Sustainable Hotels: Management and Consumer Pro-environmental Behaviours

Abstract

This research project focused on developing a better understanding of the role of consumer and management in mainstream hotels in achieving sustainability. The structure of this research is initiated by providing more information about the main research background, followed by a literature review and development of the models used. The research design is presented with the models. Results of three studies are explained and discussed. The main research question to be answered is ‘What is the role of consumer and management in creating sustainability in a hotel context?’ The literature review on stakeholder theory in strategic green management suggested a multi-perspective involvement (company and customers) in establishing green management in hotels. The hotel consumer literature review found a high extent of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) approaches used to conceptualise individual Pro-Environmental Behaviour (PEB) in existing models. However, fewer studies clearly pointed out that the inclusion of hotel green attributes contributes to a better explanation of customer loyalty in hotels. There is also scarcity in the inclusion of behavioural elements and mindfulness in existing PEB models. This research includes a novel feature of mindfulness, domestic green habits (behaviour), and hotel green attributes (context) as an alternative approach to explain individual PEB in hotels. In accordance with stakeholder theory, this research examines co-operations between hotel management and customers to establish business sustainability and provide win-win-win solutions for customers, company, and the natural environment. This research is designed on the pragmatist paradigm. A sequence of mixedmethods design (qualitative – quantitative – qualitative) was selected as the strategy of inquiry. In the first qualitative phase, two customer focus group discussions were conducted to develop some questionnaire items. After the pilot study, a survey targeting 3-star to 5-star hotel users was conducted in Indonesia (n=324). A similar survey was also carried out in Australia (n=339). Hotel management interviews (n=26) were also conducted to develop better understandings on hotel pro-environmental management from managers’ perspectives. The empirical studies presented in this research suggest that the proenvironmental collaboration between consumer and hotel management maintains a significant role in achieving sustainable hotel business. The study of individual PEB in hotels suggests that mindfulness significantly impacts consumer PEB in hotels. Hotel green attributes are found to be prominent in facilitating green behaviours in hotels. The study of the influence of hotel green attributes on customer loyalty suggests that the establishment of hotel green attributes supports customer’s positive attitudes towards the hotel’s brand and exhorts customer loyalty. The significance of green attributes in hotels conforms to the results of manager interviews. The green typology developed from the management interviews suggests high-level motivation, wide scope, very good processes and monitoring, and enhanced levels of customer communication enables best practice pro-environmental management. Exploring PEB in hotels from different perspectives contributes a green collaboration concept between consumer and hotel management to the hotel sustainability literature. A typology of hotel green management is presented to predict the extent of green practices in mainstream hotels. The green management criteria of the typology contribute insights to the actualisation of green management in mainstream hotels, and detailed standards to achieve best green practices in hotels. Supporting the stakeholder theory, staff participation and customer communications are necessary to achieve best green management practices. The novel concept of mindfulness and the behavioural approach to determining consumer PEB in hotels contribute a new perspective to the consumer behaviour literature. This research contributes to hotel management literature by providing insights on the prominent role of hotel green attributes in the actualisation of customer PEB in hotels. Findings of this research add deeper understandings of the role of hotel green attributes and customer experience in generating customer loyalty in hotels. Practically, this research mainly points to green collaboration between stakeholders (managers, staff, and consumer) that can be applied in hotel management. The green management typology criteria developed from this research can be applied to measure the extent of a hotel’s green practices. It can also assist hotel managements by providing a valid reference to enable best green practices in their hotels. Results of this research encourage hotel managers to involve the staff in formulating a green strategy and communicate the green strategy to their customers. Noting the positive impact of hotel green attributes and good hotel customer experience on loyalty, findings of this research deliver a novel approach for hotel management to gain a better understanding of their customers and to improve customer loyalty in their hotel. The inclusion of behavioural aspects and mindfulness in determining hotel PEB challenges and encourages the enactment of PEB among hotel customers.