Abstract: Tourism plays a significant role in the economic situation of Egypt and there is
growing commitment toward sustainable tourism development in Egypt. Progress has been
made toward sustainable tourism, although much more work remains to be done .
This paper focuses only on energy efficiency as one of the most important criteria of
sustainable hotels as a step towards sustainable tourism in Egypt. It summarizes the results of
energy simulation analysis to determine the effectiveness of building characteris tics in
reducing electrical energy consumption for hotel buildings in Egypt. Specifically, the impact
on building envelope performance is investigated for different strategies such as window size
(WWR), glazing type (SHGC) and building construction for two geographical locations in
Egypt (Cairo and Alexandria). The energy savings in hotel buildings with 200 rooms for
different Lighting Power Densities (LPD), Energy Input Ratios (EIR) and HVAC systems
will be analyzed showing certain findings of practical significance, e.g. that a Window-to-
Wall Ratio of 0.20 with reasonably shaded windows decrease the total annual electricity use
for hotel buildings by more than 20% in the two Egyptian locations.