Biophilic design for urban hotels – prospective hospitality employees’ perspectives

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate a holistic way of incorporating biophilic building design that creates a restorative environment attractive to prospective urban hotel employees. This study additionally examines the role of perceived well-being from nature attributes and associated impacts on emotions and likelihood to choose to work for a hotel with nature attributes. Design/methodology/approach This study used a conjoint analysis to detect the most resotrative individual and combinations of biophilic attributes that can improve employee well-being. In addition, nature attributes influence on emotions and intentions to work for a hotel were analyzed. Findings Results showed that not all nature attributes are equally evaluated by urban hotel prospective employees. In this study, the authors found that natural lighting, outdoor green views and indoor landscaping are important factors in the evaluation of an urban hotel with biophilic features. However, this tendency varies when the sample was divided by prospective employees’ who perceived higher or lower levels of well-being would be influenced by nature attributes. Originality/value Unlike previous studies, the authors tested a multiattribute design and results demonstrate the perceived restorative effect of nature attributes in an environment on prospective employees. In addition to extending the biophilic design in hospitality literature, the authors provide practical suggestions to urban hotels incorporating biophilic design and propose that specific elements have the propensity to enhance the well-being of prospective employees and reinforce positive emotions and intentions to work for urban hotels that incorporate them.

Connecting nature with luxury service

“…To achieve this purpose, a three‐condition (biophilic design: nonbiophilic vs. weak vs. strong; coded as 0, 1, and 2 respectively) between‐subjects experimental study was executed in the existing restaurant environment. In terms of developing biophilic design stimuli, this study accepted the previous literature's criticism that manipulation of one biophilic attribute (e.g., wooden wall) is not a realistic reflection on current management practices (Guzzo et al, 2022), thus, developing the overall biophilic ambience was an important step in developing stimuli. To this end, the degree of the biophilic design was manipulated by altering the levels of indoor landscaping (e.g., floor‐to‐ceiling windows), greenery, and interior design materials (e.g., clay vase, wooden wall).…”

“…In biophilic design literature, psychoevolutionary theory suggests the possibility of green attributes' adverse effects; that is, green attributes like trees and grass can trigger protection mechanisms, as people can detect danger from nature (e.g., insects, mold, etc.) as well as beneficial outcomes (Guzzo et al, 2022). Similarly, the sensory literature has found that excessive exposure to sensory stimuli can elicit negative responses, resulting in an inverted U‐shaped relationship between sensory stimuli and consumers' reactions (Jang et al, 2018).…”

“…In response to the pressing need to bridge environmental sustainability and well‐being (Helne & Hirvilammi, 2015), a growing number of practitioners (e.g., Kimpton hotels) and researchers are paying increasing attention to the importance of biophilic design (Guzzo et al, 2022; Rosenbaum et al, 2018). Biophilia refers to individuals' affinity for natural elements, systems, and processes (S. Kellert, 2013).…”

“…Biophilia refers to individuals' affinity for natural elements, systems, and processes (S. Kellert, 2013). Biophilic design is a concept that actively fulfills the human desire for nature elements (e.g., floor‐to‐ceiling light, greenery; Guzzo et al, 2022) through a building design. As a design philosophy, biophilic design has holistic concerns for the building ecosystem and sustainability (e.g., air quality, temperature control, lighting) along with users' well‐being (Madison, 2020).…”

Guest editorial: The past, present and future of hospitality research

“…In the next paper titled “Biophilic design for urban hotels – Prospective hospitality employees’ perspectives,” Guzzo et al (2022) investigated the best and most holistic way of facilitating biophilic building design for prospective urban hotel employees. The study also examined the role of perceived well-being from nature attributes and how it influences employee emotions and willingness to work for a hotel with nature attributes.…”