Search Results (217)

As sustainability becomes a strategic priority within the hospitality industry, understanding how environmentally responsible practices influence customer behaviours beyond loyalty has become increasingly important. This study investigates the mechanisms through which green hotel practices foster customer brand evangelism in the context of Green Star-certified hotels in Egypt. Drawing on Social Identity Theory and Relationship Marketing Theory, the study examines the direct effects of green hotel practices on brand pride, brand fidelity, and customer brand evangelism, while also exploring the mediating roles of brand pride and brand fidelity and the moderating role of green perceived quality. Data were collected from 428 guests of Green Star-certified hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that green hotel practices significantly enhance brand pride, brand fidelity, and customer brand evangelism. Furthermore, brand pride and brand fidelity individually and sequentially mediate the relationship between green hotel practices and brand evangelism. The results also demonstrate that green perceived quality strengthens the effects of green hotel practices on both brand pride and brand fidelity. By extending existing research beyond traditional loyalty outcomes, this study contributes to the growing literature on sustainable hospitality, customer advocacy, and brand relationship management. The findings suggest that environmentally responsible hotel practices can encourage customers to engage in active, brand-supportive behaviours, including positive word of mouth, online advocacy, and electronic word of mouth (eWOM). Practical implications are provided for hotel managers seeking to transform sustainability initiatives into stronger customer advocacy, enhanced digital brand engagement, and long-term brand support. Full article

An approach for the thermo-energy and environmental evaluation of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based biopolymer coatings in green building envelopes is presented in this study. A boutique hotel designed for Antalya, Türkiye, was selected as a case study, and 117 multi-layer wall composites assemblies incorporating 13 different PHA-based coatings were evaluated. The thermal conductivity values were predicted by a crystallinity-dependent semi-empirical equation and used in dynamic building simulations with Integrated Environmental Solutions–Virtual Environment (IES-VE) to predict the annual energy use and CO₂ emissions. The performance of material was evaluated based on biodegradability, density, crystallinity, thermal stability, and mechanical properties by using the integrated LOGSTA–LODECI weighting and MUNRA ranking techniques. P3HB4HB showed the best overall material performance, in contrast to P3HB, which had the lowest energy requirement and emissions. The findings emphasize crystallinity as a key determinant for material and building energy performance. Full article

As consumer demand for green products and sustainability awareness continue to rise, hotel groups are now expected to go beyond merely satisfying basic needs through traditional strategy. They should align their environmental and social responsibilities with consumers’ increasing preference for sustainable options. As a result, green transformation becomes an urgent strategic imperative. Based on the current cooperation modes between hotels and online travel agencies (OTAs), this paper constructs Stackelberg game models to examine three scenarios: single traditional hotels, single green hotels, and a mixed scenario of traditional and green hotels. Under each scenario, we further consider two cooperation modes between the hotel and OTA—wholesale and agency modes—to explore the impact of consumer preferences on the hotel’s optimal strategic choices. The result shows that (i) the green preference coefficient is positively correlated with the green hotels’ profit. The green discount coefficient only takes effect under the full-coverage strategy of single green hotels, and is positively correlated with the green hotels’ profit. (ii) Agency mode effectively eliminates double marginalization. Specifically, when the commission rate falls between 25% and 50%, both the hotel and the platform can obtain higher profits than under wholesale mode. (iii) For both the hotel group and the OTA, the mixed strategy (strategy 3) always yields the highest profit. This paper fills a gap in the research on green transformation strategies under different cooperation modes between hotel groups and OTAs based on consumer heterogeneity. Full article

The Circular Economy (CE) offers an alternative to the traditional “take–make–dispose” model and is increasingly important in hospitality due to the sector’s high resource consumption. This systematic review analyzes 159 studies published between 1995 and 2024, sourced from ABI, BSP, and WoS, and consolidates scattered knowledge on CE practices in hotels. It outlines five strategies for transitioning to CE: energy efficiency, renewable energy, water management, waste reduction, and carbon footprint reduction. These are supported by green procurement, local supply chains, eco-certifications, and regenerative branding, all of which help hotels fulfill stakeholder expectations and support local economies. Guest engagement—through nudges, incentives, co-creation, and digital tools for monitoring and feedback—is becoming increasingly important. The review shows that CE adoption is driven by internal factors such as leadership, staff training, culture, and resources, as well as external factors such as regulation, institutional pressure, and consumer demand for authenticity. Effective collaboration among managers, staff, suppliers, policymakers, and certifiers is essential for achieving systemic adoption. CE is moving from operational efficiency to broad innovation benefiting the environment, economy, and society, despite financial, regulatory, and behavioral challenges. Future research should prioritize establishing measurement standards, addressing scalability issues, and evaluating the global effectiveness of implementation. Full article

This study investigates how sustainable leadership enhances green performance in the tourism and hospitality sector, specifically among managers and supervisors working in five-star hotels and travel agencies, by examining the mediating roles of green innovation and green self-efficacy through the lenses of the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT). A quantitative research approach was adopted, utilizing survey data collected from 788 managers and supervisors employed in Egyptian five-star hotels and travel agencies operating within a highly competitive tourism destination context. The findings indicate that sustainable leadership has a significant positive effect on green performance and positively influences both green innovation and green self-efficacy. Moreover, green innovation and green self-efficacy significantly contribute to green performance and partially mediate the relationship between sustainable leadership and environmental outcomes. This study contributes to the literature on sustainability, tourism, and organizational behavior by providing an integrated framework that links sustainable leadership with organizational innovation capabilities and employees’ environmental competencies. In addition, the findings extend the explanatory power of RBV and DCT in explaining how sustainable leadership practices translate into enhanced environmental performance in tourism and hospitality organizations. From a practical perspective, the study highlights the importance of adopting leadership practices that foster green innovation, strengthen employees’ environmental confidence, and promote proactive environmental behavior within organizations. Full article

This study investigates the impact of green leadership on financial performance in the hospitality sector, focusing on the mediating roles of resource management and market positioning. Drawing upon the Resource-Based View and Stakeholder Theory, data were collected from 390 employees working in five-star hotels in Egypt and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The findings reveal that green leadership positively influences financial performance both directly and indirectly. Specifically, green leadership enhances resource management practices and strengthens market positioning, which in turn contribute to improved financial outcomes. The mediation analysis confirms that both resource management and market positioning serve as significant mechanisms through which green leadership translates sustainability-oriented strategies into economic benefits. These findings extend current knowledge on sustainable leadership by identifying key organizational pathways linking environmental responsibility with financial success. This study also provides practical implications for hospitality managers seeking to integrate sustainability initiatives into strategic and operational decision-making to achieve long-term competitive advantage. Full article

This article develops and empirically supports a multi-level model for integrating sustainable practices in the hospitality industry, using the Zhetysu region of Kazakhstan as a regional case. The theoretical basis of the study is formed by the concepts of sustainable development, ESG principles and the Triple Bottom Line framework, which are integrated into a macro-, meso- and micro-level structure of sustainability management. The empirical analysis uses regional statistical data on the hotel sector for 2022–2025, including service volume, employment, wages, accommodation capacity, bed-days, investments and environmental protection expenditures. On this basis, a system of sustainability indices was constructed to assess economic, social and environmental dynamics. The results show that the Composite Sustainability Index increased from 0.00 in 2022 to 0.66 in 2025, indicating positive but uneven progress. Social indicators demonstrated the most stable improvement, while economic sustainability remained constrained by low capacity utilisation and unstable labour productivity. Environmental indicators were the weakest component, reflecting fragmented and inconsistent green practices. The novelty of the study lies in linking ESG and Triple Bottom Line principles with measurable regional indicators and a multi-level governance model. The proposed framework and roadmap can support regional authorities, tourism organisations and hospitality enterprises in coordinating sustainability initiatives and monitoring their implementation. Full article

Prior research focused mainly on exploring the implementations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in efficient and eco-friendly hotel operations, with very limited studies investigating the vast capabilities of AI, such as AI-generated visual information, in shaping green attitudes and behaviors among hotel guests. Therefore, this study addresses such a gap testing the potential contributions of AI-generated visual images to hotel guests’ eco-friendly attitudes and behaviors. Explicitly, the study adopts a stimulus-based approach to examine the effects of the perceived persuasiveness of AI-generated stimulating images on guests’ green attitudes, willingness to sacrifice for the environment, and green citizenship. Moreover, it investigates the perceived authenticity of AI-generated visual information as a moderator of these linkages. A stimulus-based questionnaire was developed and administered among hotel guests. The survey was Web-based and included four AI-generated images encouraging eco-friendly attitudes and behaviors, followed by scales measuring the study constructs. The sample of the study included 428 participants who were enlisted using a convenience sampling technique. Data analysis included the performance of a PLS-SEM using Smart PLS 3.0 to test the postulated hypotheses. The findings of the study reveal that AI-generated visuals positively contributed to guests’ attitudes, willingness to sacrifice for the environment, and green citizenship behaviors. The perceived authenticity of the generated visuals also exerted a moderating effect on the examined linkages. Overall, this research fills a gap in knowledge and provides practical implications that support more sustainable attitudes and behaviors among hotel guests. Full article

Rapid detection of wilt-affected pine crowns in mountainous forests is hindered by occlusion, self-shadowing, and heterogeneous backgrounds in conventional nadir products. We evaluated whether oblique UAV RGB imagery improves crown-level detection relative to nadir imagery under matched site, season, sensor, and workflow conditions. The workflow was designed for rapid post-flight screening of geotagged UAV photographs. Paired nadir orthophotos and 45–70° oblique photographs were acquired over pine stands in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan, China, and organized into D1 (nadir), D2 (oblique), and D3 (simple mixed-view concatenation). Three YOLO11 detectors were trained for crown shoot damage ratio (SDR)-derived operational classes: early-stage (SDR < 50%), severely damaged (SDR ≥ 50%), and withered (needle-free dead crowns). A paired crown-level RGB subset (n = 20 crowns observed in both views) was analyzed as supporting evidence for view-dependent appearance differences. The oblique-image model (D2) achieved the highest validation performance, with precision of 0.994, recall of 0.991, F1-score of 0.989, mAP@0.5 of 0.995, and mAP@0.5:0.95 of 0.880. The paired subset showed a significant multivariate RGB profile difference between views (Hotelling’s T2 = 58.91, F = 3.10, p = 0.044), driven mainly by reduced Excess Green and greater dispersion of blue-related traits under oblique viewing. These results indicate that oblique UAV photographs retain additional crown-edge, lateral-structure, and chromatic context for detecting wilt-affected pine crowns. Oblique RGB imagery therefore provides a practical, low-cost input for rapid forest health surveillance and targeted field verification in rugged pine landscapes. Full article

The growing emphasis on sustainable tourism has increased the importance of environmentally responsible practices in the hospitality industry. Green hotels have emerged as an important strategy for reducing environmental impacts while meeting the expectations of environmentally conscious travelers. However, limited research has examined the psychological mechanisms influencing international tourists’ decisions to choose green hotels in emerging tourism destinations. This study investigates the factors influencing international tourists’ motivation and intention to select green hotels in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. A quantitative research design was employed using a structured questionnaire survey of 350 international tourists. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the relationships among sustainability image, perceived Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), environmental awareness, perceived value for money, trust in green hotels, motivation to choose green hotels, and Green Hotel Selection Intention. The results indicate that sustainability image, perceived ESG, and trust in green hotels significantly influence tourists’ motivation to choose green hotels, with trust demonstrating the strongest effect. In contrast, environmental awareness and perceived value for money do not show significant effects on motivation. Furthermore, motivation to choose green hotels has a strong positive influence on Green Hotel Selection Intention. These findings highlight the critical role of motivation as a psychological mechanism linking sustainability perceptions to tourists’ accommodation choices. The study contributes to the literature on sustainable tourism and green consumer behavior by integrating sustainability image and ESG perceptions into a comprehensive framework explaining Green Hotel Selection Intention. From a practical perspective, the findings suggest that hotel managers should strengthen trust through transparent sustainability communication, obtain recognized green certifications, and promote ESG initiatives through digital marketing channels. Destination policymakers in Chiang Mai may also support standardized green hotel accreditation programs to enhance tourists’ confidence in sustainable accommodation choices. These strategies can support the development of sustainable hospitality practices and enhance the competitiveness of green hotels in Chiang Mai and other tourism destinations. Full article

This study examines how abusive leadership influences non-green behavior among employees in five-star hotels in Egypt, drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model. Using survey data collected from 400 full-time hotel employees, the study investigates the mediating roles of emotional exhaustion and presenteeism, as well as the moderating role of perceived co-worker support. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the proposed relationships. The results indicate that abusive leadership increases emotional exhaustion and presenteeism, both of which contribute to higher levels of non-green behavior. Emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between abusive leadership and non-green behavior, while presenteeism partially mediates the link between abusive leadership and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, perceived co-worker support buffers the negative effect of presenteeism on emotional exhaustion. By integrating COR and JD–R perspectives, this study advances understanding of the psychological mechanisms through which abusive leadership undermines environmentally responsible behavior. The findings offer practical insights for hospitality managers seeking to promote employee well-being and sustainability in high-pressure service environments. Full article

This study explores how the multifaceted servicescape of wellness hotels influences customers’ intentions to revisit and recommend, with customer satisfaction acting as a mediating mechanism. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model and experiential marketing theory, this study conceptualizes servicescape across four dimensions: sensory, social, wellness-related activities, and cultural experiences. Survey responses were gathered from 483 Korean adults who had visited a wellness hotel within the last six months. The data were processed using SPSS (version 27.0) and AMOS (version 23.0). Findings suggest that while sensory, social, and wellness activity experiences have a significant positive impact on satisfaction, cultural experience does not yield the same effect. Satisfaction mediates both revisit and recommendation intentions. Moreover, multi-group analysis confirmed that wellness interest moderates the influence of sensory and wellness activity experiences on satisfaction. Notably, individuals with a high interest in wellness report increased satisfaction through active participation in wellness programs, whereas those with low wellness interest show greater responsiveness to sensory aspects. Theoretically, this study contributes to the existing body of literature by embedding wellness psychology and sustainable development goals (SDGs 3 and 12) into servicescape research. In terms of managerial implications, this study emphasizes the need for wellness hotels to improve sensory-based designs and experiential service quality, while also segmenting their strategies based on customers’ wellness profiles. By presenting an integrated model that connects experiential value, satisfaction, and behavioral intention, this study provides deeper insights into sustainable wellness tourism from both academic and practical perspectives. Full article

Service encounters have long been viewed as determinants of hotel guest loyalty, yet excellent service does not always translate into repeat patronage. This study examines how green service encounters shape guest loyalty in green-certified luxury hotels in Bali, a leading sustainable tourism destination. It investigates whether green experiential value and green customer delight mediate the effect of green service encounters on green hotel loyalty. Survey data from 273 domestic repeat guests of Green Globe and Earth Check-certified luxury hotels in Bali were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that green service encounters influence loyalty primarily through green experiential value and green customer delight, with delight exerting a comparatively stronger mediating effect. The study extends green hotel loyalty research by theorizing and testing an emotion-centric, sustainability-anchored loyalty mechanism beyond traditional service-quality and satisfaction models. Managerially, the findings highlight the need for certified luxury green hotels to design green service encounters that create distinctive experiential value and delight, thereby strengthening long-term guest loyalty. Full article

Due to environmental challenges, the global luxury hospitality industry faces increasing pressure to reduce its consumption of natural resources while maintaining service quality. In this paper a conceptual study is conducted to identify three primary problems of the tourism industry and highlight their impact on sustainable water resources and ecosystems: excessive water, electricity and towel/linen consumption in luxury hotels and resorts. This paper proposes a solution that uses a digital smart meter system linked to guest rooms. It is activated upon check-in, and guest participation is optional. It uses tangible or intangible incentives—such as discounts upon departure for future stays or for hotel laundry/meals/beverages—that rationalize consumption without affecting the quality of basic services. This approach may be implemented either independently by a single hotel or collaboratively through strategic alliances among multiple hotels, thus enabling customers to redeem their incentives/credits at any participating property. Guests are grouped into three consumption levels: high-saving guests (high incentives), average-saving guests (average incentives) and third-level guests (low/below-average incentives). Adopting this approach helps luxury hotels/resorts reduce their operational costs and enhance their image by applying green marketing in practice. Moreover, this conceptual paper proposes the provision of badges, including international environmental certifications, to hotels that adopt this responsible approach. This mechanism is a modern model that directly benefits all involved parties: service providers, customers/guests, environmental organizations and the environment. Full article