Stakeholder Differences in Valued Hotel Green Practices

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The present study surveyed 307 hotel guests and 89 hotel staff members to evaluate 15 green hotel attributes, such as: 1. the use of recycled materials, 2. energy-saving measures, and 3. water conservation practices among others. Using a Likert scale (from 1 to5), respondents rated the importance of these attributes, and demographic data were analyzed to identify influencing factors. 

I really enjoyed the article as it presents both perspectives: emplyees and customers and it has actual practical implications that can be used by managers in hospitality.

The only weaknesses that I could identify are related to: geograpic limitation to Porto(Portugal), and a low response rate from employees and the fact that the article does not engage with emerging empirical research on newer green practices (carbon neutrality, sustainable food sourcing for example), limiting its relevance to current industry shifts.

These could be improved, or maybe the research can be extended to other regions/countries.

Author Response

Please refer to the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I appreciate the opportunity to review this important research topic, which focuses on comparing stakeholder perceptions—specifically, those of hotel customers and staff—regarding valued green practices in the hospitality sector. Below are some suggestions for potential improvements.

1. The abstract clearly outlines the study's purpose and findings but could more precisely give examples for "visible environmental measures" and "operational sustainability aspects.".
2. In the abstract, give a brief about the study’s design/methodology/approach.
3. In my opinion, the sentence in lines (36-37) is not appropriate. Focus on the hospitality sector.
4. Improve theoretical grounding with a guiding framework. More specifically, which theoretical framework underpins the proposed hypotheses?
5. Please clarify and clearly distinguish between "visible environmental measures" and "operational sustainability aspects." Providing clear definitions and specific examples of each would enhance the reader’s understanding of these concepts.
6. State the primary research question of the study to provide readers with a clear understanding of its focus.
7. Identify in detail how this research's findings can contribute to the existing knowledge in the field.
8. In Section 2.1, the authors state that increased consumer environmental awareness and regulatory pressures are key drivers motivating hotels to adopt sustainability measures. Are these the only relevant drivers?
9. The sample is geographically limited to Porto, Portugal. Please justify.
10. The content in Section 3.1 on Customer and Staff Perceptions would benefit from further elaboration. Several studies have examined how customers and employees perceive green practices; however, the discussion here could be expanded to better contextualize how the current study builds upon or diverges from those findings. A deeper comparison with existing literature would strengthen the argument for the proposed hypothesis..
11. Provide more detail on sampling, survey validation, and potential bias. provide more detail about how the hotel staff were selected.
12. Although reliability is addressed using Cronbach’s alpha, validity (construct or content) is not discussed. Were the questionnaire items pre-tested or adapted from validated scales in prior research? Was there a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) or exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted to validate the 15-item structure of green attributes?
13. Table 3 presents valuable data; however, the interpretation of the rankings could be enhanced by incorporating visual aids—such as bar charts—to make the differences in stakeholder perceptions more intuitive and engaging.
14. Expand the discussion section to compare your findings with those of past studies, highlighting similarities, differences, and potential reasons for these observations.
15. Strengthen managerial and practical implications with specific examples.

Author Response

Please refer to the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

accept the paper in this format