INTEGRATING MORAL SUSTAINABILITY INTO HOTEL MANAGEMENT: A PATHWAY TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH LAUDATO SI

Sustainability in the hotel industry extends far beyond regulatory compliance or operational efficiency (Robina-Ramírez et al., 2022); it represents a profound moral and strategic commitment rooted in human dignity and the ethical responsibility to protect Creation (Robina-Ramírez et al., 2025). Drawing from the Social Doctrine of the Church (SDC) and particularly the encyclical Laudato Si’ (Francis, 2015). This study proposes an integrative model that reframes sustainability not as a marketing tool or competitive strategy, but as a vocation grounded in moral values (Thomas Massaro, 2023; Turkson, 2021). From Rerum Novarum (1891) to Querida Amazonia (2020), the SDC emphasizes the interdependence of human flourishing, social justice, and environmental stewardship (John Paul II, 1991; Benedict XVI, 2009). When these principles are applied to the hospitality sector, they indicate that hotels—places of interaction and service—can serve as dynamic examples of ethical responsibility and integral ecology (Christie et al., 2019; Robina-Ramírez et al., 2025a). Despite advancements, conventional frameworks examine sustainability primarily through economic perspectives, emphasizing cost efficiency and competitive advantage (Voland et al., 2022). These approaches may inadvertently diminish sustainability to mere branding tactics or superficial “green veneers.” (Crittenden et al., 2011; Han et al., 2020). A Laudato Si’-inspired perspective, in contrast, unites environmental, social, and spiritual dimensions into a single moral vision, inviting managers to treat sustainability as a vocation toward the common good (Bontorin, 2021; Felber, 2023). The concept of the common good emphasizes the importance of collective welfare, directing hotels to adopt fair labour practices, ethical sourcing, and active community involvement (Agu et al., 2024; Rousseau, 2017). Integral ecology, a fundamental aspect of Laudato Si’, links environmental stewardship with social justice and moral responsibility, urging hotels to address concealed costs and unsustainable labour practices. (Khalil et al., 2024; Edgell, 2019). The SDC provides an ethical compass for hotel management, synthesizing moral theology and managerial practice. Such a synthesis illustrates that the moral imperatives of stewardship, solidarity, and transparency are enablers of long-term competitiveness and trust (Agag & Colmekcioglu, 2020). This study presents a moral sustainability model inspired by Catholic Social Teaching (CST), integrating stewardship, solidarity, and integral ecology into daily hotel operations. It stives to transcend superficial sustainability, fostering a valuecentred hospitality culture where profit and purpose coexist harmoniously.

READ MORE HERE