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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (Spring 2019), 49-57, DOI: 10.18060/22935 

Copyright © 2019 Nichole Hugo & Daniel Plunkett. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuion 4.0 International License. 

 

Events and Tourism Review 
 

Volume 2 

 

No. 1 

 

 

Sustainable Practices in the Bed and Breakfast Industry 
 

Nichole Hugo  

Eastern Illinois University 

 

Daniel Plunkett  

University of Wisconsin La Crosse 

 
  

 

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Recommended Citation 

Hugo, N., & Plunkett, D. (2019). Sustainable Practices in the Bed and Breakfast Industry. 

Events and Tourism Review, 2(1), 49-57. 

 

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Hugo, N., & Plunkett, D. (2019) / Events and Tourism Review, 2(1), 49-57. 50 

 

 
Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (Spring 2019), 49-57, DOI: 10.18060/22935 

Copyright © 2019 Nichole Hugo & Daniel Plunkett. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

Abstract 

 

The trend of moving towards more environmentally friendly and community-based operations 

to showcase corporate social responsibility and improve public image has been found within 

the hotel industry. However, research within the bed and breakfast (B&B) industry on this 

subject is lacking in the U.S., making it unclear if this sector of the lodging industry is aware 

of the implementation of such practices. This study utilized an online questionnaire to 

participants of a Midwest B&B conference in order to better understand what sustainable 

practices their establishments have implemented and the barriers that are keeping them from 

future implementation. 

 

Keywords: Bed and Breakfast; Lodging; Local Food; Environmental Practices; Sustainability 

 

 

Introduction 

 

Studies have found that hotels with certifications associated with sustainability (such as 

ISO 14001 and LEED) earn more revenue than hotels which were not certified (Segarra-Oña, 

Peiró-Signes, & Verma, 2011; Walsman, Verma, & Muthulingam 2014). International 

Organization of Standardization (ISO) 14001 is the 2015 version of standards for environmental 

auditing and performance evaluation, environmental labeling, and life-cycle assessment from 

Geneva Switzerland (Environmental Protection Agency, 2017). Originating in the U.S., the 

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification provides independent 

verification of buildings utilizing sustainable practices and is the most widely used green 

building rating system in the world (U.S. Green Building Council, 2018). There are over 400 

LEED certified hotels around the world, with over 1,600 more hotels in the process of becoming 

certified (Neagle, 2016). 

While this demonstrates a move towards hotels adopting more sustainable principles, it is 

unclear if B&B operators are keeping up with this trend due to limited research on this subject. 

The purpose of this study is to focus on what sustainable practices have been implemented at 

B&B establishments, motivations for sustainable business practices and community 

connectedness, and barriers to implementing sustainable practices.  

 

Literature Review  

 

Very few studies have focused on the B&B industry; those with the B&B focus have 

primarily taken place outside of the U.S. or focused on aspects which were not related to 

sustainability. Previous studies examining connections between B&Bs and sustainable initiatives 

have examined visitor motivations (Chen, Lin, & Kuo, 2013) and motivations or barriers to 

owners implementing sustainable practices. The studies which focused on motivations and 

barriers for B&B business owners to engage in sustainable tourism practices took place in 

Australia (Carlsen, Getz, & Ali-Knight, 2001) and Canada (van Haastert & de Grosbois, 2010; 

Dodds & Holmes, 2011), which limits the scope of the generalizability to B&Bs globally. 

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Hugo, N., & Plunkett, D. (2019) / Events and Tourism Review, 2(1), 49-57. 51 

 

 
Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (Spring 2019), 49-57, DOI: 10.18060/22935 

Copyright © 2019 Nichole Hugo & Daniel Plunkett. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

Overall, barriers to implementing sustainable practices by B&B owners were primarily 

budgetary constraints, followed by a lack of understanding and awareness of sustainable 

practices by owners, poor return on investment, perception that it conflicts with the values of 

customers, lack of access, and human resources (van Haastert & de Grosbois, 2010; Dodds & 

Holmes, 2011).  

Based on these findings it appears that the expectancy-value theory of motivation may be 

driving B&B owners’ decisions to implement sustainable practices. In Vroom’s (1964) 

expectancy model, motivation represents the psychological need to pursue a goal state. 

Expectancy denotes the extent to which one believes an act will be followed by some outcome 

(Feather, 1990). What someone does in a given situation may be based on their expectations and 

the subsequent perceived value of the outcomes (Feather, 1982). In the case of B&B owners, 

their motivation to implement sustainable practices may be linked to their expectations that 

implementing those practice will result in added value to the customers and a return on 

investment.  

Recommendations from outside of the academic literature include an article from the 

Little Hotelier Resource Hub (2018), a website used to provide resources for small property 

owners, outlining the benefits of B&Bs registering for a sustainability label, including 

improvement of brand image and increased profits. This demonstrates the importance of 

communicating information regarding the encouragement of implementing sustainable practices, 

particularly targeting B&B owners, in order to improve economic aspects of business operations.  

A study, which took place in New Zealand, researched the connection between B&Bs 

and local food producers (Nummedal & Hall, 2006). This study focused on B&B owners and 

their perceptions of what customers value in food tourism and how the establishments utilized 

local produce. The results indicated that a majority of the businesses surveyed purchased at least 

half of their food from local producers and they felt it supported local economic linkages and had 

broader regional economic benefits. Issues with buying locally included availability and 

reliability of produce, but that many operators were interested in increasing the amount of food 

they buy locally. 

Research regarding sustainability related to a broader scope of the lodging industry, 

primarily within the hotel sector, found that customers are generally willing to participate in 

sustainability programs, but they are still primarily focused on price and convenience when 

selecting a hotel (Bruns-Smith, Choy, Chong, & Verma, 2015; Ogbeide, 2012; Singh & Ogbeide, 

2018). However, hotels that have implemented green practices have found a positive relationship 

between guests’ satisfaction and the intention to return to the establishment (Berezan, Raab, Yoo, 

& Love, 2013). 

Due to the limited research focusing on sustainability in the B&B industry, this study 

strives to advance the exploration of this area, by demonstrating a need for more research to fill 

the current gap in the literature and by beginning to explore practices currently being 

implemented in Wisconsin.   

Methodology 

An exploratory case study was used to explore the aspects of sustainability within the B&B 

sector by surveying B&B owners and managers attending an industry conference. The survey 

instrument for this study was developed based on questionnaires used from previous studies, 

including academic and practitioner surveys. Questions regarding the importance of food 

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Hugo, N., & Plunkett, D. (2019) / Events and Tourism Review, 2(1), 49-57. 52 

 

 
Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (Spring 2019), 49-57, DOI: 10.18060/22935 

Copyright © 2019 Nichole Hugo & Daniel Plunkett. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

sourcing and the perception of values of customer related to food were adopted from Nummedal 

and Hall’s (2006) study on food tourism in the B&B sector. Questions were also used from a 

study by Dodds and Holmes (2011) regarding the sustainable practices implemented at a B&B. 

The questionnaire was reviewed by an innkeeper and B&B conference organizer to ensure 

questions asked were relevant to the sector. Upon review, it was advised that participants be 

asked about whether or not they were Travel Green certified through the state tourism office 

instead of LEED or Green Globe certified, as participants would be more familiar with this 

sustainability certification program. Travel Green is an organization in Wisconsin that 

encourages tourism businesses to implement environmentally friendly business practices. 

Prospective applicants who wish to become certified through Travel Green must earn a minimum 

of 35 points in nine categories of sustainability, in addition to paying a modest fee. In return, 

Travel Green will promote the business on their website where it categorizes businesses based on 

industry to make it easier for customers to identify tourism businesses that engage in sustainable 

practices.  

Participants of the Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association Conference and Tradeshow 

held in December 2018 were emailed a questionnaire following the conference. Questions were 

asked regarding sustainable practices they implemented at their establishments, motivations for 

implementing these practices, and barriers to implementing practices in the future. 

 

Result and Discussion 

 

Of the 80 conference participants that were asked to take part in the survey, 36 (45%) 

completed the questionnaire. Of the 36, twenty-eight indicated they were a B&B innkeeper. 

Participants ranged in age from 46-86 (M = 60.1, SD = 8.80), were primarily female (70.4%), 

and have been a B&B innkeeper anywhere from one to 32 years (M = 11.63, SD = 9.43). At the 

time of the study 121 B&Bs were listed online in Wisconsin, which shows that a majority of the 

B&B innkeepers in the state were in attendance at the conference to provide their input 

(Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts, 2018). 

Most B&B innkeepers indicated their implementation of recycling (93%), low energy 

light bulbs (93%), and purchasing locally grown produce (93%). These responses were followed 

by using energy efficient appliances (86%), using environmentally friendly products (79%), and 

buying products made from recycled materials (68%). None of the establishments use renewable 

energy sources (see Table 1). 

 

Table 1. Sustainable practices implemented at B&B 

 

Sustainable Practice (n=28) N Percentage 

Recycling 26 93% 

Low energy light bulbs 26 93% 

Purchasing locally grown produce 26 93% 

Energy efficient appliances 24 86% 

Environmentally friendly cleaning products 22 79% 

Buying products made from recycled materials 19 68% 

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Hugo, N., & Plunkett, D. (2019) / Events and Tourism Review, 2(1), 49-57. 53 

 

 
Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (Spring 2019), 49-57, DOI: 10.18060/22935 

Copyright © 2019 Nichole Hugo & Daniel Plunkett. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

Towel/linen reuse policy 16 57% 

Signage to remind customers of sustainable 

practices (turn off lights, reuse towels, etc.) 10 36% 

Low flow water faucets 8 29% 

Dual flow toilets 7 25% 

Rainwater harvesting 4 14% 

Renewable energy sources (such as solar panels) 0 0% 

 

As indicated in Table 2, cost (43%) was the most common reason for B&B innkeepers 

not to implement sustainable practices at their establishment. This was followed by a lack of 

knowledge (21%), lack of choices (18%), and lack of quality (18%). Other reasons for not 

implementing practices included the lack of time (n = 2) and not wanting to disrupt the customer 

experience (n = 2).  

 

Table 2. Preventing the implementation of more sustainable practices at B&B 

 

Sustainable practice prevention (n=26) N Percentage 

Cost 12 43% 

Other 12 43% 

Lack of knowledge 6 21% 

Lack of choices 5 18% 

Lack of quality 5 18% 

 

Participants were asked to rate to what extent they agree (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly 

agree) with sustainability and the implementation of various sustainable practices at their B&B, 

related to both environmentally and societal (community connectedness) sustainability. Table 3 

presents participant responses ranked by mean. 96.2 percent of participants strongly agreed that 

they promote local attractions and facilities to customers. Responses also indicated a consensus 

that implementing practices to protect the environment are a priority. While the majority of 

participants were in agreement that they are implementing sustainable practices related to 

protecting the environment and providing various types of support throughout the local 

community, few indicated openly marketing or communicating those practices to customers.  

While 27% of participants strongly agree that they believe their customers value 

establishments that implement sustainable practices, communication and marketing of these 

practices is lacking. Only 7.7% of participants indicated they strongly agree that information 

about their sustainable practices are clearly conveyed to customers at their establishment, and 

only 3.8% of participants indicated they strongly agree that their sustainable practices are well 

marketed. 

Participants indicated their perceptions regarding how important they thought food-

related factors were to their customers (see Table 4).  Unanimously, 100% of participants 

indicated that the quality of food was very important. Regarding all food-related factors, 84.6% 

of all participants or more indicted each food-related factor was at least somewhat important or 

very important.  

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Hugo, N., & Plunkett, D. (2019) / Events and Tourism Review, 2(1), 49-57. 54 

 

 
Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (Spring 2019), 49-57, DOI: 10.18060/22935 

Copyright © 2019 Nichole Hugo & Daniel Plunkett. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

Table 3. Attitudes and implementation of sustainable practices 

 

Sustainable practices (n=26) Mean 

I promote local attractions and facilities to customers 4.96 

It is important to implement sustainable practice to protect the environment 4.62 

I try to limit the amount of waste produced by my business 4.62 

Our establishment is actively engaged in the community 4.46 

Seasonal food products are primarily bought when they are in season 4.46 

Materials (non-food products) are primarily bought from local vendors 4.23 

Customers value establishments that implement sustainable practices 4.12 

Food products are primarily bought from local vendors 3.62 

I promote the use of public transportation to customers 3.35 

Sustainable practice at our establishment are well marketed 3.12 

Information about our sustainable practices is clearly conveyed to our customers 

at our establishment 
3.12 

 

Table 4. Perceived importance of food-related factors for customers 

 

Food related factors (n=26) Mean 

Quality of food 5.00 

Quality of food service 4.92 

Value for money (stay cost) 4.69 

Offers regional local dishes 4.19 

Food bought from local producers 4.12 

 

Last, and as indicated previously, participants were asked if they were ‘Travel Green’ 

certified by the state tourism office (instead of LEED or Green Global). Of the 26 respondents, 

30.8% said they were Travel Green certified. Reasons for not being certified were mixed (see 

Table 5).  

 

Table 5. Reasons for not being Travel Green certified  

 

Reason Frequency 

Lack of knowledgeable about the program 4 

It is too time-consuming to become certified 5 

It would not provide a strong benefit to my business 5 

Other 5 

 

 

Conclusion and Implications 

 

This study shows that B&B many innkeepers are actively engaged in promoting local 

attractions and facilities to their customers and overall are engaged in their community. Many 

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Hugo, N., & Plunkett, D. (2019) / Events and Tourism Review, 2(1), 49-57. 55 

 

 
Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (Spring 2019), 49-57, DOI: 10.18060/22935 

Copyright © 2019 Nichole Hugo & Daniel Plunkett. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

also believe it is important to implement sustainable practices to protect the environment and 

strive to limit the amount of waste they produce. However, the use of renewable energy sources 

was not among the practices participants had implemented. This could certainly be due to 

perceptions of cost, or knowledge of their options. It could also be related to perceptions of 

customer value. It takes time and resources to implement these changes. Future research could 

look into barriers to adopt renewable energy sources.  

Communication of sustainable practices could also to be improved. Composting is very 

popular among participants, with 73% participating in some form of composting, but most do not 

advertise this information to their customers. This is particularly interesting since only 5.3 

percent of food is reported to be composted in the U.S. (EPA, 2015), indicating that B&B owners 

and managers in Wisconsin who participate in composting practices are well above the national 

average. Participants seemed to indicate that promotion of sustainable practices through efforts 

such as signs around the B&B would degrade the experience their customers desire. Prior 

research on hotels has provided evidence that customers value the implementation of sustainable 

practices, and may even be willing to pay more to stay at a hotel that is marketing their green 

practices (Kang, Stein, Heo, & Lee, 2012), and would be willing to put up with minor 

inconveniences associated with implemented sustainable practices (Kim & Han, 2010). 

However, the findings here suggest B&B customers may not see that same value, or it may not 

be known to innkeepers that this is a desired amenity. Recommendations would be for B&B 

owners to identify community-related sustainable groups that could assist in marketing their 

establishment as being more environmentally friendly or actively engaged in societal 

sustainability and community connectedness. For example, Travel Green is an organization that 

assists tourism businesses in Wisconsin by promoting businesses that become certified. 

However, this type of organization is not isolated to just helping B&Bs and could be a tool 

utilized by multiple types of tourism businesses. The organization of resources by country or 

state available to assist B&Bs, as well as similar tourism businesses, would make it easier for the 

industry to find information and promote their sustainable practices. Future research should also 

look into the extent that B&B customers value sustainable practices while traveling. Would they 

give greater consideration to a B&B that markets the use of sustainable practices?  

The participants unanimously agreed that food quality is important to customers, but that 

they place less importance on regional dishes and locally purchased food. There is fairly strong 

support for using locally produced food and willingness to increase the use of it. They see value 

beyond just supporting the producer, but may need to know more on the customer end. Overall 

they think customers like locally produced food, but it is not seen as their top priority. 

It seems like B&B innkeepers definitely see the value of sustainable practices along with their 

hotel counterparts. From a management perspective, it appears that there is a willingness to ‘do 

more’ to be more sustainable. Nevertheless, like hotels and other hospitality and tourism sectors, 

it’s a customer-driven business. B&B innkeepers might need to see more interest from 

consumers before making too many additional changes. The focus of the participants was on the 

overall experience of the customer and what best serves them. Further research on the customer 

end might help innkeepers see the customer-driven value they are looking for if it exists. 

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Hugo, N., & Plunkett, D. (2019) / Events and Tourism Review, 2(1), 49-57. 56 

 

 
Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (Spring 2019), 49-57, DOI: 10.18060/22935 

Copyright © 2019 Nichole Hugo & Daniel Plunkett. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 2 No. 1 (Spring 2019), 49-57, DOI: 10.18060/22935 

Copyright © 2019 Nichole Hugo & Daniel Plunkett. 

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

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