Luxury meets Responsibility evaluating online sustainability communication in Matild Palace Budapest
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| Dokumentumtípus: | Diplomadolgozat |
| Kulcsszavak: | hospitality luxury hotels Marriott International online communication responsibility sustainable development |
| Online Access: | http://dolgozattar.uni-bge.hu/60164 |
| Kivonat: | As sustainability increasingly becomes a central pillar in the global hospitality industry, luxury hotels are under rising pressure to communicate their environmental and social responsibility efforts transparently and effectively. This thesis investigates how luxury hospitality brands—specifically Marriott International’s The Luxury Collection—present sustainability initiatives through digital platforms, using the Matild Palace in Budapest as a case study. The research explores how internal and external online communication strategies shape stakeholder perception, influence guest behavior, and align with global sustainability benchmarks.The objective of the study is to assess the strengths and weaknesses in current sustainability communication at Matild Palace and propose improvements based on global best practices. This includes evaluating how well the hotel engages its internal stakeholders-associates and staff-through platforms such as Marriott’s MESH and DLZ, and how it communicates externally to guests via its website, social media, and brand messaging. The study also benchmarks these practices against leading sustainable luxury brands, namely Six Senses and Aman Resorts, known for their transparent, interactive, and visually compelling communication methods.The research adopts a qualitative methodology. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with key stakeholders at Matild Palace-including a returning guest, the duty manager, a digital marketing executive, and a purchasing manager-on February 17, 2025. These interviews were supplemented with a literature review, website content analysis, and comparative benchmarking of Marriott’s digital sustainability strategies against best-in-class examples.Findings indicate that although Marriott International demonstrates strong sustainability commitment at the corporate level via the Serve 360 platform, individual properties like Matild Palace often lack visibility and interactivity in communicating these efforts online. Interview responses revealed limited staff awareness of sustainability strategies and a lack of digital storytelling tools to inform and involve guests. In contrast, brands like Six Senses engage stakeholders through rich visual content, third-party certifications, and user-generated storytelling that foster trust and loyalty.The thesis concludes with actionable recommendations tailored to The Luxury Collection, such as creating a dedicated sustainability section on the hotel’s website, integrating storytelling and guest engagement features, and using analytics and feedback tools to optimize communication. These strategies aim to align digital sustainability messaging with modern consumer values and industry leadership. Additionally, this study highlights the need for luxury hotels to treat sustainability not just as an operational goal but as a brand-defining narrative, communicated clearly and credibly across all digital touchpoints. |
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