Do hotels' “green” attributes contribute to customer satisfaction?

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to examine how “green” attributes contribute to hotel customers' overall satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative study helped generate a list of the attributes that contribute to overall satisfaction with hotel services. Then a Tetraclasse model, which highlights the four‐fold nature of this contribution, was used. Two hypotheses are posed. First, attributes of hotel service can be divided into four different types according to the way in which they contribute to forming satisfaction. Second, in terms of how they contribute to forming satisfaction, environmental protection initiatives can be considered “plus” attributes. Findings: The first hypothesis is rejected. For the second hypothesis, the results show that the environmental attributes were evaluated as “basic”, which means they were seen as an integral part of the service offer, rather than as differentiating criteria. Research limitations/implications: The study was based on a relatively restricted sample. Further research is needed to improve the external validity of the research. Practical implications: It is necessary to maintain a high level of performance for “green” attributes. Moreover, it would be preferable not to inform customers about environmental initiatives in order to limit the risk of being unfavorably evaluated on these attributes. It would seem worthwhile for a company to invest in service attributes that are respectful of the environment, even if they do not promote these attributes directly to the customer. Pro‐environment initiatives may also be introduced for economic reasons. Originality/value: The paper makes use of the Tetraclasse model methodology.