Writing in the Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Washington State University hospitality researchers Imran Rahman, Jeongdoo Park and Christina Geng-qing Chi investigate what impact hotels engaging in greenwashing has on their reputation with their guests.
Their paper, “Consequences of ‘Greenwashing:’ Consumers’ Reactions to Hotels’ Green Initiatives,” surveys over 3,000 consumers to gauge their skepticism about hotel claims and how it affects their likelihood of booking again.
In Brief
- When guests consider a hotel to be promoting its green practices for self-serving reasons, they are unlikely to participate or return to the hotel. of a self-serving motive indeed made consumers skeptical and unlikely to participate in the green practice or revisit the hotel in the future.
- The best way to not seem hypocritical is to join reputable third party assessed green certification schemes.
