Author ORCID Identifier
Cindy Heo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0038-306X
Jaehyun Park https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2829-2781
Executive Summary
Sustainability is now widely embedded in hotel strategies, but it is often assessed through what hotels communicate rather than what guests actually experience. This study examines that disconnect by drawing on Argyris and Schön’s distinction between espoused theory and theory-in-use, combined with a service design perspective. Using document analysis alongside in-situ observations at the front desk and in guest rooms, the study looks at how sustainability appears across service touchpoints and whether it is likely to be noticed and understood by guests. The findings suggest that many initiatives are operationally in place but remain largely out of sight during the service experience. Environmental practices tend to be more visible, while economic and social dimensions are far less apparent. Overall, the results indicate that sustainability needs to be designed into the guest experience, not only embedded in operations, if it is to support differentiation and create meaningful value
Recommended Citation
Heo, Cindy Yoonjoung; Park, Jaehyun; Yang, Sanqi; Ni, Chen; Tang, Lei; Yu, Lei; Rogenhofer, Julneth; and Assen, Geraldine
(2026)
"Exploring Hotel Sustainability Through a Service Design Lens: An Espoused Theory vs. Theory-in-Use Perspective,"
ICHRIE Research Reports: Vol. 11:
Iss.
3, Article 4.
DOI: www.doi.org/10.61701/627331.851
Available at:
https://via.library.depaul.edu/ichrie_rr/vol11/iss3/4
