A study of energy performance in 16 quality hotels in Hong Kong has been carried out and the results are reported. An average Energy Use index (EUI) based on unit floor area has been derived for hotel buildings in Hong Kong using energy consumption data for 1995. The breakdown of energy use showed that electricity dominated total energy consumption and that, on average, about one-third of total energy was used for air conditioning. A number of factors that affect the energy use in hotel buildings, such as year of construction, hotel class, etc., are reviewed. The difficulties in assessing hotel building energy performance are also discussed, and methods for adequately evaluating energy performance for hotel buildings are proposed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.