Kimpton Hotels:
Balancing Strategy and Environmental Sustainability
Author(s): Murray Silverman, Tom Thomas
Institution: San Francisco State University, USA
Competition Year: 2006
Place: 3rd place
Key words: Hotel, Boutique hotels, Environmental responsibility, Eco-champions
Courses: Environmental Management, Business and Society, Strategic Management
Case Abstract
Michael Pace faced a dilemma. He was Kimpton Hotels' West Coast Director of Operations and Environmental Programs, General Manager of its Villa Florence Hotel in San Francisco, and the main catalyst for implementing its "EarthCare" program nationally. He was determined to help the boutique hotel chain "walk the talk" regarding its commitment to environmental responsibility, but he also had agreed not to introduce any new products or processes that would be more expensive than those they replaced. Now that the first phase of the program had been implemented nationwide, he and the company's team of "eco-champions" were facing some difficult challenges with the rollout of the second, more ambitious, phase.
Case Purchase Information
Please contact Murray Silverman and Tom Thomas for permission rights. This case is also part of the oikos Case Collection book (Volume 1): Case Studies in Sustainability Management and Strategy published by Greenleaf.