SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES ADOPTED IN HOTELS BUILT FOR THE RIO 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES

ABSTRACT:

The aim of this article is to analyze the sustainability practices adopted in hotels or built refurbished to cater for the demand during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The methodological procedures involved qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research, based on a multiple case study of six cases: three surveys with hotels constructed or refurbished for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and three surveys with the companies that carried out the building works on those hotels. The data collection technique involved the use of semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that sustainability was partially integrated with the business strategy in most of the projects studied, but that a systematic approach to sustainability is lacking. In general, the central focus of the hotels is on the development of commercial performance, to the detriment of some fragmented socioenvironmental sustainability initiatives implemented in hotel businesses. This study prompts discussion on the importance of sustainability in the context of tourism, and aims to fill a research gap related to sustainability, hotels and civil construction, within the scope of sports mega events, in view of the importance of the theme in the context of future Olympic Games and host destinations.

KEYWORDS:
Hospitality; Rio 2016 Olympic Games; Sustainability