Can Sustainable Hotels Create Green Behaviors In Guests?
You probably walk into your hotel exhausted from your drive or flight and don’t think twice about sustainability. But hotels contribute significantly to our global energy use and creation of food and other waste.
But now, travelers are no longer just looking for a comfortable bed and a nice view; they are actively seeking out brands that align with their personal values, especially when it comes to the environment.
In fact, 87% of hotel visitors acknowledge the importance of eco-friendly accommodations, 80% identify as environmentally conscious, and 30% express a strong willingness to pay a premium for green hotel options. Gen Z has been particularly clear about their need to stay at sustainable hotels.
Environmentally friendly hotels are typically identified by a sustainable label, which signifies a commitment to minimizing waste and carbon footprints while promoting green initiatives such as recycling, energy conservation and offering eco-friendly products to support environmental preservation.
Hotels that implement environmentally friendly strategies and practices can build a strong image and reputation, leading to higher levels of customer trust and identification with the hotel’s brand. This, in turn, contributes to customer satisfaction, loyalty and a willingness to pay a premium price.
Researchers at Edith Cowan University asked the question, How exactly do these green hotels influence the travelers who stay in them? Do their efforts simply make a hotel look good, or do they genuinely inspire customers to become more environmentally conscious, both during their stay and when they talk about their trip?
To understand how a hotel’s green efforts translate into a guest’s behavior, the researchers used the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model, a fundamental framework in environmental psychology.
Stimulus (S): The external trigger. In this case, the Environmentally Friendly Hotel. This includes visible practices like eco-labels, water-saving programs, energy conservation efforts, and the use of eco-friendly products.
Organism (O): The internal reaction. This is the guest's mental and emotional processing of the stimulus, specifically focusing on the Hedonic Value and Utilitarian Value they perceive.
Response (R): The resulting behavior. This is the customer's measurable action, which the study defines as Green Patronage Intention and Green Word-of-Mouth.
The study found a clear and positive link. The mere presence of visible green practices makes guests feel emotionally better about their stay. The knowledge that the hotel is "doing the right thing" enhances their overall experience and emotional satisfaction.
The research confirmed that when a hotel's green practices are well-executed and practical—for example, providing a highly efficient water-saving showerhead—guests perceive a greater utilitarian benefit.
This is a key takeaway for hoteliers: you can’t just be green; you have to make your guests feel good and benefit from your green practices.
It’s not enough to install a low-flow toilet (Utilitarian); you also need to make the guest feel emotionally rewarded (Hedonic) for choosing a sustainable brand. These internal values are the "critical intervening organisms" that drive the final customer response.
Green Word-of-Mouth: The Power of Recommendation
Green Word-of-Mouth is defined as the customer's willingness to share positive messages about a product or brand’s environmental efforts with their friends, family, and colleagues. In the age of social media, this is one of the most valuable forms of marketing a business can get.
The findings showed a direct, positive relationship between the Stimulus and this Response: Environmentally friendly hotels have a positive influence on Green Word-of-Mouth. A guest who has a positive experience with a hotel's green practices is likely to recommend it and talk about its sustainability efforts.
Essentially, if a guest feels emotionally great and rationally satisfied by their eco-friendly stay, they are much more likely to become a loyal advocate for the hotel's green initiatives.
Green Patronage Intention: The Will to Return
Green Patronage Intention is the customer’s willingness to prioritize and support environmentally friendly businesses by choosing them over alternatives. It's the intention to return to the green hotel or choose other similar eco-conscious businesses in the future.
Interestingly, the study found that environmentally friendly hotels did not have a direct, supported influence on Green Patronage Intention. This is a crucial, counter-intuitive finding. The authors suggest that patronage intention is a more complex behavior that may require additional layers of motivation or mediating factors to fully form.
Thus, a hotel’s green practices are only effective in securing repeat business (patronage) if they successfully activate the customer’s emotional and rational value perceptions. The green practices themselves are not enough; the perceived benefit and enjoyment must be present to secure future loyalty.
The Wild Card: Environmental Concern and the Skeptical Guest
Beyond the SOR model, the researchers integrated the principles of Social Cognitive Theory to introduce a vital "personal factor": the customer’s pre-existing Environmental Concern (EC). EC is a person’s inherent awareness of environmental problems and their desire to act pro-environmentally.
Social cognitive theory argues that behavior is a result of the interplay between external factors (the hotel) and internal factors (the customer's beliefs). The study asked: does a guest’s level of environmental concern change how they perceive the hotel’s green efforts?
Environmental Concern significantly moderated the relationship between the environmentally friendly hotel and the perceived values. The key finding was that customers with stronger environmental concern experienced less hedonic and utilitarian value from environmentally friendly hotels.
What does this mean? It suggests that highly environmentally conscious consumers may approach a hotel’s green claims with greater skepticism or caution. They are less easily impressed by basic initiatives.
For a guest with very high EC, a simple towel reuse program might be viewed as a cost-cutting measure, not an act of heroism, thereby lessening the perceived value. This group demands deeper, more credible, and transparent sustainability efforts. This is a powerful, novel finding that was previously unexplored in hospitality literature.
What Should Hotels Do Now?
Don't Just Be Green, Show the Value: Hotels must shift from seeing sustainability as just an operational requirement to seeing it as a customer value driver. Design your green programs to maximize both emotional (Hedonic) and rational (Utilitarian) value.
Focus on the Journey to Loyalty: Green practices directly influence word-of-mouth, but only indirectly guarantee repeat business (patronage) by creating positive value perceptions. Therefore, successful hotels must ensure their green initiatives are seamless and delightful.
Address the Skeptics: For the highly environmentally concerned guest, basic green efforts are not enough. Hoteliers should communicate the credibility of their initiatives—perhaps through external eco-labels, specific measurable targets, and verifiable certifications—to overcome skepticism and convert caution into loyalty.
