DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-082-5-0306

CSR Activities as a Change Driver: Enhancing Hotel Business Success Through Socially Responsible Human Resource Management

Renata Skýpalová ORCID...¹, Zdeněk Málek¹, Milan Jan Půček ORCID...¹, Magdaléna Škrábalová¹, Michaela Miková ORCID...¹, Vít Heinz ORCID...¹, Jitka Peruthová¹

¹ AMBIS University, Lindnerova 575/1, 180 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been a hot topic in the hotel industry recently, especially its social pillar related to employees and other stakeholder communities. More engaged employees deliver more quality services, which ensures more satisfied customers and thus increased productivity and profitability. These consequences are particularly important in a very uncertain and highly competitive hotel business environment. The paper examines the impact of CSR activities on hotel employees to suggest improvements in socially responsible human resource management to increase hotel employee engagement and thus enhance hotel business success. The examination is founded on the results of a questionnaire survey among employees of four- and five-star hotels in the Czech Republic (N = 100) and in selected coastal countries, specifically in Italy, Portugal, and Spain (N = 20). Four key areas of CSR activities are examined: employee care and work-life balance, employee development, equal opportunities and human rights, and support of local communities. The respondents are hotel employees from rank-and-file employees through first-line and middle managers to top managers. Their responses are analysed using statistical methods. The findings revealed that most of the surveyed hotel employees are not familiar with the concept of CSR, even though they are often confronted with various CSR activities in practice. Not only wages, but also benefits such as free meals or flexible working hours proved to be an important factor in the hotel employee satisfaction. The findings could be beneficial for hotel managers in implementing socially responsible human resource management with an emphasis on employee well-being while demanding employee engagement in delivering quality hotel services. This approach has the potential to increase the attractiveness of hotels for both employees and customers, which can enhance hotel business success.

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Resource Management, Hotel Industry, Employee Engagement, Business Success

pages: 306-315, online: 2026