THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND FINANCIAL CONCERNS IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING A GREEN HOTEL

A green hotel is defined as an environmentally friendly hotel that strives to minimize its harmful impact on the environment, consciously consumes resources, and exhibits environmental sensitivity. This study, conducted on hotel businesses that have received the "Green Key" award, one of the certificates with an eco-friendly identity, aims to determine whether environmental concerns or financial concerns are more dominant in the process of becoming a green hotel. The research population consists of 148 hotel businesses that received the "Green Key Award" in 2023, as announced by the Turkish Foundation for Environmental Education (TÜRÇEV). The sample of the study consists of 9 businesses selected using the interview method, one of the qualitative methods. According to the research results, hotels have embarked on the process of becoming green hotels to raise awareness, be environmentally conscious businesses, but also to gain a competitive advantage, achieve a positive image, and attract more customers. Green practices were mainly observed in the kitchen, restaurant, housekeeping, and transportation. Although hotels view the process of becoming a green hotel as costly in the short term, they stated that it provides significant energy and resource savings in the long term. Additionally, they noted that government incentives, discounts, and credit opportunities are insufficient, that some hotels engage in non-environmental behaviors while appearing to be environmentally friendly, that tourists can discern which hotels are genuinely eco-friendly, and that more hotels will be forced to become green hotels in the future. While being a green hotel is a feature that provides a privilege and competitive advantage today, it is thought that in the future, it will be an expected, standard feature.