The hospitality industry plays a vital role in global economies, offering unique experiences and generating substantial revenue. However, its rapid growth has raised concerns about its impact on the environment, local communities, and cultural heritage. As a result, the concept of sustainability has gained significant attention in the industry, with a growing emphasis on responsible practices and sustainable development. In order to validate and promote their sustainable practices, businesses in the hospitality industry can choose to adopt green certifications as way to attract customers and improve their sustainable efforts. Hospitality businesses have a number of stakeholders, such as managers, employees or customers, who are involved differently in the implementation of sustainable practices. These stakeholders have distinct roles in shaping the industry and its sustainability efforts.

The aim of this qualitative research is to understand the hospitality stakeholders’ perceptions of sustainability and how they can influence the adoption of green certifications and the sustainable development. As such the research question was: How do stakeholders’ perceptions of sustainability influence the decisions that small hospitality enterprises make about sustainable practices? And how do these perceptions influence the implementation and success of green certifications? The researcher aimed to answer this research question by conducting 9 mini case studies of small hospitality enterprises in France involved in sustainable tourism. The data was collected through interviews and online documentation.

Through this study, three forms of perceptions of sustainability were identified: economic sustainability, social and community value, and environmental ethics. The findings show that the predominant perception that drives the SHEs is environmental ethics.