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Article

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hospitality Industry

by
David Daniel Peña-Miranda
1,*,
Antoni Serra-Cantallops
2 and
José Ramón-Cardona
3
1
Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta 470004, Colombia
2
Department of Business Economics, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain
3
Department of Marketing and Communications, International University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2026, 18(8), 4091; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084091
Submission received: 24 February 2026 / Revised: 12 April 2026 / Accepted: 17 April 2026 / Published: 20 April 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development in Urban and Rural Tourism)
Versions Notes

Abstract

A holistic approach that prioritizes economic success and sustainable practices through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is crucial for the long-term sustainability of organizations, including the tourism and hospitality industry, and the first step is CSR knowledge. The aim of this study is to identify the key factors influencing the level of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) knowledge in the hospitality industry, as a practical tool for the sustainability of the territories. For this purpose, the research was conducted using a quantitative methodological approach by applying a CSR questionnaire to hotel managers from a sample of 222 hotels in the Colombian Caribbean. Multivariate statistical techniques were applied, specifically Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR). The Principal Component Analysis determined two dependent variables (Basic CSR Knowledge and Advanced CSR Knowledge) and subsequently a Multiple Linear Regression was applied to each one, determining which independent variables (treated as dummy variables) have significant effects. The results have led to the conclusion that the CSR knowledge of the hotel sector in the Colombian Caribbean is positively influenced by hotel-related factors—such as age, management contract type, financial performance, and investment in innovation—as well as by managers’ gender and educational attainment. These results have important implications for the hotel sector and academia. Future research should consider more stakeholders and other geographical areas.

1. Introduction

Nowadays, companies have focused their interest on carrying out activities that benefit both firms and society [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9] to contribute to the sustainability of the territories; at the business level, according to Ibarnia et al. [10], one of the most prolific trends in the analysis of sustainability links it to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In this sense, CSR has a rich and varied history [11], evidenced by the multiple definitions proposed over time by different sectors of society, including academia [12]. However, despite the growing attention for CSR within general economic sectors, including the tourism and hospitality industry [13,14,15,16,17,18], sectorial CSR studies focusing on the tourism and hospitality sector are relatively scarce compared to other topics [19,20].
CSR has become an increasingly important topic in hospitality and tourism research over the past two decades [19,20]. The growing environmental and social impacts associated with tourism development have encouraged hotel companies to integrate responsible practices into their business strategies. In this context, CSR initiatives in the hospitality sector frequently involve environmental management practices, community engagement activities, ethical labor policies, and sustainable supply chain management [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. But much of the research that has been conducted has been directed at the relationship with corporate financial performance and the influence of CSR activities on customer loyalty and other related aspects [13,14,16,17]; these studies emphasize the need to focus more strongly on the social outcomes of CSR, rather than exclusively on its economic consequences [21,22,23,24]. This had already been corroborated by the study by Serra et al. [19] aimed exclusively at the hotel sector. The literature concludes that existing studies can be grouped into three main research streams: CSR practices, CSR reporting, and CSR impacts. The latter is further divided into two sub-streams: consumer-oriented (marketing) and firm-oriented (business performance) [19]. Although the literature on CSR in hospitality has expanded considerably (e.g., [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,11,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24]), several important gaps remain. Most existing studies have focused on the outcomes of CSR initiatives, such as improvements in firm performance, customer loyalty, or corporate reputation [6,19,20]. However, relatively limited attention has been devoted to the managerial and cognitive dimensions of CSR, particularly the factors that influence managers’ knowledge and understanding of CSR principles within hotel organizations [6,25,26].
Managerial knowledge represents a key prerequisite for the effective implementation of CSR strategies. Managers play a central role in translating sustainability principles into operational decisions and organizational practices [25,26,27]. Without adequate knowledge of CSR concepts, hotel managers may encounter difficulties integrating social and environmental considerations into business decision-making processes.
Furthermore, most empirical studies on CSR in hospitality have been conducted in developed tourism markets [4,28,29], leaving emerging tourism destinations comparatively underexplored (e.g., [2,5,6,13,16,17,21,22,23,30,31,32,33]). Institutional frameworks, managerial practices, and sustainability challenges may differ significantly across contexts, making it important to examine how CSR awareness develops in rapidly growing tourism regions. The Colombian Caribbean represents an interesting context for examining these issues. As one of the most dynamic tourism regions in the country, the area has experienced significant growth in hotel infrastructure and visitor arrivals in recent years [6,34]. At the same time, the region faces environmental and social challenges related to tourism development, including pressure on natural resources, coastal ecosystem degradation, and community impacts. These conditions make the adoption of responsible management practices particularly important for ensuring sustainable tourism development.
Against this background, this study aims to identify the determinants of CSR knowledge among hotel managers in the Colombian Caribbean. By examining both managerial and organizational characteristics, the research contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the drivers of CSR knowledge in an emerging tourism destination [2,6,16,21,22,23,31,33]. Specifically, a CSR-focused questionnaire was applied to hotel managers [21,23,27,30] from a sample of 224 hotels in the Colombian Caribbean, of which 222 hotel managers responded, and the results were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) techniques. Specifically, this study contributes to the literature in three main ways. First, it extends existing research on CSR in hospitality by focusing on the determinants of managerial knowledge rather than on the outcomes of CSR practices. Second, it provides empirical evidence on the role of organizational and managerial characteristics in shaping CSR knowledge within hotel firms. Third, it offers insights from an emerging tourism destination, thereby expanding the geographical scope of CSR research in the hospitality sector.

Theoretical Framework

CSR has become an increasingly important research topic within the hospitality and tourism literature [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,11,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24]. Hotel firms operate in environments characterized by intensive resource use, strong interactions with local communities, and growing environmental pressures. As a result, CSR practices in the hospitality sector are often linked to sustainability strategies [9], stakeholder engagement [21,22,23], and long-term competitiveness. Previous research has examined CSR in hospitality from several perspectives, including CSR practices and sustainability initiatives in hotels [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8], CSR reporting and communication strategies, and the impact of CSR activities on firm performance and customer perceptions [13,14,16,17,19,20]. However, relatively fewer studies have focused on the cognitive and managerial dimensions of CSR, particularly the level of knowledge and understanding of CSR concepts among hotel managers [6,25,26].
Managerial knowledge plays a crucial role in shaping organizational responses to sustainability challenges [6]. Managers who possess greater awareness and understanding of CSR principles are more likely to integrate responsible practices into corporate strategies and operational decisions. Consequently, identifying the determinants of CSR knowledge among hotel managers constitutes an important step toward understanding how CSR is implemented in the hospitality industry.
In the theoretical field, Garriga and Melé [35] classify CSR theories into four groups: instrumental theories (focused on benefits), political theories (political action), integrative theories (social demands), and ethical theories (ethical values). For the development of this research, the postulates of sustainable development were considered, which fall into the category of ethical theories, on which there is a lot of literature [36,37,38].
Meanwhile, the level of CSR knowledge has usually been studied by analyzing the notoriety of the concept, i.e., the level of penetration it has in the group under investigation [6,25,39], which turns out to be very subjective as questions are asked, such as: have you heard or know the concept of CSR? (closed question, possible answers yes/no). For this reason, being aware of this and understanding CSR as a concept that has been evolving as society has evolved to the point of being dynamic [40], this study analyses the clarity of the concept, or the extent to which it has been assimilated or understood by the researched target (hotel managers) in relation to the generally accepted definition of CSR and its evolutionary process. In total, six (6) statements have been structured based on previous research in the field [6,35,41,42,43,44].
Regarding the determinants of the level of CSR knowledge, the literature shows that this is influenced by certain characteristics of the hotel establishments (size and age mainly) and of their managers (gender and level of education). Specifically, previous studies [45,46,47,48,49] have found that in larger companies, managers have a higher level of CSR knowledge. Meanwhile, Garay and Font [50] and Shrivastava [51] concluded that the older the company, the greater the CSR knowledge. Additionally, as a contribution to this study, we have considered including relevant variables in the analysis of hotel operation and management. These include establishment-related factors such as contract type, financial performance, and investment in innovation [52].
In relation to the variables of gender and level of education of the hotel manager, studies such as those by Deng et al. [53] and El Dief and Font [54] suggest that female managers tend to know more about CSR; and those by Ewert and Baker [55] and Rivera and de Leon [56] suggest that the level of education (primary, secondary, university degree, university postgraduate) is relevant to understanding the CSR knowledge of managers.
Finally, in general, in relation to studies that identify determinants of CSR knowledge [6,25,26], it is important to say that no studies have been found in the tourism sector that take into account the evolution of CSR in its definition as the main criterion for the establishment of different values of the concept, which makes the present work clearly important given its contribution to the construction of knowledge on the subject within the field of tourism, and even more so, when the contextual and differentiated nature of CSR among the various economic sectors has already been recognized.

2. Methodology

Based on the literature review [31,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57] and previous studies [57,58], the main aim was to identify the factors influencing the level of CSR knowledge in the hotel sector in the Colombian Caribbean, which implied the formulation of several hypotheses related to the characteristics of the establishments and their managers [45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56]. First, the level of CSR knowledge among hotel managers may be influenced by organizational characteristics [45,46,47,48,49,50,51].
Hypothesis 1.
The level of CSR knowledge is significantly influenced by the hotel-related factors.
Organizational maturity may influence CSR knowledge within hotel firms. Older hotels accumulate managerial experience and develop stronger relationships with stakeholders such as local communities, suppliers, and public authorities. These interactions can facilitate the diffusion of CSR concepts and increase managers’ awareness of sustainability-related challenges [50,51].
Hypothesis 1.1.
The level of CSR knowledge is significantly influenced by the hotel’s age.
The type of hotel management contract can determine the degree to which the hotel chain’s sustainability and CSR knowledge and policies are effectively transferred to its hotels. While transferring the corporation’s know-how to all hotels under its brands—whether owned, leased, managed, or franchised—is fundamental, the specific characteristics of each contract type can affect awareness and effective implementation within the hotel.
Hypothesis 1.2.
The level of CSR knowledge is significantly influenced by the hotel’s management contract type.
Hotels with significant financial resources have a greater capacity to adopt initiatives [45,46,47,48,49] of all kinds and can go beyond actions imposed by legal obligations and critical short-term aspects. This facilitates resources to invest in sustainability initiatives and to adopt responsible management practices.
Hypothesis 1.3.
The level of CSR knowledge is significantly influenced by the hotel’s financial performance.
Within the distribution of resources among various fields, investment in innovation reflects a dynamic mindset in business management and indicates openness to continuous improvement. In this context, greater investment in innovation indicates an interest in going beyond the conventional and increases the likelihood of investing in sustainability initiatives and adopting responsible management practices [52].
Hypothesis 1.4.
The level of CSR knowledge is significantly influenced by the hotel’s level of investment in innovation.
Second, managerial characteristics represent another important determinant of CSR knowledge. Education, professional training, and personal values influence how managers perceive the importance of sustainability and responsible management practices [53,54,55,56].
Hypothesis 2.
Hotel manager profile has a significant influence on CSR knowledge levels.
It is generally considered that there are gender differences that affect various aspects, including leadership and management, and in this context, it is expected that women will have a greater concern for social, environmental and cultural aspects, that is, multiple aspects of CSR that go beyond the merely economic [53,54].
Hypothesis 2.1.
Managers’ gender has a significant influence on CSR knowledge levels.
Managers with higher levels of education are more likely to demonstrate greater awareness of CSR principles [55,56] and to promote sustainability initiatives within their organizations.
Hypothesis 2.2.
Managers’ educational level has a significant influence on CSR knowledge levels.
Once the aim and hypotheses had been established, the empirical study was carried out, which consisted in defining, classifying and measuring the variables, using a structured questionnaire as a collection instrument. The questionnaire was designed based on established scales and conceptual approaches previously used in CSR and tourism research (Table 1). Since the aim is to understand the factors that determine managers’ level of CSR knowledge, by definition, the level of knowledge would be the dependent variable (the variable that can be affected by the independent or causal variables). The remaining variables are the independent variables (variables that influence the dependent variable) based on the following four criteria: previous studies cited within each hypothesis [45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56]; the recommendation of CSR experts who participated in the questionnaire’s development; an exploratory field study conducted in the area by the researchers [57,58]; and finally, the experience of researchers in studies on CSR.
This questionnaire comprised 30 items: 23 addressing general hotel and managerial characteristics, and seven assessing CSR knowledge. It is important to bear in mind that the variable level of knowledge [39,57,59,60,61] is made up of 6 indicators (statements), ranging from the statement that is furthest from the concept to the one that is most aligned with CSR from the point of view of its evolutionary process, which are: (i) CSR is understood in a broad and non-formalized manner (null level of clarity); (ii) CSR is associated with isolated activities of charity, voluntary donations and philanthropy (minimum level of clarity); (iii) CSR is limited to strict compliance with current legislation (low level of clarity); (iv) CSR relates to tactical responsible practices to which they are not legally bound (medium level of clarity); (v) CSR entails the strategic integration of economic, social, and environmental considerations into business operations (high level of clarity); and (vi) CSR plays a fundamental role in promoting the sustainable development of society. (maximum level of clarity).
To ensure the clarity and relevance of the questions, the survey instrument was reviewed by academic experts in tourism management and pilot tested with a small group of hotel managers in Santa Marta, prior to the main data collection process. This preliminary step allowed minor adjustments to be made to the wording of several questions and helped ensure the reliability and comprehensibility of the survey instrument.
The study population consisted of hotels located in the Colombian Caribbean. The sampling process was carried out using a probabilistic approach. A database of hotels operating in the cities of Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and Cartagena was first compiled using official tourism registries. From this population (506 hotels), a random sample of establishments was selected (224 hotels) proportionally according to the number of hotels operating in each city. This procedure ensured that the sample was representative of the hotel population in the study area. In all cases, the person interviewed was the hotel manager, and three means of data collection were used: e-mail (7.2%), telephone interview (77.9%) and face-to-face interview (14.7%). A total of 99.1% (222) responded to the questionnaire in a valid way, obtaining a representative sample of the target population and without significant bias (Table 2).
Following data collection, a multivariate quantitative analysis was conducted, employing PCA followed by MLR to generate the results. The PCA will be applied at the level of knowledge to regroup and obtain a smaller number of factors (principal components) that will continue to represent the total, with better utility and greater understanding, for the solution of the hypotheses. With the application of PCA, the dependent variable to be studied becomes continuous (numerical) with a normal distribution, acquiring the values of the resulting factors, with which the subsequent application of the MLR is valid. Without this transformation of the dependent variable, the study would have required the use of Ordinal Logistic Regression.
To justify the application of the PCA, the analysis of Bartlett’s test will be carried out, which checks whether the correlation between the variables analyzed is sufficiently large to carry out the factorization of the correlation coefficient matrix. Another aspect to be considered is the determination of the number of factors to be retained and, for this purpose, the Cattell test will be applied, which states that factors with a characteristic root or eigenvalue greater than one should be retained. To enhance interpretability, the varimax rotation method was applied, enabling a clearer association between variables and extracted factors [42].
Once the PCA has been carried out, we will proceed to apply MLR, considered the best known and most classic of the dependence analysis techniques [71]. This was used to explain the relationship between the dependent variable and multiple independent variables (Table 1). Specifically, for each factor resulting (dependent variable) from the PCA, an MLR will be carried out, considering that the categorical (qualitative) independent variables will be included in each model as dummy variables.

3. Results

With the aim of reducing the number of items initially considered and to facilitate the interpretation of the data with the least possible loss of information, a PCA was carried out. Bartlett’s test rejects the null hypothesis of no significant correlation (χ2 test = 913.953; p < 0.000), so that the application of PCA is appropriate. The results show the existence of two factors with an eigenvalue greater than one that together explain 83.2% of the variance of the original items. According to the varimax rotation, these factors can be identified by the loadings of the items associated with each factor (Table 3). Factor 1, which explains 42.63% of the variance, is associated with the highest levels of CSR knowledge (representing the maximum, high and medium levels, respectively); therefore, this factor can be identified as “Advanced CSR Knowledge”. Factor 2, which explains 40.57% of the variance, is associated with the lowest levels of CSR knowledge (representing the null, minimum and low levels); therefore, this factor can be identified as “Basic CSR Knowledge”. In addition to the above, with the aim of measuring the reliability of the variables that make up each of the factors, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient has been calculated (Table 3).
The interpretation of the extracted components is consistent with the conceptual evolution of CSR identified in the literature. The factor labeled “Advanced CSR Knowledge” reflects a more strategic and integrated understanding of CSR, in which social, environmental, and economic dimensions are incorporated into business decision-making. In contrast, the factor labeled “Basic CSR Knowledge” reflects a more limited interpretation of CSR associated with philanthropic activities or basic legal compliance. This distinction allows us to capture different levels of CSR understanding among hotel managers.
Based on the PCA, two MLRs were performed, which explain the relationships between the dependent variables (Advanced CSR Knowledge and Basic CSR Knowledge) and the independent variables include hotel characteristics (age, contract type, financial performance, and innovation investment) as well as managerial attributes (gender, age and level of education). As these variables are categorical, it was necessary to convert them into dummy variables.
The MLR of “Advanced CSR Knowledge” shows, according to the coefficient of determination (R2), that 64.7% of the variance in the dependent variable is explained by the proposed independent variables (Table 4). In other words, if a hotel is chosen at random, for which no information is available, there will be some uncertainty (variance) about the level of Advanced CSR Knowledge that it may have. On the other hand, if additional information on the independent variables is available thanks to this MLR model, a prediction can be made in which the uncertainty would be reduced by 64.7%. Table 5 presents the matrix of simple correlation coefficients among the variables analyzed (only the five independent variables that were significant at p < 0.05 according to Student’s t-test are shown), in which the highest correlation of the level of Advanced CSR Knowledge is with the variable regular financial performance of the hotel (Table 6).
The MLR of “Basic CSR Knowledge” indicates, according to the coefficient of determination (R2), that 15.7% of the dependent variable’s variance is explained by the independent variables (Table 4). That is, if a hotel is chosen at random, for which no information is available, there will be some uncertainty (variance) about the level of Basic CSR Knowledge that it may have. On the other hand, if additional information on the independent variables is available thanks to this MLR model, a prediction can be made in which the uncertainty would be reduced by 15.7%. Table 7 displays the correlation coefficient matrix for the variables included in the analysis (only the six independent variables that were significant at p ˂ 0.1 according to Student’s t-test are shown), in which the highest correlation of the level of Basic CSR Knowledge is with the variable hotels with less than 10 years of operation (Table 8).

4. Discussion

The findings of this study provide new insights into the determinants of CSR knowledge within the hospitality sector. In particular, the results suggest that both organizational and managerial characteristics influence the level of CSR knowledge among hotel managers. These findings are consistent with previous research indicating that organizational resources and managerial competencies play a key role in facilitating the adoption of responsible business practices in tourism firms [45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56]. However, on this occasion, these characteristics have been analyzed together.
After the detailed analysis of the results, it is evident that financial performance (Hypothesis 1.3.), investment in innovation (Hypothesis 1.4.), and managerial education (Hypothesis 2.2.) significantly influence Advanced CSR Knowledge levels. The signs shown in the simple correlation coefficient matrix (Table 5) express that the dependent variable has a positive association with the variables educational level and financial performance. This indicates that the level of Advanced CSR Knowledge increases as the hotel manager’s level of education increases, and decreases when financial performance and investment in innovation get worse.
Meanwhile, the estimated regression coefficients beta (β), related in Table 6, corresponding to the independent variables (in order of significance and placing first those related to the hotel and then those related to the hotel manager), can be interpreted as follows. Hotels with fair or poor financial performance show a lower probability of possessing Advanced CSR Knowledge compared to financially well-performing establishments. Additionally, low investment in innovation negatively affects Advanced CSR Knowledge, whereas managers holding university or postgraduate degrees increase the likelihood of higher CSR knowledge levels.
On the other hand, both the hotel’s age (Hypothesis 1.1.) and type of hotel management contract (Hypothesis 1.2.), as well as the gender (Hypothesis 2.1.) and educational level (Hypothesis 2.2.) of the hotel manager affect the level of Basic CSR Knowledge. The signs shown in the simple correlation coefficient matrix (Table 7) show that the dependent variable has a negative association with the variables age of the hotel, educational level of the hotel manager, and female gender. The above indicates that the level of Basic CSR Knowledge increases with the reduction in age of the hotel and when the type of contract is leasing; and decreases with increasing level of education of the hotel manager and the gender of the manager is female.
Meanwhile, the estimated regression coefficients beta (β), related in Table 8, corresponding to the independent variables (in order of significance and placing first those related to the hotel and then those of the manager), can be interpreted as follows. The fact that the hotel has been in operation for less time produces a positive effect on the probability of having Basic CSR Knowledge, compared to the probability that the hotel has been in operation for more than 40 years (reference category). The fact that the hotel has a lease contract produces a positive effect on the probability of having Basic CSR Knowledge, compared to the probability that the hotel has a management contract (reference category). The fact that the hotel manager has a postgraduate degree and is female has a negative effect on the probability of having a Basic CSR Knowledge, compared to the probability of having a high school degree and being male, respectively (reference categories).
Overall, CSR knowledge is positively associated with hotel’s age, management contracts (lease), strong financial performance, and higher innovation investment (Hypothesis 1), as well as with female managers holding advanced educational qualifications (Hypothesis 2). Among the independent variables, financial performance (Hypothesis 1.3.), innovation investment (Hypothesis 1.4.) and education level (Hypothesis 2.2.) exert the strongest influence on Advanced CSR Knowledge, while hotel’s age (Hypothesis 1.1.), management contracts (Hypothesis 1.2.), gender (Hypothesis 2.1.) and education (Hypothesis 2.2.) are more closely related to Basic CSR Knowledge. This information is very important for the design of strategies that allow to efficiently increase the level of CSR knowledge, and confirms previous work [6,25,26,45,46,47,48,49,51,52,53,55,56]. However, in this case the value provided is the joint analysis of the various independent variables raised, allowing a more solid verification of the causal relationships, by reducing the error due to omission of relevant variables.
The results highlight the importance of managerial education and organizational capacity in shaping CSR knowledge [6,25,26]. This finding supports earlier studies suggesting that managers with higher levels of education [55,56] and access to organizational resources [45,46,47,48,49] are more likely to promote sustainability initiatives and integrate CSR principles into corporate strategies. Organizational leaders, specifically hotel managers, represent a pivotal element in the adoption of changes, emerging trends, and innovations within the firm. These managers exhibit a higher propensity for change adoption as their level of management education increases; in this regard, university-level training—particularly at the postgraduate level—serves as a critical determinant. This correlation stems from the fact that formal management education heightens awareness of the volatile environment and the persistent challenges inherent in their professional roles, thereby fostering a commitment to dynamics of change and continuous improvement. However, the managerial willingness to adopt such changes must be underpinned by organizational resources and capabilities that enable the effective implementation of these strategic proposals.
Specifically, the results involving the age of the hotel coincide with those found by Garay and Font [50], and those related to the variables gender and educational level of the hotel manager are aligned with the findings of Rivera and de Leon [56] and El Dief and Font [54]. The age of the hotel is typically associated with the development and accumulation of organizational knowledge, derived from historical experiences and the collective contributions of its human capital over time. Consequently, greater organizational longevity correlates with higher levels of managerial knowledge, which in turn increases the probability of adopting innovative and sustainable practices. A similar relationship is observed regarding the education of the hotel manager: higher levels of managerial education enhance the likelihood of implementing such practices. Regarding gender, traditional research suggests that females exhibit a greater orientation toward non-economic impacts and long-term perspectives than their male counterparts. Generally, females demonstrate higher sensitivity to future social and environmental consequences.
In the hospitality sector, where operational decisions often depend on managerial discretion, the level of CSR knowledge among managers becomes a critical factor influencing the implementation of responsible practices [25,26]. Therefore, the manager’s level of CSR knowledge constitutes a necessary, yet insufficient, condition for the implementation of CSR practices; the availability of organizational resources remains the other fundamental requirement for their effective execution.
Finally, it should be noted that the primary contribution of this study lies in the empirical testing of causal relationships that have previously remained unexamined in conjunction within the scientific literature. Specifically, this research analyzes how various organizational characteristics of the hotel and its manager act as determinants of the level of CSR knowledge. By proposing a simultaneous analysis of these variables for the first time, this study significantly advances the current state of research. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first publication to offer a holistic and comprehensive assessment of these factors as determinants of CSR knowledge, thereby addressing a critical gap in the existing research.
Furthermore, the findings contribute to the growing literature on CSR in emerging tourism destinations. Previous studies have largely focused on developed tourism markets (e.g., [4,28,29]), where institutional frameworks and sustainability regulations are more established. By examining CSR knowledge in the context of the Colombian Caribbean, this study provides empirical evidence on how CSR awareness develops in rapidly growing tourism regions characterized by evolving sustainability challenges [25,26]. These emerging tourist destinations are the future of the sector worldwide and also the main frontier for future advancement of academic research and business implementation of CSR.

Limitations and Future Research

Despite its contributions, this study has several limitations that should be acknowledged. First, the analysis focuses exclusively on hotel managers, which may limit the generalizability of the results to other stakeholders such as employees, customers, or local communities. Second, the study is restricted to the Colombian Caribbean, and therefore the findings may reflect contextual characteristics specific to this tourism destination. Future research could extend this analysis to other regions and include multiple stakeholder perspectives to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of CSR knowledge and implementation in the hospitality industry.

5. Conclusions

A holistic approach that integrates economic performance with sustainable practices through CSR is essential for long-term organizational sustainability [72], including tourism. However, to guarantee success, destinations must adopt sustainable tourism growth [73], and even more so when consumers mostly consider the experience of sustainability as an aspect that should be implicit in the tourist service [74]. In this sense, CSR becomes the key practical tool for the sustainability of territories and the sustainable development of tourism.
This study confirms the existence of key determinants of CSR knowledge in the hotel sector, including age, contract type, financial performance, and investment in innovation. They are also related to the gender and education level of their hotel managers. This has important managerial implications, as hotels will have valuable information for decision-making that will allow them to improve their levels of CSR knowledge, bringing many benefits to these establishments, because although CSR strategies are mainly aimed at helping specific communities and society, they also bring benefits to the organization that carries them out [75]. In this regard, according to Su and Swanson [24], the implementation of CSR activities by an organization can provide positive workplace outcomes for employees (increased well-being), the company (increased participation in green workplace behaviors) and the relationship between employees and the company (increased organizational trust and identification).
From a broader scope, another managerial implication is related to the fact that greater CSR knowledge would help the promotion of actions that contribute more effectively to more responsible tourism in the area or region. The adoption of responsible tourism as an umbrella concept for CSR-related practices reflects a broader trend toward addressing the social and environmental impacts of tourism activity [76].
In this sense, the results of the study provide valuable information that can be used by the different stakeholders to make better decisions based on the scope in which these interest groups are located. For example: for the entrepreneur, management and operation decisions; for the public sector, public policy decisions for the sector; for the client, purchasing decisions; for the academy, decisions on ongoing research or new research; and for the society, it is a starting point that allows for the forging of control and monitoring decisions in the search for the acceptance or non-acceptance of the legitimization of the business activity.
As a recommendation for public managers and business associations in the sector, the need to create courses and training material on CSR is indicated, so that they are aware of the true scope of CSR in hotel management. Likewise, decision-makers in hotel establishments are encouraged to invest more in innovation and to manage their finances efficiently, as this has a positive relationship with CSR knowledge. Furthermore, it is advisable to hire more women with high educational levels in management positions, since their willingness and knowledge of the subject could increase the probability of success in the CSR application.
Finally, it is a fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has heavily damaged the hospitality industry and tourism companies. To survive, many organizations have leveraged the crisis as an opportunity to transform their business models in preparation for the post-pandemic era [77]. In this sense, CSR can be a useful model to achieve that transformation, mainly, in terms of sustainability and this work shows important results to understand CSR, which is relevant for its correct application. Specifically, it can be concluded that this research has sought to raise awareness among hotel companies in the Colombian Caribbean towards a better understanding of CSR and its influencing factors (characteristics of the manager and the establishments), so that they can commit, in practice, to the implementation of CSR actions that contribute, more effectively, to a more sustainable tourism in the area where they carry out their tourism activity. In this way, there is no doubt that tourism sector and the host communities can be better prepared to face future crises.
Overall, the results highlight the importance of managerial knowledge as a key driver of CSR implementation in the hospitality sector. Understanding the factors that influence CSR awareness among hotel managers is therefore essential for promoting more responsible and sustainable tourism development, particularly in emerging tourism destinations.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, D.D.P.-M.; methodology, D.D.P.-M. and J.R.-C.; validation, D.D.P.-M.; formal analysis, D.D.P.-M., A.S.-C. and J.R.-C.; data curation, J.R.-C.; writing—original draft preparation, D.D.P.-M.; writing—review and editing, D.D.P.-M., A.S.-C. and J.R.-C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

The APC was funded by the University of Magdalena, Colombia.

Institutional Review Board Statement

This investigation was exempt from ethical review by the Institutional Committee due to in Colombia, mandatory ethical review does not apply to this type of study, since it consisted solely of voluntary participation in an anonymous organizational survey and did not involve health research or sensitive personal data.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Table 1. Study variables (own elaboration).
Table 1. Study variables (own elaboration).
ReferenceDependent VariableDescriptionCategory
[39,57,59,60,61]Level of KnowledgeAssimilation of the concept of CSR by the hotel managers1 = null
2 = minimum
3 = low
4 = average
5 = high
6 = maximum
ReferenceIndependent VariablesDescriptionCategory
[50,51]Hotel’s AgeYears of hotel operation1 = Less than 10 years
2 = Between 10 and 20 years
3 = Between 20 and 40 years
4 = More than 40 years
[50,62]Contract TypeHotel’s management contract type1 = Owner
2 = Franchise
3 = Lease
4 = Management
[63,64]Financial PerformanceHotel’s financial performance1 = Bad
2 = Regular
3 = Good
[52,63]Investment in InnovationHotel’s level of investment in innovation1 = Low
2 = Medium
3 = High
[53,54,65,66,67,68,69,70]GenderGender of the hotel manager1 = Male
2 = Female
[55,56,62,63,64,65,66,67]Education LevelEducation level of the hotel manager1 = Primary education
2 = Secondary education
3 = University degree
4 = University Postgraduate
Table 2. Profile of the sample: hotel and manager (own elaboration).
Table 2. Profile of the sample: hotel and manager (own elaboration).
VariableFrequency%
Hotel city:
Barranquilla5826.1%
Cartagena9241.5%
Santa Marta7232.4%
Hotel’s Age:
Less than 10 years12054.0%
Between 10 and 20 years4922.1%
Between 20 and 40 years3214.4%
More than 40 years219.5%
Contract Type:
Owner19788.7%
Franchise219.5%
Lease20.9%
Management20.9%
Financial Performance:
Bad4721.2%
Regular5524.8%
Good12054.0%
Investment in Innovation:
Low5625.2%
Medium5223.4%
High11451.4%
Gender:
Male12958.1%
Female9341.9%
Hotel manager education:
Primary education00.0%
Secondary education5022.5%
University degree5725.7%
University Postgraduate11551.8%
Table 3. Retained factor after rotation (own elaboration).
Table 3. Retained factor after rotation (own elaboration).
VariablesAdvanced CSR KnowledgeBasic CSR KnowledgeCommunality
CSR entails the strategic integration of economic, social, and environmental considerations into business operations (high level)0.961−0.0610.927
CSR plays a fundamental role in promoting the sustainable development of society (maximum level)0.940−0.1380.902
CSR relates to tactical responsible practices to which they are not legally bound (medium level)0.8650.2660.818
CSR is limited to strict compliance with current legislation (low level)−0.0190.9110.831
CSR is associated with isolated activities of charity, voluntary donations and philanthropy (minimum level)0.0580.8700.761
CSR is understood in a broad and non-formalized manner (null level)−0.0080.8680.753
Own value (eigenvalue greater than one)2.5582.434
Variance Explained (%)42.63%40.57%
Variance Accumulated (%)43.13%83.20%
Cronbach’s alpha coefficient0.9130.859
Table 4. Coefficient of determination analysis and others (own elaboration).
Table 4. Coefficient of determination analysis and others (own elaboration).
Advanced CSR KnowledgeBasic CSR Knowledge
Multiple correlation coefficient0.8040.397
Coefficient of determination (R2)0.6470.157
Adjusted R2 coefficient0.6020.049
Regression coefficient alpha1.019−0.590
Table 5. Simple correlation coefficient matrix for Advanced CSR Knowledge (own elaboration).
Table 5. Simple correlation coefficient matrix for Advanced CSR Knowledge (own elaboration).
Variable(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)
Advanced CSR Knowledge (1)1.000
Regular Financial Performance (2)−0.407 ***1.000
Bad Financial Performance (3)−0.492 **−0.3031.000
University Degree (4)0.259 **−0.496−0.0701.000
University Postgraduate (5)0.715 *−0.550−0.513−0.6071.000
Low Investment in Innovation (6)−0.547 *−0.0740.7900.106−0.5581.000
Note: Only independent variables with significance: * p < 0.1; ** p < 0.05; *** p < 0.01.
Table 6. Multiple Linear Regression of Advanced CSR Knowledge (own elaboration).
Table 6. Multiple Linear Regression of Advanced CSR Knowledge (own elaboration).
VariableArithmetic MeanStandard DeviationCoefficient Regression Beta (β)Standard ErrorStudent’s tp ValuePartial
Correlation Coefficient		Added Sum of SquaresProportion of Added
Variance
Advanced CSR Knowledge0.0001.000
Regular Financial Performance0.2510.434−0.9510.247−3.8550.000 ***−0.26736.2610.166
Bad Financial Performance0.2150.411−0.7030.286−2.4550.014 **−0.17491.2520.417
University Degree0.2600.4390.3530.1702.0750.038 **0.1482.6440.012
University Postgraduate0.5110.5000.5260.2911.8100.070 *0.1294.2240.019
Low Investment in Innovation0.2560.436−0.3920.236−1.6580.097 *−0.1190.9630.004
Note: Only independent variables with significance: * p < 0.1; ** p < 0.05; *** p < 0.01.
Table 7. Simple correlation coefficient matrix for Basic CSR Knowledge (own elaboration).
Table 7. Simple correlation coefficient matrix for Basic CSR Knowledge (own elaboration).
Variable(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
Basic CSR Knowledge (1)1.000
Less than 10 Years (2)0.060 ***1.000
Between 10 and 20 Years (3)0.039 ***−0.5701.000
Between 20 and 40 Years (4)0.007 ***−0.451−0.2161.000
University Postgraduate (5)−0.069 *0.021−0.2230.0421.000
Hotel for Lease (6)0.183 *0.0880.0500.0400.0021.000
Female (7)−0.155 *0.064−0.0890.0110.1190.0151.000
Note: Only independent variables with significance: * p < 0.1; *** p < 0.01.
Table 8. Multiple Linear Regression of Basic CSR Knowledge (own elaboration).
Table 8. Multiple Linear Regression of Basic CSR Knowledge (own elaboration).
VariableArithmetic MeanStandard DeviationCoefficient Regression Beta (β)Standard ErrorStudent’s tp ValuePartial
Correlation Coefficient		Added Sum of SquaresProportion of Added Variance
Basic CSR Knowledge0.0001.000
Less than 10 Years0.5430.4980.8980.2713.3110.001 ***0.2320.7760.004
Between 10 and 20 Years0.2150.4110.8670.2893.0020.003 ***0.2111.7310.008
Between 20 and 40 Years0.1460.3530.7520.2912.5890.010 ***0.1833.4080.016
University Postgraduate0.5110.500−0.8760.449−1.9510.051 *−0.1392.8260.013
Hotel for Lease0.0090.0951.9741.0541.8730.061 *0.1347.7410.036
Woman0.4250.494−0.2910.157−1.8570.063 *−0.1335.9840.027
Note: Only independent variables with significance: * p < 0.1; *** p < 0.01.
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Peña-Miranda, D.D.; Serra-Cantallops, A.; Ramón-Cardona, J. Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hospitality Industry. Sustainability 2026, 18, 4091. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084091

AMA Style

Peña-Miranda DD, Serra-Cantallops A, Ramón-Cardona J. Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hospitality Industry. Sustainability. 2026; 18(8):4091. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084091

Chicago/Turabian Style

Peña-Miranda, David Daniel, Antoni Serra-Cantallops, and José Ramón-Cardona. 2026. "Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hospitality Industry" Sustainability 18, no. 8: 4091. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084091

APA Style

Peña-Miranda, D. D., Serra-Cantallops, A., & Ramón-Cardona, J. (2026). Corporate Social Responsibility in the Hospitality Industry. Sustainability, 18(8), 4091. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084091

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