Qualitative study of green resort attributes-- A case of the crosswaters resort in China

Figures & data

Figure 1. Triangulation of data sources

Figure 2. A Framework of Green Attributes in the Crosswaters

Table 1. The interrelation among subthemes

		Text unites
Subthemes	Affected subthemes	①	②	③	Total
Architectural design	Reputation and fame	6	6	1	13
Environmental	Architectural design	8	12	3	23
Harmony	Energy & waste management		1	2	3
	Reputation and fame	1	2	1	4
	Spirituality	9	17	4	30
	Sanitation & cleanliness		3	5	8
	Recreational alternatives	7	18	5	30
Energy & waste	Architectural design		3	2	5
Management	Reputation and fame		2	1	3
	Recreational alternatives		12	4	16
Sanitation & cleanliness	Recreational alternatives		7	1	8
Products & food	Recreational alternatives	1	10	3	14
Staff services	Reputation and fame		12	3	15
	Sanitation & cleanliness		5	6	11
Reputation and fame	Spirituality		3	3	6

Notes: ① refers to text units from the source of publicity materials, ② refers to text units from the source of online comments and ③ refers to text units from the source of site observation

Table 2. Green Attributes from the organization’s publicity materials

Categories	Themes	Subthemes
Tangible attributes	Aesthetic values	Architectural design with green materials and simple décor
		Environmental harmony with nature and people
	Functional values	Infrastructure such as transport, communication, that function properly and efficiently
		Products & food with organic labels and local features
Intangible attributes	Experiential appeal	Recreational alternatives that offer additional contact with green attractions
		Staff services with friendliness and professionalism in addressing incidents
	Psychological appeal	Spirituality allowing for religious or spiritual pursuits in a relaxing ambience
		Reputation and fame gained through word of mouth, awards and certificates

Table 3. Subtheme-related Citations from the organization’s publicity materials

Subthemes	Citations from the organization’s publicity materials.
Architecture with	Stilt houses are built to protect to the original rugged landscapes; equipped
Environmental	Almost entirely with indigenous materials such as silk, cotton, bamboo or
Harmony	Wooden furniture, clay and stone decorations, all rooms perfectly embody
	Both elegance from western culture and implicitness from traditional
	Chinese culture. (from the official website)
Access to equipment	The room is provided with spring bathtub … the ecolodge is well equipped
	With all facilities in conference rooms for 40–400 people. (from official website)
Diversified leisure	Lie in the tranquil bamboo forest and relax yourself from breathing. Your
Options	Body and mind begin to revive through our professional spa’s
	comprehensive therapeutic approach.(from a brochure)
Industrial fame	(We were) granted the Best Landscape Design Award for Boutique Hotels
	In China in three consecutive years from 2009 to 2011. (from WeChat)

Figure 3. Green Attributes from the Organization’s Publicity Materials

Table 4. Green Attributes from Online Comments

Categories	Description	Themes	Subthemes	Text units	%
Tangible	Dominant qualities that can be seen or noticed by visitors in regular operations	Aesthetic	Architectural design with green materials and simple décor	34	9.71
Attributes		Values	Environmental harmony with the nature and the people	43	12.29
		Functional	Energy & waste management of minimal consumption and treatment costs	3	0.86
		Values	Infrastructure such as transport, communication that function properly and efficiently	90	25.71
			Products & food with organic labels and local features	28	8.00
			Sanitation and cleanliness beneficial to physical health	11	3.15
Intangible	Latent qualities with added values in accordance with subjective preferences	Experiential	Recreational alternatives that offer additional contact with green attractions	52	14.86
Attributes		Appeal	Staff services with friendliness and professionalism in addressing incidents	65	18.57
		Psychological	Spirituality allowing for religious or spiritual pursuits in a relaxing ambience	20	5.71
		Appeal	Reputation and fame gained through word of mouth, awards and certificates	4	1.14
Total				350	100.00

Table 5. Subtheme-related Citations from online comments

Subthemes	Citations from online comments.
Simple design and local	I love its design of primitive simplicity. The older, the stronger flavor in
Materials	Weathered wood and mudded walls over a long period of natural carving.
Shortage in	It is understandable that grass and trees are in decay in winter; however,
Environmental	The resort should not suspend its efforts in gardening. I think, for a resort
Maintenance	Like this, the environment is even more crucial than the room.
Problematic infrastructure	We had to wait a long time for hot water and then another long wait for cool water. Same problems happened to the ground heating in our room.
Controversy over energy	Our room is equipped with both air-conditioner and ground heating! And I
Management	Feel comfortable because lighting and temperature are designed to be Controlled by guests.
	Light bulbs are dim in the dark atrium and it is a hidden trip hazard.
Failure in food quality	It is right to advocate and practice a healthy diet by gathering materials
Control	Locally and cooking simply. It is nevertheless justified to offer the mixed Juice that is not extracted fresh.
Worries over healthy	We were too worried to use the herbal medicine bags in the bathtub for
Issues	Hygienic reasons. I believe we are not exceptional. I therefore suggest a Bottle of antiseptic liquid in the bathroom.
Unqualified room service	We received no feedback even when we had placed orders half an hour and Even one hour later! And no one was present even when we called the Receptionist several times that we got no electricity at night! What chaos in management!
Psychological pleasure	It was a perfect place to let free your mind. … This land is the gift from Heaven.
Reputation by word of mouth	The Crosswaters opened several years ago. Not until last year did I realize Many of my friends had visited here. I finally made it my trip, though Indeed it was remote from cities.

Table 6. Green Attributes from Site Observation

Categories	Description	Themes	Subthemes	Text units	%
Tangible	Dominant qualities that can be seen or noticed by visitors in regular operations	Aesthetic	Architectural design with green materials and simple décor	13	17.81
Attributes		Values	Environmental harmony with the nature and the people	7	9.59
		Functional	Energy & waste management of minimal consumption and treatment costs	11	15.07
		values	Infrastructure such as transport, communication that function properly and efficiently	5	6.85
			Products & food with organic labels and local features	9	12.33
			Sanitation and cleanliness beneficial to physical health	5	6.85
Intangible	Latent qualities with added values in accordance with subjective preferences	Experiential	Recreational alternatives that offer additional contact with green attractions	6	8.22
Attributes		Appeal	Staff services with friendliness and professionalism in addressing incidents	5	6.85
		Psychological	Spirituality allowing for religious or spiritual pursuits in a relaxing ambience	8	10.96
		Appeal	Reputation and fame gained through word of mouth, awards and certificates	4	5.47
Total				73	100.00

Table 7. Subtheme-related Citations from site observation

Subthemes	Citations from online comments.
Harmony with	The colors on staff uniforms are echoed with that of the overall environment,
Environment and	With green for leaves and brown for trunks, enhancing mind identity,
Human	Behavior identity and visual identity.
Efficient energy	Mini water heaters are employed in public toilets to bring comfort and
Management	Convenience, and also reduce carbon emissions from heaters of regular sizes.
	To reduce auto emission, private cars are prohibited and replaced by battery
	Cars and minivans to carry guests to and from the reception and their rooms.
Availability of local and	Part of the outdoor areas is a demo garden for organic vegetables and the
Organic products	Signs inform that meals are mainly made from locally and organically
	Produced components. Besides, the restaurant sells ecological products that
	Are labeled with local producers’ names.
Neglect of healthy	There is no obvious sign of a smoke-free area, and some guests smoke around
Concerns	The check-in counter and the swimming pool.
Spiritual fulfillment	Lotus on the pond, spacious hall, yellowish light, back with bamboo forest
	Enveloped in wet mist—what a perfect place for a Buddhist meditation sitting.
Industrial recognition	Certificates and awards are displayed in visible positions in the lobby.