Challenges to integrating digital technologies into corporate digital responsibility activities: insights from hotel managers’ perspectives

Purpose While corporate digital responsibility (CDR) is gaining attention with digital growth, research on its challenges in hospitality is scarce. To address this gap, this study aims to explore the challenges of integrating digital technologies into CDR practices within the hospitality industry from the perspective of hotel managers. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a qualitative design, conducting semi-structured interviews with 16 hotel managers in Turkiye. Thematic analysis is conducted using NVivo 15.2 to examine the perceived challenges and organizational dynamics that may affect the future adoption of technology-based CDR initiatives in hotel settings. Findings The findings reveal that hotel managers face various challenges in implementing CDR initiatives, including social (e.g. lack of awareness and resistance to change), environmental (e.g. digital waste and high energy use), technological (e.g. low digital literacy and infrastructure gaps) and economic (e.g. high investment costs and limited support) barriers. Originality/value This study pioneers a qualitative investigation of challenges in integrating digital technologies into CDR, addressing a significant research gap and proposing a theoretical framework for future testing.