are not easily quantifiable. The authors, therefore, used a qualitative phenomenological approach to observe and interview key decision-makers and technical professionals within the hotel industry. They possess prior knowledge of sustainability and green initiatives, although they do not necessarily have professional experience in the CE. They also provided data and insights, enriching the discussion and ensuring the achievement of a balanced and inclusive outcome. Findings This study found a multitude of good practices in hotels that have strategically ingrained CE practices into their operations. However, the authors also identified some challenges, such as supplier limitations, short product lifespans and tensions among CE practices, which continue to hinder the full implementation of CE. The empirical results suggest that transformative hospitality requires a human-centric approach to integrating CE practices into the hotel industry, which can be achieved by emphasizing the empowerment of hotel management, staff and guests. Practical implications This research offers insights for hoteliers and stakeholders in the hospitality industry to innovate and advance CE practices within the industry. In particular, the human-centric CE framework can be used by hoteliers to build a balanced ecosystem that meets environmental objectives while simultaneously maintaining high standards of guest comfort and satisfaction. Originality/value This research contributes to the CE theory in hospitality by reframing the CE hospitality attributes – acts of service, hospitable participation, heterogeneity and perishability – that embody sustainability and pro-environmental initiatives. The authors propose the human-centric CE framework that encapsulates human-centric CE strategies and people-driven actions. The framework advances CE research in hospitality by aligning behavioral, cognitive and emotional dimensions of human agency with CE values, emphasizing the intertwining of internal motivations and emotional engagement.
Gaffar et al. (Fri,) studied this question.