Development of a Model for the Application of the Circular Economy in Hotels and Restaurants Through the ‘Customer Journey Map’

This chapter explores the different activities associated with the use of food and hotel services—represented as the contact points of a customer journey map—to establish what type of circular practices could implement the stakeholders throughout the process—specifically, those that lead to more circular business models that integrate the seven Rs (redesign, reduce, reuse, renovate/repair, re-store/remanufacture, recover/return, and recycle) to achieve more efficient and sustainable performance. From the booking process to the evaluation of customer satisfaction, the interactions of hotels or restaurants with suppliers from different economic sectors determine a variety of activities in their value chain that create synergies, improve circularity and add value to the tourism sector through the implementation of sustainable practices or the acquisition of sustainable products and services. Based on the literature, reports and lessons learned in the sector through specific focus groups previously conducted by the research team, the proposed model can help hotel and restaurant managers to take steps towards the circular economy.