International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

International Journal of Hospitality Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhm

Original Research Article

Why should hotels go green? Insights from guests experience in green hotels T
a a a b,⁎
Roberto Merli , Michele Preziosi , Alessia Acampora , Faizan Ali
a
Department of Business Studies, Roma Tre University, Via Silvio D’Amico, 77, 00145, Roma, Italy
b
College of Hospitality & Tourism Leadership, University of South Florida Sarasota – Manatee, Sarasota, FL, 34243, USA

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Over the last years, the lodging industry started to implement a wide spectrum of green practices to mitigate its
Eco-label pressure on the environment and to respond to the growing consumers’ environmental concerns. Recently,
Green hotels scholar’s attention to guest perception of hotels green practices has been grown. This paper through a PLS-SEM
Green practices analysis, presents the results of a survey targeted to the guests of an ecolabel-awarded hotel, investigating how
PLS-SEM
consumers perceive the actions implemented by hotels to reduce their environmental impacts. The study pro-
Customer satisfaction
vides hotel managers with insights from guests staying in green hotels. The main objectives are to explore how
Behavioral intentions
guests perceive “green hotel” practices and to test the relationship between guest perceptions of hotel green
practices and behavioral intentions. Additionally, the impact of green practices in determining a specific loyalty
towards green hotels has been tested. Finally, the study investigates the role of guest satisfaction as a mediator
for guest loyalty. Results of this study supported the research hypotheses showing that customers positively
recognize the hotels’ environmental commitment, with a significant influence on guest satisfaction and loyalty.
Findings also suggest that guest who experienced the stay in a green hotel are more likely to develop a specific
loyalty toward the hotels implementing green practices. Implications, limitations and future lines of research are
also provided.

1. Introduction success of the tourism industry in the long-term is strictly linked to its
capacity to manage environmental sustainability issues (Bramwell and
The tourism sector is one of the world’s largest industry, con- Lane, 2008). Therefore, addressing sustainability has become a major
tributing to 10.4% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and a key concern for the industry, policy makers and consumers (Lee et al.,
enabler of economic development globally. Tourism is a trillion-dollar 2011).
industry, driving the 7% of global exports and proving approximately 1 Increased pressure on the environment also come from to the ac-
in 10 of all jobs (WTTC, 2018). On the other hand, tourism activities commodation sector, responsible for roughly 20% of the tourism
strongly impacts on the environment, contributing not only to en- emissions. This sector has been the forerunner of corporate social re-
vironmental degradation but also to the raising of greenhouse gases sponsibility (CSR) practices in the tourism sector. Since decades, has
(GHG) emissions associated with the sector (Pang et al., 2013). Tourism been applying green practices, starting to consider environmental re-
account for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Lenzen et al., lated aspects of the service as a pillar in its operations (Han et al., 2018;
2018). The study of Lenzen et al. (2018) found that, between 2009 and Park and Kim, 2014; Wang et al., 2018). Hotels are the primary form of
2013, tourism's annual global carbon footprint increased from 3.9 to accommodation and one of the most important sectors of the travel and
4.5 bn tons of CO2 equivalent. Additionally, forecasts indicate that the tourism industry, but they are also a major energy and water-intensive
tourism industry is becoming more energy, freshwater, land and food sector in their day to day operations (Han et al., 2018; Verma and
intense, and within 25–45 years tourism resources use will double Chandra, 2016). These aspects are posing serious environmental and
(Gossling and Peeters, 2015). Climate change and tourism are closely reputational problems to hotels managers. Nowadays consumers are
interrelated. While the tourism sector massively contributes to green- increasingly aware of these issues and are demanding “green con-
house gas emissions, mostly related to transportation, it also faces sciousness” in hotels operation management (Yi et al., 2018). Hoteliers
profound impacts from global warming being one of the most vulner- are adapting to these “green wave” providing ecofriendly attributes to
able industries to environmental degradation and climate change their services and transforming their business in “green hotels” or
(Gossling and Peeters, 2015; Smith, 1990). Considering this aspect, the “environmentally friendly hotels” (Verma and Chandra, 2016). Green

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: faizanali@mail.usf.edu (F. Ali).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.04.022
Received 5 November 2018; Received in revised form 26 April 2019; Accepted 26 April 2019
Available online 22 May 2019
0278-4319/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

hotels can be defined as: “pro-environmental lodging properties which in influencing hotel guest overall satisfaction, loyalty, and loyalty to-
implement different green practices such as saving water and energy, redu- ward green hotels. The model proposed introduces two distinct con-
cing the solid waste, and recycling and reusing the durable service items (e.g., ceptualization of guest loyalty. The first refer to the loyalty to the hotel
bins, towels, etc.) to protect the earth we live in” (Green Hotel Association, that guest have experienced, while the second aims to identify guest
2012; Han et al., 2009; Kim and Han, 2010). revisit intentions and word of mouth towards the general category of
Consumers growing attention toward environmental issue and sus- “green hotel”. Therefore, the investigation also intends to evaluate if a
tainability has fostered hoteliers to transform their business im- positive experience in a green hotel will also contribute to generate a
plementing green practices in hospitality management. This is a great specific green loyalty for this peculiar hotel category (Martínez García
opportunity for hotel managers to exploit this differentiation factor in de Leaniz, 2015; Martínez García de Leaniz et al., 2017; Wang et al.,
the market (Cronin et al., 2011; Dodds and Holmes, 2016). Therefore 2018). Moreover, it investigates the role of guest satisfaction as a sig-
green activities have a strategic value for companies, and not only re- nificant mediator for guest loyalty. Results of the study offer interesting
present the "right thing to do" but "the smart thing to do" to succeed in findings both to hospitality research, industry practitioners and hote-
the marketplace (Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006). Considering the de- liers. The research contributes to understanding the role of guest per-
velopments in the hospitality industry, going green is becoming an ef- ceived performance of environmentally friendly practices in de-
fective strategy to boost hotels competitiveness and gaining market termining guests’ positive behavioral intentions. Next, it offers insight
share acquiring sustainability-sensitive guest segments (Merli et al., from guest experiences in green hotels helping to figure out if, by ex-
2018; Verma and Chandra, 2018; Yi et al., 2018). This means gaining periencing a green hotel, consumers develop positive word of mouth
and keeping guest that have a positive attitude toward hotels im- and revisit intention toward the eco-label certified hotels. The output of
plementing a wide spectrum of green practices, such as waste recycling, the study also assists hotel managers engaged with these types of in-
energy and water savings, and certification standards (Berezan et al., itiatives to understand if efforts made toward sustainability have posi-
2013a; Hsiao et al., 2014; Xu and Gursoy, 2015). As a consequence, tive returns with respect to guest behavioral intentions.
several definitions of green practices in the hospitality context have After this introduction, in Section 2 the paper analyzes the theore-
been proposed. Kim et al. (2017a,b) define them as “a value-added tical background of the study and presents the research hypotheses. In
business strategy that benefits a hospitality operation that engages in en- Section 3 are outlined the survey design and the measurement scales,
vironmental protection initiatives” (p. 236), embracing the evidence that data collection and methods of data analysis. Section 4 illustrates the
are commercially-driven actions that provide both financial and com- findings of the study. Next, Section 5 provides discussion, implications,
mercial added value while reducing environmental impact (Kim et al., limitations and outlook of the study.
2017a). Therefore, in order to be economically valuable, green in-
itiatives have to reduce operational cost and create perceived value for 2. Literature and hypotheses development
costumers (Robinot and Giannelloni, 2010). Scholars have dedicated
numerous studies to explore the role of hotel green practices in de- 2.1. The influence of green practices on customer satisfaction
termining guest behavioral intentions (Gao et al., 2016). Showing that
hotel commitment towards sustainability is a significant determinant of The relationship between service attributes and customer satisfac-
guest satisfaction (Gao and Mattila, 2014; Martínez García de Leaniz tion in lodging industries have been widely debated by scholars
et al., 2017; Robinot and Giannelloni, 2010; Xu and Gursoy, 2015; (Albayrak and Caber, 2015; Anderson and Mittal, 2000). However,
Yusof et al., 2015). Additionally, guest awareness of hotel CSR prac- more efforts should be done to deeper explore the relation between eco-
tices, if properly implemented, can also determine guest increased friendly hotels attributes and guests’ satisfaction (Han et al., 2011; Le
loyalty and willingness to pay a premium price for their stay at the et al., 2018; Yusof et al., 2017). Customer satisfaction is considered a
“Green hotel” (Kang et al., 2012; Lee et al., 2010; Teng et al., 2012). crucial element to sustain competitive business (Nash et al., 2006). It is
However, the relationship between stated intentions and actual beha- also a critical indicator in evaluating firms’ performances (Kassinis and
vior is not straightforward (Kim et al., 2017a) and is strictly influenced Soteriou, 2003; Oliver, 1993) and financial success (Anderson et al.,
by what consumers can observe of the firm’s CSR efforts (Wang et al., 1994). It may be defined as a cognitive process that compares customer
2017). experience and its initial reference base (Xu and Gursoy, 2015), re-
One way for the hotels to demonstrate to guest their commitment to sulting a feeling of pleasure or disappointment from comparing a pro-
go green is adopting environmental certifications, such as ecolabels duct’s perceived performance in relation to expectation (Cronin et al.,
(Gössling and Buckley, 2016; Martínez García de Leaniz et al., 2017). 2000; Oliver, 1981, 1993, 1977). This consideration is crucial in eval-
However, even certified hotels adopt different approaches towards the uating the role of green practices on guest satisfaction. As said before,
environment, regarding its effective integration in the hotel general guest are more than ever expecting the implementation of sustainable
management, leading to different levels of environmental performance action in hotel management (Berezan et al., 2013b; Robinot and
improvement (Bonilla Priego et al., 2011). Among a large spectrum of Giannelloni, 2010). In fact, Robinot and Giannelloni (2010) find that
voluntary environmental management tools, third party certified eco- hotel environmental attributes are evaluated by guests as “basic fac-
labels stand out due to their capacity to inform guest and to the trust- tors” constituting an integral part of the service. However, other au-
worthiness ensured by third-party certification process (Geerts, 2014). thors suggest that this attribute may represent “facilitating attributes”
Nevertheless, the success of ecolabels depends on guest perception and that can contribute to guest excitement (Slevitch et al., 2013). Bruns-
behavior intention, and on the willingness to collaborate with the hotel smith et al. (2015) showed that even though the connection between
in the improvement of environmental performance (Ayuso, 2007; Penz green practices and guest satisfaction is lower when considering core
et al., 2017). attributes, they do not reduce satisfaction if not implemented. Con-
Eco-labels, together with Environmental Management Systems sidering this aspect, to contribute to customer satisfaction green attri-
(EMS), have been proven to be the most effective in reducing compa- butes should be provided together with core attributes delivered
nies’ negative impact on the environment and to communicate hotel’s without failure (Kassinis and Soteriou, 2015; Manaktola and Jauhari,
efforts toward sustainability (Ayuso, 2007; Tepelus and Córdoba, 2007). The significance of the relationship between green practices and
2005). Therefore, the starting point for the identification of green hotel satisfaction has been tested and confirmed by scholars in the context of
practices of this study is the “Legambiente Turismo” eco-label, which is hotel industry (Ham and Han, 2013; Merli et al., 2018; Prud’homme
the most diffused Italian green lodging program (Legambiente, 2017). and Raymond, 2013; Xu and Gursoy, 2015; Yusof et al., 2017). Others,
The main goal of the study is to evaluate how hotel guests perceive instead, find out that eco-friendly attributes moderates the relationship
green hotel practices; and to verify if green practices are determinants between service quality and customer satisfaction (Lee et al., 2018).

170
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

Some authors, also tested the relevance of different green practices on marketer because it is generally assumed to be a significant determinant
satisfaction (Berezan et al., 2013a; Gao and Mattila, 2014; Han et al., of repeat sales, positive word of mouth, and customer loyalty.
2018). Thus, this paper tests the impact of hotel eco-friendly practices In hospitality research this positive link is often remarked
on customer satisfaction in hotels. The subsequent hypothesis is tested: (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2003; Kassinis and Soteriou, 2015; Kim
et al., 2013). In relation to the implementation of sustainable practices
H1. Hotel environmental practices positively influence guest satisfaction with
in green hotels, recent studies shows a connection between guest sa-
the hotel.
tisfaction for green hotel and guest loyalty (Gallarza and Saura, 2006;
Gao et al., 2016; Merli et al., 2018; Prud’homme and Raymond, 2013;
2.2. The influence of environmental practices on customer loyalty Xu and Gursoy, 2015). In particular, Wang et al. (2018) found that
guest satisfaction is positively related to their intention to recommend
There is a great debate over the meaning of customer loyalty. green hotels, the so called Word-of-Mouth (WOM). Also Martínez
According to Oliver (1997) this construct is defined as “a deeply held García de Leaniz (2015) study confirms that guests tend to develop
commitment to rebuy or re-patronize a preferred product or service greater levels of loyalty toward a the green hotel when they are satisfied
consistently in the future, despite situational influences and marketing with the green hotel performance. Additionally, guest satisfaction has
efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior” (Oliver, 1997, been proved also as a significant antecedents for both WOM and re-
p. 392). Loyalty may be split into behavioral loyalty and attitudinal visiting intentions (Ramseook-Munhurrun et al., 2015). This evidence,
loyalty. The first refer to repeated transaction over the time. The latter provided by previous literature, is thus tested with the following hy-
refer to an emotional link, that also generate a positive word of mouth pothesis:
(Martínez and Rodríguez del Bosque, 2013; Saleem and Raja, 2014).
H4. Guest satisfaction is a significant antecedent of guest loyalty toward the
Even though there is no common agreement on what generates loyalty
hotel.
(Mason et al., 2006), these two aspects of loyalty should be considered
in hospitality research (Han et al., 2011). In sustainability management As in the above discussed hypothesis (H3), this paper aims at ex-
of hotels to improve guest loyalty is pivotal in assuring hotel long-term amining also the effect of customer satisfaction on loyalty toward the
success (Han et al., 2018). general category of green hotels. The concept of “green loyalty” has
In literature green practices in hospitality industries has been found been introduced by Martínez García de Leaniz (2015) that defined it as
as mean to improve customer loyalty (Chen and Tung, 2014; Gao et al., the “consumer commitment to repurchase or otherwise continue using a
2016; Kim and Han, 2010; Yusof et al., 2015). In particular, scholars green brand”. In this study guest satisfaction has been found as pivotal
studied both the relation of sustainable practices on word-of-mouth constructs for understanding consumer behavioral intentions. Particu-
(Han et al., 2009; Lita et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2018; Xu and Li, 2016) larly, Martínez García de Leaniz (2015) founds that guest satisfaction
and revisit intention (Hashim et al., 2013; Kim et al., 2017b; Njite and positively influence guest green loyalty. Consistent with these findings,
Schaffer, 2017). Additionally, guest perception of green practices are Han and Kim (2010) suggested that the efforts made by hotel managers
significant contributors to the hotel green image that enhances guest to increase customer satisfaction will influence their post-purchase
loyalty for green hotels (Martínez García de Leaniz, 2015; Martínez decision-making process. In fact, they found guest satisfaction posi-
García de Leaniz et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2018).Thus, the paper tests tively associated to guest predisposition in revisiting a green hotel (Han
the following hypothesis: and Kim, 2010). Considering this previous literature, the model pro-
posed tests if customer satisfaction influence guests to develop loyalty
H2. Hotel environmental practices positively influence guest loyalty toward
toward a green hotel:
the hotel.
H5. Guest satisfaction is a significant antecedent of guest loyalty toward
Scholars’ investigations identify a positive relationship between
green hotels.
environmental practices and guest loyalty, as greater customer will-
ingness to return and positive word of mouth. These results lead to the
emergence of a more specific consideration: do environmental practices
2.4. The mediation effect of customer satisfaction on loyalty
contribute to generate a specific loyalty toward green hotels? According
to Han and Kim (2010) green practices have a positive influence on
Previous investigations have shown that the perceived quality of
guests’ revisit intention, suggesting that hoteliers should find efficient
service influence customer loyalty by means of satisfaction, that has a
strategies to communicate their environmental friendly initiatives (Han
mediator role for behavioral intentions (Cronin et al., 2000; Ekinci,
and Kim, 2010). Others scholars, investigating consumer eco-friendly
2003). In the field of tourism, customer satisfaction is often identified as
attitudes, have found that firms’ level of responsibility toward the en-
a mediator between service quality and loyalty (Bradley and Sparks,
vironment significantly boosts hotel guests’ intentions to visit a green
2012; Ekinci, 2003; He and Song, 2008; Mohamad et al., 2014;
hotel and to engage word of mouth in favor of green hotels (Han et al.,
Ramseook-Munhurrun et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2007). The mediation role
2011). Considering the previous discussion, this paper test weather a
is also highlighted in studies dealing specifically with hospitality (Al-
hotel with a higher rate of commitment toward green practices will lead
Rousan and Abuamoud, 2013; Olorunniwo et al., 2006; Osman and
guests to experience greater loyalty toward green hotels. Thus, the
Sentosa, 2013; Wilkins et al., 2009). Considering the context of green
following hypothesis is formulated:
hotels, the paper also aims at testing if customer satisfaction acts as a
H3. Hotel environmental practices positively influence guest loyalty toward mediator between environmental practices and loyalty toward green
green hotels. hotels. This hypothesis have been successfully tested in investigations
dealing with sustainability practices in the hotel industry (Han and
Kim, 2010; Xu and Gursoy, 2015). Given the relevance of the mediation
2.3. The influence of customer satisfaction on loyalty
role of customer satisfaction the following hypotheses are presented:
Customer satisfaction is a pivotal concept for firms to survive and H6. Guest satisfaction mediates the relationship between hotel
compete in the market but also to understand consumer behavior (Fen environmental practices and guest loyalty toward the hotel.
and Lian, 2007; Han and Kim, 2010). There is general consensus that
H7. Guest satisfaction mediates the relationship between hotel
customer satisfaction is an antecedent of customer loyalty (Boulding
environmental practices and guest loyalty toward green hotels.
et al., 1993; Lee, 2009; Martínez and Rodríguez del Bosque, 2013). Fen
and Lian (2007) study shows that satisfaction is important to the Fig. 1 shows the theoretical model tested in the analysis.

171
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

Fig. 1. Theoretical Model.

3. Research methods 3.2. Data collection

3.1. Survey design After receiving the approval of the managers, 500 questionnaires
were sent to the hotel. The hotel staff, once trained and informed about
The research was carried out through a survey, by the means of a the research, were invited to distribute the questionnaire to all hotel
questionnaire. The questionnaire was built with a three-step approach. guests during check-out process. The survey was conducted during
First, the measurement scales were identified through a literature re- summer, this season is the most appropriate as it is the period of
view. Next, the list of items obtained was skimmed with semi-structured greatest influx of guests, as the hotel is in a seaside location in Italy. A
interviews conducted with a panel of 10 managers of hotels awarded total of 366 filled questionnaires were collected. 31 cases were excluded
with the Legambiente Turismo eco-label. Results of this step allowed to because incomplete or otherwise unusable (Bastič and Gojčič, 2012;
drop redundant items, reduce the number of items and improve the Han et al., 2011). Eventually, 325 questionnaires were usable and
semantic comprehensibility and clarity. Then, 30 hotel guests were employed for the subsequent analysis. The minimum sample size in
chosen as random sample for the pretest to assess the suitability of the PLS-SEM should be ten times the largest number of structural paths
questionnaire as an instrument of measurement (Castellanos-Verdugo directed at a specific latent construct. As shown in Table 2, the largest
et al., 2015). Results of this phase are minor changes on wording of number of indicators in the measurement model for one construct is
sentences to improve readability and clarity of the questions. Finally, ten. Therefore, the sample satisfies the required threshold (Hair et al.,
the questionnaire was reviewed and finalized by authors. In its final 2011).
version, the questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first section
aimed at measuring guests’ perceptions about hotel environmental
3.3. Data analysis
practices, and was composed of 10 items adopted from previous studies
(Bastič and Gojčič, 2012; Berezan et al., 2013a; Kassinis and Soteriou,
To estimate the structural equation models and to test hypothesis
2015; Levy and Park, 2011; Prud’homme and Raymond, 2013; To et al.,
PLS-SEM modeling was chosen (Wold, 1982). PLS-SEM is a “regression-
2015; Wu et al., 2013; Yusof et al., 2014). The environmental attributes
based” approach that minimizes the residual variances of the en-
were also integrated with specific requirements that the hotel must
dogenous constructs (Hair et al., 2011). Variance-based SEM was pre-
satisfy to obtain the Legambiente Turismo eco-label, if such items were
ferred over covariance-based SEM (Jöreskog, 1978), as it well-suits the
not identified in previous studies. Guests’ evaluation of hotel environ-
characteristics of the investigation and the nature of the collected data
mental attributes was measured with a Likert-type scale ranging from 1
(Hair et al., 2014a,b). This choice was made firstly because of the ex-
(poor performance) to 7 (excellent performance). The second section
plorative nature of the study. Second, as measures were developed with
consisted of six items to measure guest’ overall satisfaction, loyalty
a Likert scale, data have a non-normal data distribution. PLS does not
toward the hotel, and loyalty toward green hotels. The two items
require any normality assumptions and handles non-normal distribu-
measuring the overall satisfaction were retrieved from the study of Lai
tions relatively well (Ali et al., 2018; Hair et al., 2011). Finally, PLS
and Hitchcock (2016, 2015). Measures of loyalty, expressed as revisit
works well with the mediation analysis that is presented in this paper
intention and word of mouth were shaped on Chi (2011) and Xu and
(Ali et al., 2018; Chin, 1998). SmartPLS (V.3.2.6) software was em-
Gursoy (2015). Finally, to investigate loyalty toward green hotels, the
ployed to build models and assess their validity (Ringle et al., 2015).
scale was adapted from the studies conducted by Han et al. (2011) and
Han and Kim (2010). Both satisfaction and loyalty were measured on a
Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). In 4. Results
the final section, guests’ demographic information (age, gender, dura-
tion of the stay, type of trip), awareness of the hotel eco-label and This section presents the results of the analysis. First, information on
previous experience with a green hotel were included (Han et al., the main characteristics of respondents, type of traveler and purpose of
2011). Table 2 presents the measurement scales, with items mean va- stay, guest information on the eco-label are provided (Section 4.1).
lues and standard deviation (scale 1–7). Next, validity and reliability analysis of the measurement model are
tested (Section 4.2). Finally, the hypotheses developed in Section 2 are
tested through the structural models (Section 4.3).

172
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

4.1. Hotel characteristics and profile of respondents 4.2. The measurement model evaluation

The hotel under investigation is certified with the Legambiente The first step of the analysis consisted in the analysis of the re-
Turismo Ecolabel, and in 2014 has won the Legambiente Turismo prize lationship between constructs and indicators to empirically assess the
as best tourist structure for the activities dedicated to the natural en- measurement model type and to evaluate constructs’ reflective or for-
vironment and for the workshops offered to the young guests. The mative nature (Diamantopoulos and Siguaw, 2006; Gudergan et al.,
three-star hotel is located in the natural park of the “Delta del Po”, 2008; Hair et al., 2014a,b; Klarner et al., 2013). Following the guide-
recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and just a few min- lines of Hair et al. (2014a,b) as well as Jarvis et al. (2003) reflective
utes from the beaches. The hotel implements a variety of green prac- constructs was chosen (Hair et al., 2013). This decision was mainly due
tices such as: to the following considerations: indicators have been conceived as
manifestations of the construct; indicators shared a common theme;
• houses designed with the idea of bio-architecture, limited height, dropping an indicator does not alter the conceptual domain of the
with green roofs for a low environmental impact; construct. To validate this choice, an empirical testing of the theoretical
• most of the water in the village is heated and powered by solar assumptions by means of confirmatory tetrad analysis (CTA-PLS) was
panels; also performed (see Appendix A1). This analysis, which allows to em-
• low energy consumption lamps used in all areas of the village; pirically distinguishing a formative measurement model specification
• separate waste collection with ecological areas available to custo- from a reflective one, confirmed the reflective nature of the constructs
mers at strategic points of the structure; (Gudergan et al., 2008).
• information and suggestions in the room to increase guests aware- Subsequently, a two-step analytical procedure was followed, with
ness for a lower energy consumption, paper material services and the assessment of the measurement model followed by the structural
information leaflets made of recycled paper, eco-friendly courtesy model assessment. The measurement model evaluates that all the
service; considered constructs are correctly measured through the indicators
• cleaning products with certified quality; (Klarner et al., 2013), and it must be assessed for its reliability and
• use of km0 food and an important partner of projects at European validity. Table 2 shows indicators outer loadings for each construct. For
level such as Ecorutour and the "menu that leaves no imprint"; three of them (Satisfaction; Guest loyalty towards the hotel; Guest
• use of electric vehicles for the maintenance inside the village and for loyalty towards green hotels) indicators’ outer loadings are well above
the safari in the owned farm; the 0.7 threshold, commonly considered as highly satisfactory for the
• environmental workshops on eco-sustainable tourism measurement of indicator reliability (Ali et al, 2018). Considering the
• Orienteering and Cyclo-tourism activities available to guests. Green practices construct, five indicators have outer loadings below this
threshold. Nevertheless, these indicators have been retained for three
Table 1 summarizes the demographic profiles of the respondents. reasons. First, they strongly contribute to the content validity of the
Roughly 70% of respondents were male, while females were 30.7%. model, as they belong to the specific set of environmental practices
Most respondents were in the age range 18–29 (34.8%) and 30–39 required to be awarded with the eco-label (Hair et al., 2011; Hair et al.,
(35.7%), whilst only 6.2% aged over 60. Almost a half of respondents 2014a,b). Second, the AVE values for the constructs were higher than
were travelling with family (46.5%), 23% with friends, 18% as single, 0.5. Finally, indicators’ composite reliability is well above the 0.7
and 11% in couple. The majority was staying at the hotel for leisure threshold and the elimination of these indicators do not lead to a sub-
(72.7%), while 23.3% for business purposes. Considering the nights of stantial decrease of composite reliability (Cornwell, 2001; Hair et al.,
stay, the majority stayed at the hotel 1–2 nights (35.1%), 34.2% 6–10 2011; Memon and Rahman, 2014).
nights, 17.2% 3–5 nights and 13.5% over 10 nights. For all constructs, converged validity was tested thought the
Table 1 provides an overview on guest information on the Le- average variance extracted (AVE), ranging from 0.52 to 0.92 passing
gambiente Turismo eco-label. Only one third (30.7%) of guests were the threshold value of 0.5 (Hair et al., 2014a,b). Results shows that
aware that the hotel is awarded with the eco-label. Of them, 55.9% internal consistency reliability for all constructs is adequate. Particu-
acquired this information during the staying, while 44.1% knew it be- larly, Table 2 shows that in the model the Cronbach's α values range
fore the visit. Eventually, guests were asked about previous experiences from 0.89 to 0.92 and the Composite reliability (CR) values range from
in tourism accommodations with eco-label or other environmental 0.90 to 0.96, exceeding the threshold value (0.7).
certification. Over 80% of the guests were not aware if they have stayed Next, the discriminant validity was assessed. Table 3 shows that the
in an accommodation of this type. square root of each AVE (shown on the diagonal) is greater than the
related inter-construct correlations in the construct correlation matrix,
indicating adequate discriminant validity for all of the reflective

Table 1
Demographics.
Variable Range Percentage Variable Range Percentage

Gender Female 30.7% Purpose of stay Leisure 72.7%

Male 69.3% Business 27.3%

Age 18–29 34.8% Nights of stay 1-2 35.1%

30–39 35.7% 3–5 17.2%
40–49 22.4% 6–10 34.2%
50–59 5.9% over 10 13.5%
over 60 1.2% Hotel Eco-label awareness Yes 30.7%

Type of traveler Single 18.9% No 69.3%

Couple 11.6% Hotel Eco-label awareness before visit Yes 44.1%
Family 46.5% No 55.9%
Friends 23.0% Other experience in eco-label hotel Yes 17.4%
No 82.6%

173
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

Table 2
Measurement model evaluation results.
Constructs/Indicators Mean St. dev. Loading

Green practices (Env_perf) α = 0.895; CR = 0.905; AVE = 0.526; rho_A = 0.905

Organic or seasonal food are available for breakfast 6.01 0.99 0.672
The hotel implements water and energy saving practices (e.g. new linen only when necessary) 6.02 0.88 0.578
The hotel tries to avoid disposable or single-dose products 5.87 0.95 0.662
In the hotel separated waste collection is available 6.10 0.93 0.487
The hotel informs the guests about the good environmental practices implemented 5.86 1.08 0.843
The hotel provides its guests with information on how they can contribute to reduce the hotel’s environmental impact 5.79 1.19 0.819
The hotel provides its guests with information on the environmental and cultural activities available in the area 5.96 1.17 0.863
The hotel provides information on public transportation 5.87 1.18 0.807
The hotel provides its guests bicycles for free or for rent 6.34 1.02 0.644
The hotel uses environmental certified or green labeled products (e.g. toiletry products, paper) 5.90 0.96 0.779
Guest satisfaction (Sat) α = 0.921; CR = 0.962; AVE = 0.926; rho_A = 0.922
I am satisfied with my experience in this hotel 6.06 0.80 0.959
My expectations have been satisfied 6.03 0.79 0.966
Guest loyalty towards the hotel (Loy) α = 0.893; CR = 0.949; AVE = 0.903; rho_A = 0.893
I would come back again in this hotel 5.90 1.04 0.948
I would recommend this hotel in the future 5.91 0.95 0.953
Guest loyalty toward green hotels (Loy_env) α = 0.903; CR = 0.954; AVE = 0.911; rho_A = 0.904
I would come back in a hotel that implements good environmental practices 5.86 0.93 0.955
I would recommend a hotel that implements good environmental practices 5.90 0.88 0.954

α = Cronbach’s Alpha; CR = Composite reliability; AVE = Average Variance Extracted: Rho_A = reliability coefficient.

Table 3 validity issues in variance-based SEM. All values of the HTMT are below
Fornell-Larcker discriminant validity criteria. the suggested 0.9 threshold (Table 4), suggesting a relevant relationship
1 2 3 4 between indicators and constructs (Henseler et al., 2015).
The measurement model assessment showed the reliability and va-
Green practices 0.725 lidity of constructs measures. Thus, next section aims to test the hy-
Guest loyalty towards the hotel 0.506 0.950
potheses developed in Section 2 through the structural models’ eva-
Guest loyalty towards green hotels 0.441 0.593 0.955
Guest satisfaction 0.524 0.733 0.583 0.963
luation.

Table 4 4.3. Assessment of the structural model

HTMT discriminant validity criteria.
For path analysis and to test the structural model and research hy-
1 2 3 4
potheses SmartPLS version 3.0 was used. Applying the bootstrapping
Green practices procedure with 5.000 iterations the statistical significance of the path
Guest loyalty towards the hotel 0.563 coefficients was examined. Additionally, following the recent guide-
Guest loyalty towards green hotels 0.490 0.660 lines of Henseler et al. (2015) that suggest applying the standardized
Guest satisfaction 0.578 0.808 0.639
root mean square residual (SRMR) as the only approximate model fit
criterion, a SRMR value of 0,060 was calculated for our model, in-
constructs. Discriminant validly was also assessed with the Hetero- dicating a more than adequate model fit. A value of 0 for SRMR would
trait–Monotrait ratio (HTMT) that has a high power in detecting indicate a perfect fit, and generally, an SRMR value less than 0.08 is
recommended to be adequate for PLS path models. The structural

Fig. 2. Structural Model.

174
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

model examines the relationships in terms of weights and magnitudes Table 6

between the endogenous and exogenous latent variables in the model Summary of mediating effect test.
(Hair et al., 2011). Fig. 2 provides a graphical description of the tested Total effect Direct effect Indirect VAF Mediation
model. The core criteria to evaluate the structural model are the path effect
coefficient significance level (β), the coefficient of determination (R2),
Env_perf → Loy 0.506*** 0.168*** 0.337*** 0.668 66.80%
and cross-validated redundancy (Q2) (Hair et al., 2014a,b). A t-statistic
Env_perf → 0.441*** 0.188*** 0.254*** 0.575 57.50%
was obtained through a bootstrapping procedure with 5000 resamples, Loy_env
to evaluate the significance of path coefficients and estimate the stan-
dard error in the proposed models. The p-values generated by the *** Significance level at 99.9% (p-value < 0.01).
bootstrapping allow to accept or reject the hypotheses, testing the
significance of the relationship among constructs. R2 represent the ef- defines a complementary partial mediation (Nitzl and Roldán, 2016).
fect of the exogenous constructs on endogenous construct and measures The significance of total, direct and indirect effects are tested using a
the predictive accuracy of the model. PLS-SEM objective is to maximize bootstrap procedure with 5000 resample and a 95% confidence in-
the R2 value that ranges between 0 and 1. Values below 0.25 indicate a terval. Eventually, the Variance Accounted For (VAF) evaluates the
weak accuracy, below 0.50 a moderate accuracy, and below 0.75 a strength of the mediation (Helm et al., 2010). VAF varies between 0 and
substantial predictive accuracy. The Stone-Geisser’s Q² values are ob- 100%, with values above 80% indicating full mediation, between 20
tained through a blindfolding procedure to evaluate the predictive re- and 80% partial mediation, and below 20% no mediation effect. The
levance of the exogenous constructs on endogenous constructs. Values VAF (see Eq.(2)) determines the size of the indirect effect in relation to
below 0 ensure the model predictive relevance. The bootstrapping the total effect (Hair et al., 2014a,b).
procedure indicates that all path coefficients are significant with a
axb
confidence interval of 95%, thus all the hypotheses H1, H2, H3, H4, and VAF =
a x b + c' (2)
H5 are accepted. The predictive accuracy of the model is confirmed by
the Q2 and R2 values. The model explains 55.7% of Guest loyalty to- Table 6 shows that direct and indirect effect between Env_perf and
wards the hotel variance, 36.5% of Guest loyalty towards green hotels Loy, and Env_perf and Loy_env are significant. Therefore, hypothesis
and 27.4% of Guest satisfaction (Table 5). H4a and H4b are accepted, as Sat is a mediator for the two relation-
Next, effect sizes were assessed. To evaluate the magnitude of the ships. The VAF indicates that Sat is a partial mediator of both Loy (VAF
relationship between the latent variables, showing how much an exo- 0.668) and Loy_env (0.575).
genous latent variable contributes to an endogenous latent variable’s R2
value (Wong, 2013). Following Cohen (1988) guidelines (0.02 for small 5. Discussion, implications, limitations and future outlook
effect, 0.15 for medium effect, and 0.35 for large effect) the effect size
was measured and reported in Table 5 (Hair et al., 2014a, b). The study investigates the impact of hotel green attributes on guest’s
perceptions. First, it studies the existence of a direct significant re-
4.4. Testing the mediation effect lationship between hotel green attributes and customer satisfaction,
loyalty and loyalty toward green hotels. Specifically the research re-
To estimate the role of Satisfaction as mediator of Loyalty (towards veals (1) a significant relation between hotel environmental practices
hotel and towards green hotel), we used Preacher and Hayes (2008) and guest satisfaction (H1), confirming previous studies findings that
bootstrapping method. The path coefficients of Model 1 (without environmental friendly actions enhance visitor satisfaction (Berezan
mediator) and path coefficients of Model 4 (with mediator) are com- et al., 2013a; Gao and Mattila, 2014; Kassinis and Soteriou, 2003; Lee
pared according to Eq. (2). The results show that Env_prat direct effect and Heo, 2009; Xu and Gursoy, 2015); (2) that hotel environmental
on Loy decreases considerably (Δ = 0.337), from a significant re- practices have a significant influence on guests revisit intention and
lationship of 0.506 to a low but still significant level of 0.168. Con- positive word of mouth (H2a). This result is consistent with previous
currently a similar relation is found for Env_prat direct effect on scholars’ findings (Berezan et al., 2013a; Choi et al., 2009; Gao et al.,
Loy_env, which decreases considerably (Δ = 0.254), from a significant 2016; Gao and Mattila, 2014; Han and Kim, 2010; Kassinis and
relationship of 0.441 to a low but still significant level of 0.188 (Table Soteriou, 2003; Lee et al., 2010; Xu and Gursoy, 2015); furthermore,
X). Therefore, it is possible to assume that Sat partially mediates the results show that (3) guests staying in a green hotel develop a favorable
relation between Env_prat and Loy, and between Env_prat anf Loy_env. loyalty toward this type of hotels (H2b), confirming previous research
Moreover, according to Zhao et al. (2010), as the direct effect (c’) and results (Han et al., 2011; Martínez García de Leaniz et al., 2017; Wang
indirect effect (a × b) point the same positive direction, the model et al., 2018).

Table 5
Model 4 hypotheses statistics (bootstrapping) and endogenous constructs assessment (R2 and Q2).
Path coefficients and bootstrapping

Hypothesis Original Sample T Statistics P Values f2

H1 Green practices → Guest satisfaction 0.524 9.003 0.000 0.378

H2 Green practices → Guest loyalty towards the hotel 0.168 2.239 0.025 0.046
H3 Green practices → Guest loyalty towards green hotels 0.188 2.137 0.033 0.040
H4 Guest satisfaction → Guest loyalty towards the hotel 0.644 10.958 0.000 0.681
H5 Guest satisfaction → Guest loyalty towards green hotels 0.484 6,174 0.000 0.268

Endogenous constructs assessment

R2 R2 Adjusted Q²

Guest loyalty towards the hotel 0.557 0.555 0.479

Guest loyalty towards green hotels 0.365 0.361 0.304
Guest satisfaction 0.274 0.272 0.238

175
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

Secondly, the study investigates the role of customer satisfaction as consumers positively recognize the environmental practices im-
an antecedent of loyalty (e.g. see (Boulding et al., 1993; Lee, 2009; plemented by the hotel, but in most cases, they are not aware of the eco-
Martínez and Rodríguez del Bosque, 2013)). In line with other studies label program. This highlights a failure in communicating the eco-label
in the field of green hotels (Gallarza and Saura, 2006; Gao et al., 2016; certification. In this context, Legambiente should further encourage
Prud’homme and Raymond, 2013; Xu and Gursoy, 2015), findings show companies to communicate their environmental commitment. Hotels
that (4) guest satisfaction is a determinant factor for guest loyalty to- should inform guests that the eco-label is certified by an independent
wards the hotel (H3a); moreover, results suggest that (5) guest loyalty third party that perform credible audits (Gössling and Buckley, 2016),
toward green hotels is significantly influenced by the level of guest and this would lead to enhance the credibility of the hotel sustainability
satisfaction (H3b), confirming Han and Kim (2010) conclusions. actions, also increasing brand recognition and awareness from the
Finally, the paper investigated the role of overall satisfaction as a public (Berezan et al., 2013a; Han et al., 2011).
mediator between hotel green practices and loyalty, as well as between Despite the positive contribution to the field of sustainability in
hotel green practices and loyalty toward green hotels. Mediation was hospitality industry, this study is not free of limitation that reveal op-
analyzed following the approach provided by Preacher and Hayes portunities for further investigations. The study does not address the
(2008). Results indicate that (6) satisfaction acts as a mediator in the way through which environmental practices influence customer sa-
structural model, confirming hypothesis H4a and H4b and previous tisfaction and loyalty. In this way, further investigation on guests’ eco-
studies findings (Al-Rousan and Abuamoud, 2013; Han and Kim, 2010; friendly attitudes and demographic characteristics seems to be neces-
Olorunniwo et al., 2006; Osman and Sentosa, 2013; Wilkins et al., sary in order to fully understand this link. Secondly, to produce gen-
2009; Xu and Gursoy, 2015). eralizable results, the scope of the survey may be extended to other
Furthermore, satisfaction mediating for the 66.80% the relationship hotels with the same certification and to non-certified hotels. A new line
between hotel environmental practices and loyalty, and for 57.50% of research may also test the model on hotel awarded with other eco-
between hotel environmental practices and loyalty toward green hotels labels, such as the official Eu-Ecolabel, that represent a reference point
(Table 6). The meaningful mediation effect played by satisfaction is at European Union level. It would contribute to evaluate if to a different
confirmed by the coefficients of determination for loyalty and loyalty label correspond a different effect on guest behavior.
toward green hotels. In fact, Model 4, assuming the mediation role of Additionally, the analysis may be extended to other hospitality
satisfaction, has a greater predictive power with respect to Model 1 segments, such as restaurants and resorts. Finally, as service quality in
without mediation (Figs. 1 and 2). hotels is conceived as a multi-criteria construct, it would be compelling
The major findings of this research thus offers interesting insight for to evaluate the simultaneous effect of environmental attributes together
scholars, tourism practitioners and “green hotels” managers. First, it with the other service attributes that in literature have been identified
enriches the literature dealing with sustainability practices in the hos- as crucial in the hotel industry.
pitality industry, guest perceptions and the role of these practices in
stimulating consumers to develop positive behavioral intentions and a 6. Conclusions
positive attitude toward green hotels. Findings may also assist hospi-
tality practitioners. Managers when choosing among available strate- This study investigates how consumers perceive actions im-
gies to enhance service quality might invest in sustainability practices, plemented by hotels towards environmental sustainability. Presenting
since these enhance guest satisfaction and behavioral intentions. results of a survey carried out through a questionnaire targeted to
Therefore, investing in eco-friendly practices may also bring competi- guests of an Italian hotel awarded with the Legambiente Turismo eco-
tive advantages with respect to competitors, as long as the hotels are label, it hypothesizes that hotel environmental practices positively in-
able to effectively communicate eco-friendly attributes to customers. fluence guest overall satisfaction and loyalty. The PLS-SEM analysis
Results also show that environmental practices can only partially ex- leads to accept all the hypothesis tested, showing that the hotels en-
plain guest overall satisfaction, which is a construct build on several vironmental commitment is positively recognized by customers, influ-
variables of service quality and consumers attitudes (Um et al., 2006). encing both satisfaction and loyalty. Moreover, findings suggest that the
Thus, satisfaction is a multi-attribute construct and it is a crucial staying at green hotel lead guests to develop a specific loyalty toward
mediator for loyalty. In case of a failure in service delivery of non- the whole range of eco-friendly hotels. Therefore, guests are more
environmental attributes, satisfaction, and consequently loyalty, may willing to return to a green hotel and to recommend it through positive
decrease. Therefore, green practices may have a positive effect on sa- word of mouth. The study also confirms previous scholars’ findings
tisfaction only as long as there is no service failure (Gao and Mattila, indicating customer satisfaction as having a (partial) mediator role
2014). between hotel service attributes and customer loyalty. Finally, the re-
The starting point of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of sults suggest that hotel practitioners should make further efforts to
the most widespread eco-label in the Italian hospitality industry communicate to guests their commitment toward sustainability, espe-
(Legambiente Turismo). The research results demonstrate that cially when the hotel is awarded with a third party certified eco-label.

Appendix A1 Confirmatory tetrad analysis in PLS-SEM results

ENVPRAT Original Sample Bootstrap T Statistics CI Low adj. CI Up adj.1

Ʈ
envprat,1,10,2,3 0,066 1,694 −0,059 0,191
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,3,2 0,073 2,111 −0,038 0,181
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,2,4 0,130 2,734 −0,023 0,280
Ʈ
envprat 1,2,4,10 −0,012 0,526 −0,085 0,061
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,2,5 0,056 1,604 −0,056 0,167
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,2,6 0,046 1,305 −0,066 0,157
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,2,7 0,070 1,816 −0,053 0,192
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,8,2 −0,070 2,011 −0,180 0,041
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,9,2 0,011 0,245 −0,133 0,153
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,6,3 −0,030 0,710 −0,167 0,107
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,3,7 0,069 1,776 −0,056 0,191
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,8,3 −0,061 1,816 −0,167 0,046

176
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

Ʈ
envprat 1,10,5,4 0,045 1,297 −0,066 0,154
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,4,6 0,080 2,021 −0,048 0,206
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,7,4 0,039 0,909 −0,097 0,174
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,8,4 −0,025 0,811 −0,120 0,072
Ʈ
envprat 1,5,7,10 −0,018 0,652 −0,107 0,072
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,5,9 −0,011 0,351 −0,113 0,090
Ʈ
envprat 1,5,9,10 0,014 0,389 −0,102 0,131
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,8,6 0,064 1,282 −0,095 0,223
Ʈ
envprat 1,10,9,7 0,099 2,000 −0,060 0,256
Ʈ
envprat 1,2,3,6 0,007 0,251 −0,079 0,091
Ʈ
envprat 1,5,6,2 −0,024 0,898 −0,107 0,061
Ʈ
envprat 1,3,5,8 −0,007 0,146 −0,160 0,147
Ʈ
envprat 1,3,9,6 −0,035 0,852 −0,168 0,097
Ʈ
envprat 1,4,6,7 −0,045 0,927 −0,200 0,111
Ʈ
envprat 1,5,8,7 0,022 0,435 −0,136 0,180
Ʈ
envprat 1,5,9,7 0,013 0,243 −0,161 0,186
Ʈ
envprat 1,6,9,8 0,045 0,813 −0,133 0,221
Ʈ
envprat 10,2,8,4 −0,155 2,694 −0,337 0,030
Ʈ
envprat 10,4,7,3 −0,118 1,923 −0,314 0,078
Ʈ
envprat 10,3,8,9 0,058 1,121 −0,108 0,224
Ʈ
envprat 10,5,8,6 −0,069 1,154 −0,259 0,123
Ʈ
envprat 2,3,9,4 −0,032 0,999 −0,133 0,070
Ʈ
envprat 3,4,5,6 0,132 1,743 −0,110 0,373

1
Adjustment of the 5% bias corrected bootstrap (two-tailed) confidence interval (CI) limits uses the Bonferroni method to account for multiple
testing issues.
CTA-PLS analyzes the specification of indicators in a measurement model by calculating the difference between the product of a pair of cov-
ariances and the product of another pair of covariances (tetrad), which is successively done for every possible combination of two pairs of indicators
in a measurement model. A vanishing tetrad equals zero. In reflective measurement models, all the model-implied nonredundant tetrads are expected
to vanish (Gudergan et al., 2008). Table x presents the residual values of the model-implied nonredundant vanishing tetrads per construct. As
indicated by the bootstrap t-value, some of these values are significantly different from zero. However, the CTA-PLS measurement model assessment
requires testing if tetrads are significantly different from zero when all the hypotheses (tetrads) are simultaneously analyzed. For these multiple
hypotheses testing purpose, we draw on the Bonferroni adjusted confidence intervals. If a reported confidence interval includes zero, the tetrad is not
significantly different from zero and, thus, vanishes. Because all the tetrads of the constructs vanish (i.e., they are not significantly different from
zero), we cannot reject the reflective direction of relationships in these measurement models.

References Satisfaction (No. 15 (3)). Cornell Hospitality Reports.

Castellanos-Verdugo, M., Vega-Vazquez, M., Oviedo-Garcia, M.A., Orgaz-Aguera, F.,
2015. The relevance of psychological factors in the ecotourist experience satisfaction
Albayrak, T., Caber, M., 2015. Prioritisation of the hotel attributes according to their through ecotourist site perceived value. J. Clean. Prod. 124, 226–235. https://doi.
influence on satisfaction: a comparison of two techniques. Tour. Manag. 46, 43–50. org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.02.126.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2014.06.009. Chen, M.F., Tung, P.J., 2014. Developing an extended theory of planned behavior model
Ali, F., Rasoolimanesh, S.M., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C.M., Ryu, K., 2018. An assessment of to predict consumers’ intention to visit green hotels. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 36,
the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in hospitality 221–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.09.006.
research. Int. J. Contemp. Hosp. Manage. 30 (1), 514–538. Chi, C.G.-q., 2011. Destination loyalty formation and travelers’ demographic character-
Al-Rousan, R.M., Abuamoud, I.N., 2013. The mediation of tourists satisfaction on the istics: a multiple group analysis approach. J. Hosp. Tour. Res. 35, 191–212. https://
relationship between tourism service quality and tourists loyalty: five stars hotel in doi.org/10.1177/1096348010382233.
Jordanian environment. Int. Bus. Res. 6, 79. https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v6n8p79. Chin, W.W., 1998. The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling.
Anderson, E.W., Mittal, V., 2000. Strengthen the satisfaction-profit chain. J. Serv. Res. 3, Quantiative Methodol. Ser. 295–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2008.12.010.
107–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/109467050032001. Choi, G., Parsa, H.G., Sigala, M., Putrevu, S., 2009. Consumers’ environmental concerns
Anderson, E.W., Fornell, C., Lehmann, D.R., 1994. Customer satisfaction, market share, and behaviors in the lodging industry: a comparison between Greece and the United
and profitability: findings from Sweden. J. Mark. 58, 53–66. https://doi.org/10. States. J. Qual. Assur. Hosp. Tour. 10, 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/
2307/1252310. 15280080902946335.
Ayuso, S., 2007. Comparing voluntary policy instruments for sustainable tourism: the Cohen, J., 1988. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Stat. Power Anal.
experience of the Spanish hotel sector. J. Sustain. Tour. 15, 144–159. https://doi.org/ Behav. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1234/12345678.
10.2167/jost617.0. Cornwell, T.B., 2001. Advances in International marketing (book). J. Acad. Mark. Sci. 29,
Bastič, M., Gojčič, S., 2012. Measurement scale for eco-component of hotel service 318–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-8116(92)90003-4.
quality. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 31, 1012–1020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2011. Cronin, Brady, M., Hult, G. Tomas M., 2000. Assessing the effects of quality, value, and
12.007. customer satisfaction on consumer behavioral intentions in service environments. J.
Berezan, O., Raab, C., Love, C., 2013a. Sustainable development practices in the hospi- Retail. 76, 193–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-4359(00)00028-2.
tality industry: an empirical study of their impact on customer satisfaction and in- Cronin, J.J., Smith, J.S., Gleim, M.R., Ramirez, E., Martinez, J.D., 2011. Green marketing
tentions. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 34, 227–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.03. strategies: an examination of stakeholders and the opportunities they present. J.
003. Acad. Mark. Sci. 39, 158–174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-010-0227-0.
Berezan, O., Raab, C., Yoo, M., Love, C., 2013b. Sustainable hotel practices and nation- Diamantopoulos, A., Siguaw, J.A., 2006. Formative versus reflective indicators in orga-
ality: the impact on guest satisfaction and guest intention to return. Int. J. Hosp. nizational measure development: a comparison and empirical illustration. Br. J.
Manag. 34, 227–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.03.010. Manag. 17, 263–282. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2006.00500.x.
Bonilla Priego, M.J., Najera, J.J., Font, X., 2011. Environmental management decision- Dodds, R., Holmes, M., 2016. Hotel & business management is there a benefit from being
making in certified hotels. J. Sustain. Tour. 19, 361–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/ green? Assessing benefits from marketing sustainability by North American hotels. J.
09669582.2010.530350. Hotel Bus. Manag. 5, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.4172/2169-0286.1000145.
Boulding, W., Kalra, A., Staelin, R., Zeithaml, V., 1993. A dynamic process model of Ekinci, Y., 2003. An investigation of the determinants of customer satisfaction. Tour.
service quality: from expectations to behavioral intentions. J. Mark. Res. 30, 7–27. Anal. 8, 193–196. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354203774076724.
Bradley, G.L., Sparks, B.A., 2012. Antecedents and consequences of consumer value: a Fen, Y.S., Lian, K.M., 2007. Service quality and customer satisfaction: antecedents of
longitudinal study of timeshare owners. J. Travel Res. 51, 191–204. https://doi.org/ customer’s re-patronage intentions. Sunw. Acad. J. 4, 59–73. https://doi.org/10.
10.1177/0047287510396099. 1016/j.im.2016.11.009.
Bramwell, B., Lane, B., 2008. Priorities in sustainable tourism research. J. Sustain. Tour. Gallarza, M.G., Saura, I.G., 2006. Value dimensions, perceived value, satisfaction and
16, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.2167/09669580803489612. loyalty: an investigation of university students’ travel behaviour. Tour. Manag. 27,
Bruns-smith, A., Choy, V., Chong, H., Verma, R., 2015. Environmental Sustainability in 437–452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2004.12.002.
the Hospitality Industry: Best Practices, Guest Participation, and Customer Gao, Y.L., Mattila, A.S., 2014. Improving consumer satisfaction in green hotels: the roles

177
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

of perceived warmth, perceived competence, and CSR motive. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 577–593. https://doi.org/10.5367/te.2015.0531.
42, 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2014.06.003. Klarner, P., Sarstedt, M., Hoeck, M., Ringle, C.M., 2013. Disentangling the effects of team
Gao, Y.L., Mattila, A.S., Lee, S., 2016. A meta-analysis of behavioral intentions for en- competences, team adaptability, and client communication on the performance of
vironment-friendly initiatives in hospitality research. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 54, management consulting teams. Long Range Plann. 46, 258–286. https://doi.org/10.
107–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2016.01.010. 1016/j.lrp.2013.03.001.
Geerts, W., 2014. Environmental certification schemes: hotel managers’ views and per- Lai, I.K.W., Hitchcock, M., 2015. Importance-performance analysis in tourism: a frame-
ceptions. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 39, 87–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2014.02. work for researchers. Tour. Manag. 48, 242–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
007. tourman.2014.11.008.
Gössling, S., Buckley, R., 2016. Carbon labels in tourism: persuasive communication? J. Lai, I.K.W., Hitchcock, M., 2016. A comparison of service quality attributes for stand-
Clean. Prod. 111, 358–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.08.067. alone and resort-based luxury hotels in Macau: 3-dimensional importance-perfor-
Gossling, S., Peeters, P., 2015. Assessing tourism’s global environmental impact 1900- mance analysis. Tour. Manag. 55, 139–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.
2050. J. Sustain. Tour. 23, 639–659. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2015. 2016.01.007.
1008500. Le, H., Trang, T., Lee, J., Han, H., 2018. How do green attributes elicit pro-environmental
Green Hotel Association, 2012. What are Green Hotels? [WWW Document]. . behaviors in guests? The case of green hotels in Vietnam. J. Travel Tour. Mark. 00,
Gudergan, S.P., Ringle, C.M., Wende, S., Will, A., 2008. Confirmatory tetrad analysis in 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2018.1486782.
PLS path modeling. J. Bus. Res. 61, 1238–1249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres. Lee, T.-H., 2009. A structural model for examining how destination image and inter-
2008.01.012. pretation services affect future visitation behavior: a case study of Taiwan’s Taomi
Hair, J.F., Ringle, C.M., Sarstedt, M., 2011. PLS-SEM: indeed a silver bullet. J. Mark. eco-village. J. Sustain. Tour. 17, 727–745. https://doi.org/10.1080/
Theory Pract. 19, 139–152. https://doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679190202. 09669580902999204.
Hair, J.F., Ringle, C.M., Sarstedt, M., 2013. Partial least squares structural equation Lee, S., Heo, C.Y., 2009. Corporate social responsibility and customer satisfaction among
modeling: rigorous applications, better results and higher acceptance. Long Range US publicly traded hotels and restaurants. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 28, 635–637. https://
Plann. 46, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2013.01.001. doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2009.02.007.
Hair, J.F., Hult, G.T.M., Ringle, C., Sarstedt, M., 2014a. A Primer on Partial Least Squares Lee, J.-S., Hsu, L.-T.(Jane), Han, H., Kim, Y., 2010. Understanding how consumers view
Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Long Range Planninghttps://doi.org/10. green hotels: how a hotel’s green image can influence behavioural intentions. J.
1016/j.lrp.2013.01.002. Sustain. Tour. 18, 901–914. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669581003777747.
Hair, J.F., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., Kuppelwieser, V.G., 2014b. Partial least squares Lee, M., Han, H., Willson, G., 2011. The role of expected outcomes in the formation of
structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Eur. Bus. Rev. 26, 106–121. https://doi. behavioral intentions in the green-hotel industry. J. Travel Tour. Mark. 28, 840–855.
org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2011.623049.
Ham, S., Han, H., 2013. Role of perceived fit with hotels’ green practices in the formation Lee, S., Sun, K.A., Wu, L., Laurie, Xiao, Q., 2018. A moderating role of green practices on
of customer loyalty: impact of environmental concerns. Asia Pacific J. Tour. Res. 18, the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction: Chinese hotel
731–748. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2012.695291. context. J. China Tour. Res 14, 42–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388160.2017.
Han, H., Kim, Y., 2010. An investigation of green hotel customers’ decision formation: 1419897.
developing an extended model of the theory of planned behavior. Int. J. Hosp. Legambiente, 2017. Legambiente Turismo Ecolabel. [WWW Document]. URL http://
Manag. 29, 659–668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2010.01.001. legambienteturismo.it/ (accessed 4.13.17). .
Han, H., Hsu, L.T. (Jane), Lee, J.S., 2009. Empirical investigation of the roles of attitudes Lenzen, M., Sun, Y.-Y., Faturay, F., Ting, Y.-P., Geschke, A., Malik, A., 2018. The carbon
toward green behaviors, overall image, gender, and age in hotel customers’ eco- footprint of global tourism. Nat. Clim. Change 8, 522–528. https://doi.org/10.1038/
friendly decision-making process. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 28, 519–528. https://doi.org/ s41558-018-0141-x.
10.1016/j.ijhm.2009.02.004. Levy, S.E., Park, S.-Y., 2011. An analysis of CSR activities in the lodging industry. J. Hosp.
Han, H., Hsu, L.T.J., Lee, J.S., Sheu, C., 2011. Are lodging customers ready to go green? Tour. Manag. 18, 147–154. https://doi.org/10.1375/jhtm.18.1.147.
An examination of attitudes, demographics, and eco-friendly intentions. Int. J. Hosp. Lita, R.P., Surya, S., Ma’ruf, M., Syahrul, L., 2014. Green attitude and behavior of local
Manag. 30, 345–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2010.07.008. tourists towards hotels and restaurants in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Proc. Environ.
Han, H., Lee, J.S., Trang, H.L.T., Kim, W., 2018. Water conservation and waste reduction Sci. 261–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2014.03.033.
management for increasing guest loyalty and green hotel practices. Int. J. Hosp. Luo, X., Bhattacharya, C.B., 2006. Corporate social responsibility, customer and sa-
Manag. 75, 58–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.03.012. tisfaction, and market value. J. Mark. 70, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.2307/30162111.
Hashim, R.A., Zakariah, Z., Mohamad, W., Merican, S., 2013. Exploring visitors’ attitude Manaktola, K., Jauhari, V., 2007. Exploring consumer attitude and behaviour towards
towards green practices and revisit intentions of a tourist destination. Management 3, green practices in the lodging industry in India. Int. J. Contemp. Hosp. Manag. 19,
427–433. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.mm.20130307.13. 364–377. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110710757534.
He, Y., Song, H., 2008. A mediation model of tourists’ repurchase intentions for packaged Martínez, P., Rodríguez del Bosque, I., 2013. CSR and customer loyalty: the roles of trust,
tour services. J. Travel Res. 47, 317–331. https://doi.org/10.1177/ customer identification with the company and satisfaction. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 35,
0047287508321206. 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.05.009.
Helm, S., Eggert, A., Garnefeld, I., 2010. Modelling the impact of corporate reputation on Martínez García de Leaniz, P., 2015. Customer loyalty: exploring its antecedents from a
customer satisfaction and loyalty using partial least squares. Handbook of Partial green marketing perspective. Int. J. Contemp. Hosp. Manag. 27. https://doi.org/10.
Least Squares. pp. 171–193. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-32827-8. 1108/IJCHM-03-2014-0115.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C.M., Sarstedt, M., 2015. A new criterion for assessing discriminant Martínez García de Leaniz, P., Herrero Crespo, Á., Gómez López, R., 2017. Customer
validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. J. Acad. Mark. Sci. 43, responses to environmentally certified hotels: the moderating effect of environmental
115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8. consciousness on the formation of behavioral intentions. J. Sustain. Tour. 9582, 1–18.
Hsiao, T., Chuang, C., Kuo, N., Yu, S.M., 2014. Establishing attributes of an environmental https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2017.1349775.
management system for green hotel evaluation. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 36, 197–208. Mason, D., Tideswell, C., Roberts, E., 2006. Guest perceptions of hotel loyalty. J. Hosp.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.09.005. Tour. Res. 30, 191–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348006286364.
Jarvis, C.B., MacKenzie, S.B., Podsakoff, P.M., 2003. A critical review of construct in- Memon, A.H., Rahman, I.A., 2014. SEM-PLS analysis of inhibiting factors of cost per-
dicators and measurement model misspecification in marketing and consumer re- formance for large construction projects in malaysia: perspective of clients and
search. J. Consum. Res. 30https://doi.org/10.1086/376806. 2003. consultants. Sci. World J. 2014, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/165158.
Jöreskog, K.G., 1978. Structural analysis of covariance and correlation matrices. Merli, R., Preziosi, M., Acampora, A., Lucchetti, M.C., Ali, F., 2018. The impact of green
Psychometrika 43, 443–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02293808. practices in coastal tourism: an empirical investigation on an eco-labelled beach club.
Kandampully, J., Suhartanto, D., 2003. Individuals as tourist icons: a developmental and Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 0–1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.08.011.
marketing analysis. J. Hosp. Leis. Mark. 10, 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1300/ Mohamad, M., Ghani, N.I.A., Mamat, M., Mamat, I., 2014. Satisfaction as a mediator to
J150v10n01. the relationships between destination image and loyalty. World Appl. Sci. J. 30,
Kang, K.H., Stein, L., Heo, C.Y., Lee, S., 2012. Consumers’ willingness to pay for green 1113–1123. https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.wasj.2014.30.09.14107.
initiatives of the hotel industry. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 31, 564–572. https://doi.org/ Nash, R., Thyne, M., Davies, S., 2006. An investigation into customer satisfaction levels in
10.1016/j.ijhm.2011.08.001. the budget accommodation sector in Scotland: a case study of backpacker tourists and
Kassinis, G.I., Soteriou, A.C., 2003. Greening the service profit chain: the impact of en- the Scottish youth hostels association. Tour. Manag. 27, 525–532. https://doi.org/10.
vironmental management practices. Prod. Oper. Manag. 12, 386–403. 1016/j.tourman.2005.01.001.
Kassinis, G.I., Soteriou, A.C., 2015. Environmental and quality practices: using a video Nitzl, C., Roldán, J., 2016. Mediation analysis in partial least squares path modeling:
method to explore their relationship with customer satisfaction in the hotel industry. helping researchers discuss more sophisticated models. Ind. Manag. Data Syst. 116,
Oper. Manag. Res. 8, 142–156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12063-015-0105-5. 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-07-2015-0302.
Kim, Y., Han, H., 2010. Intention to pay conventional-hotel prices at a green hotel - a Njite, D., Schaffer, J., 2017. Revisiting attributes: how important is green in the consumer
modification of the theory of planned behavior. J. Sustain. Tour. 18, 997–1014. selection of hotel rooms? Int. J. Hosp. Tour. Adm. 18, 219–244. https://doi.org/10.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2010.490300. 1080/15256480.2016.1263168.
Kim, Y.J., Njite, D., Hancer, M., 2013. Anticipated emotion in consumers’ intentions to Oliver, R.L., 1977. Effect of expectation and disconfirmation on postexposure product
select eco-friendly restaurants: augmenting the theory of planned behavior. Int. J. evaluations: an alternative interpretation. J. Appl. Psychol. 62, 480–486. https://doi.
Hosp. Manag. 34, 255–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.04.004. org/10.1037/0021-9010.62.4.480.
Kim, S.-H., Lee, K., Fairhurst, A., 2017a. The review of “green” research in hospitality, Oliver, R., 1981. Measurement and evaluation of satisfaction processes in retail settings.
2000–2014 – current trends and future research directions. Int. J. Contemp. Hosp. J. Retail. 57, 25–48.
Manag. 29, 226–247. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-11-2014-0562. Oliver, R.L., 1993. Cognitive, affective, and attribute bases of the satisfaction response. J.
Kim, W.G., Li, J.J., Han, J.S., Kim, Y., 2017b. The influence of recent hotel amenities and Consum. Res. 20, 418. https://doi.org/10.1086/209358.
green practices on guests’ price premium and revisit intention. Tour. Econ. 23, Oliver, R.L., 1997. Satisfaction: a behavioral perspective on the consumer. J. Consum.

178
R. Merli, et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 81 (2019) 169–179

Mark. 14, 448. https://doi.org/10.1139/h11-134. practices among Hong Kong professional-level employees. J. Clean. Prod. 108,
Olorunniwo, F., Hsu, M.K., Udo, G.J., 2006. Service quality, customer satisfaction, and 699–706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.06.005.
behavioral intentions in the service factory. J. Serv. Mark. 20, 59–72. https://doi. Um, S., Chon, K., Ro, Y.H., 2006. Antecedents of revisit intention. Ann. Tour. Res. 33,
org/10.1108/08876040610646581. 1141–1158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2006.06.003.
Osman, Z., Sentosa, I., 2013. Mediating effect of customer satisfaction on service quality Verma, V.K., Chandra, B., 2016. Hotel guest’s perception and choice dynamics for green
and customer loyalty relationship in Malaysian rural tourism. Int. J. Econ. Bus. hotel attribute: a mix method approach. Indian J. Sci. Technol. 9. https://doi.org/10.
Manag. Stud. 2, 25–37. 17485/ijst/2016/v9i5/77601.
Pang, S.F.H., Mckercher, B., Prideaux, B., 2013. Climate change and tourism: an over- Verma, V.K., Chandra, B., 2018. An application of theory of planned behavior to predict
view. Asia Pacific J. Tour. Res. 18, 4–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2012. young Indian consumers’ green hotel visit intention. J. Clean. Prod. 172, 1152–1162.
688509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.047.
Park, J., Kim, H.J., 2014. Environmental proactivity of hotel operations: antecedents and Wang, W., Krishna, A., McFerran, B., 2017. Turning off the lights: consumers’ environ-
the moderating effect of ownership type. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. https://doi.org/10. mental efforts depend on visible efforts of firms. J. Mark. Res. 54, 478–494. https://
1016/j.ijhm.2013.09.011. doi.org/10.1509/jmr.14.0441.
Penz, E., Hofmann, E., Hartl, B., 2017. Fostering sustainable travel behavior: role of Wang, J., Wang, S., Xue, H., Wang, Y., Li, J., 2018. Green image and consumers’ word-of-
sustainability labels and goal-directed behavior regarding touristic services. Sustain mouth intention in the green hotel industry: the moderating effect of millennials. J.
9. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9061056. Clean. Prod. 181, 426–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.01.250.
Preacher, K.J., Hayes, A.F., 2008. Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and Wilkins, H., Merrilees, B., Herington, C., 2009. The determinants of loyalty in hotels. J.
comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behav. Res. Methods 40, Hosp. Mark. Manag. 19, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368620903327626.
879–891. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.3.879. Wold, H., 1982. Soft Modeling: The Basic Design and Some Extensions. North Holl. Press.
Prud’homme, B., Raymond, L., 2013. Sustainable development practices in the hospitality Wong, K.K., 2013. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) techni-
industry: an empirical study of their impact on customer satisfaction and intentions. ques using SmartPLS. Mark. Bull. 24, 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-
Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 34, 116–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.03.003. 0128.
Ramseook-Munhurrun, P., Seebaluck, V.N., Naidoo, P., 2015. Examining the structural WTTC, 2018. Travel & Tourism Global Economic Impact & Issues 2018. World Travel
relationships of destination image, perceived value, tourist satisfaction and loyalty: Tour. Counc. 11.
case of Mauritius. Proc. - Soc. Behav. Sci. 175, 252–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. Wu, K.-S., Teng, Y.-M., Huang, D.-M., 2013. Are lodging really go green? Empirical in-
sbspro.2015.01.1198. vestigation of the sustainability practice from the hoteliers by IPA analysis. Life Sci. J.
Ringle, C.M.C., Wende, S., Becker, J.J.-M., 2015. SmartPLS 3. Bönningstedt. SmartPLS 10, 418–427.
Retrieved from. Xu, X., Gursoy, D., 2015. Influence of sustainable hospitality supply chain management
Robinot, E., Giannelloni, J.-L., 2010. Do hotels’ “green” attributes contribute to customer on customers’ attitudes and behaviors. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 49, 105–116. https://doi.
satisfaction? J. Serv. Mark. 24, 157–169. https://doi.org/10.1108/ org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.06.003.
08876041011031127. Xu, X., Li, Y., 2016. The antecedents of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction toward
Saleem, H., Raja, N.S., 2014. The impact of service quality on customer satisfaction, various types of hotels: a text mining approach. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 55, 57–69.
customer loyalty and brand image: evidence from hotel industry of Pakistan. Middle - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2016.03.003.
East J. Sci. Res. 19, 706–711. https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.mejsr.2014.19.5.21018. Yi, S., Li, X., Jai, T.M., 2018. Hotel guests’ perception of best green practices: a content
Slevitch, L., Mathe, K., Karpova, E., Scott-Halsell, S., 2013. “Green” attributes and cus- analysis of online reviews. Tour. Hosp. Res. 18, 191–202. https://doi.org/10.1177/
tomer satisfaction: optimization of resource allocation and performance. Int. J. 1467358416637251.
Contemp. Hosp. Manag. 25, 802–822. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2012- Yusof, N., Abd Rahman, F., Che Jamil, M.F., Iranmanesh, M., 2014. Measuring the quality
0111. of ecotourism services: case study-based model validation. SAGE Open 4. https://doi.
Smith, K., 1990. Tourism and climate change. Land Use Policy 7, 176–180. org/10.1177/2158244014538270.
Lee, So Yon, Petrick, J.F., Crompton, J., 2007. The roles of quality and intermediary Yusof, N., Rahman, S., Iranmanesh, M., 2015. The environmental practice of resorts and
constructs in determining festival attendees’ behavioral intention. J. Travel Res. 45, tourist loyalty: the role of environmental knowledge, concern, and behaviour.
402–412. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287507299566. Anatolia 27, 214–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2015.1090463.
Teng, C.C., Horng, J.S., Hu, M.L., Chien, L.H., Shen, Y.C., 2012. Developing energy Yusof, Y., Jusoff, K., Ibrahim, Y., Awang, Z., 2017. The influence of green practices by
conservation and carbon reduction indicators for the hotel industry in Taiwan. Int. J. non-green hotels on customer satisfaction and loyalty in hotel and tourism industry.
Hosp. Manag. 31, 199–208. Int. J. Green Econ. 11, 1. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJGE.2017.10003675.
Tepelus, C.M., Córdoba, R.C., 2005. Recognition schemes in tourism - from “eco” to Zhao, X., Lynch Jr., J.G., Chen, Q., 2010. Reconsidering baron and kenny: myths and
“sustainability”? J. Clean. Prod. 13, 135–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro. truths about mediation analysis. J. Consum. Res. 37, 197–206. https://doi.org/10.
2003.12.015. 1086/651257.
To, W.M., Lam, K.H., Lai, T.M., 2015. Importance-performance ratings for environmental

179