Implementing a Value-Chain-Oriented Energy Management System in a Northern Italian Hotel: Early Insights from Data-Scarce Operations

In the HORECA industry, energy use is a major operational expense and environmental impact, with lighting, heating, and cooling contributing significantly to overall spending and carbon emissions. Therefore, effective energy management is essential for both achieving stakeholder expectations about environmental responsibility and for economic viability. Despite the paucity of historical energy data, this study examines the installation of a value-chain-oriented Energy Management System (EMS) at a recently opened hotel in Northern Italy, tackling sustainability issues. The hotel was able to set baseline performance, spot early inefficiencies, and optimise energy use throughout the whole value chain by integrating a customised monitoring dashboard with the Sustainable Business Model Canvas for the HORECA sector. The strategy links social responsibility with economic and environmental results by considering both upstream and downstream players, such as local suppliers and visitor involvement, in addition to internal operations, such as climate control, intelligent lighting, and staff training. Using normalised metrics like CO₂ emissions per room night, seasonal energy peaks—particularly for winter heating demand—were contextualised to inform focused interventions within the ISO 50001 Plan-Do-Check-Act framework. A value-chain-focused EMS supports operational transparency, continuous improvement, and long-term sustainability even in data-scarce contexts, according to preliminary results. It also offers a scalable model for small and medium-sized hotels looking for integrated resource efficiency and stakeholder-aligned value creation.