A Review on Green Hotel Rating Tools, Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and Human Comfort

Abstract

The tourism and hotel industry positively contribute to the country’s socio-economic sector, however, it simultaneously impacts surrounding nature into further deterioration. There has been green building and green hotel rating tools emerging worldwide in the attempt to operate sustainably with better performance, as well as ensuring human comfort inhabiting the spaces. This review highlights briefly the existing global rating tools for green buildings, further exploring into Malaysia’s rating tools namely Green Building Index (GBI), focusing towards hotels. The paper will also highlight the up to date green hotels certified by the GBI, the issue on non-renew expired green certification validity date, and the importance of undergoing a green certification renewal. Lastly, the paper reviewed indoor environmental quality’s five parameters (Air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, visual, acoustic) and its interrelation with human comfort. In sum, further exploration of existing green hotels indoor environmental correlation with guests’ comfort is vital to promote guests’ satisfaction and future green hotel revisit.