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The purpose of this paper is to identify the importance of trade-offs between the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and creating a holistic, integrated approach.

This study uses secondary data including official reports from three companies: Accor Hotels, Scandic Hotels and Atlantica Hotels. Third party references from research sources are included.

This study concludes that companies are adopting corporate social responsibility practices focussed on stakeholders’ needs. Additionally, the general trend in the case study hotel companies is towards similar sustainability approaches though less progress is reported in addressing the more complex issues relating to SDG 8 and SDG 10 because sustainability targets are more difficult to determine, implement and measure.

The three selected companies were chosen based on location criteria. Accor has a worldwide presence whereas the other two companies could be considered as multinational companies. Scandic is a Swedish company operating in Scandinavian countries whereas Atlantica is a Cyprus-based company operating in Greece and Egypt. The contrast among the selected companies displays different considerations regarding their commitment to SDGs.

This paper aims to summarize the main contributions and practical implications arising from the theme issue with reference to 22 case examples relating to sustainable hospitality and tourism industry development and one interview-based article drawing on practitioners with expertise is the practice of adaptive re-use.

This paper reviews the contribution made by this theme issue to the question: How can sustainability and the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs) be applied to hospitality?

Through this study, it has been observed that progress has been made by hospitality firms in relation to sustainability, but additional work is needed to address the more complex issues raised by the UN’s SDGs.

A key outcome of this theme issue is that the 22 case examples and the interview-based practitioner opinion presented in this paper demonstrate that sustainability is firmly on the development agenda, and that a sense of urgency and commitment to sustainability principles has gained ground and significance.