Energy use and its contributors in hotel buildings: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Energy use is the major source of carbon emissions in hotel buildings. Past studies presented contributors to energy use, most related to hotels' physical and economics characteristics. In search of effective variables affecting energy use in hotels, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to synthesize empirical evidence. A descriptive picture of 28 previous studies, the arguments for the direction of effects in each variable, and a quantitative synthesis of the mean effect sizes were presented. Among 18 selected contributors from past studies, 15 were statistically significant (0.05 level). The analyses also revealed that the operationalization of the energy variable is important in evaluating the relationship with a contributor. Studies considering Energy Use Intensity (EUI) indicators presented weaker correlations with gross floor area (GFA) and number of guestrooms than those considering energy raw data, for example. The occupancy rate resulted in a non-significant outcome, but this result could be related to differences among the hotels categories, as identified in the subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Future research could help develop and investigate theories to sustain or deny the relationships found here, in addition to the assessment of the outcomes in other regions, bringing more variables related to sustainable management.