ABSTRACT
The global pursuit of finding effective actions to decelerate climate change and complying with the Sustainable Development Goals has stimulated firms to seek new innovative pathways towards implementing sustainable business models. The Cayuga Ecolodge collection is a perfect example of how sustainable practices can simultaneously positively affect economic profitability, the local biodiversity and population. Combining luxury and sustainability is a challenging but essential, especially in the tourism sector. However, by implementing “integrated” models with a prime focus on innovation strategies of rescaling and redefining the eco-luxury product, Cayuga has managed to increase corporate resilience. The success story of the ecolodges is mainly due to the achievements of their corporate entrepreneurship actions aimed at optimising production processes, developing new innovative products and using local produce, staff and suppliers. This corporate entrepreneurship is in the DNA of Cayuga—constantly seeking to increase their business model's sustainability—which was accelerated during the COVID-19 lockdown. Their commitment to the local community is further reinforced by their active listening practices to employees and incorporation of special training and career promotions. Sustainability is imbued not only in their products but also in the personnel and suppliers. Even during the COVID pandemic, the firm converted the drawbacks of zero-tourism into opportunities for innovation and improvement. The new high-end eco-tourism demand has also led to the development of new products with a focus on privacy and sustainable exclusivity.
