Introduction
An Eco-hotel or Green Hotel refers to one that prioritizes environmental stewardship in all aspects of its operations. Unlike other hotels, which are more concerned with increasing revenue, this prioritizes cutting down on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted, water consumption, waste generation, and electricity consumption. Recently, companies have sought to become friendlier by participating in accreditations or remaining Green Hotel groups (Pham et al., 2020). The Green premises will use eco-friendly building materials and strive to have as little impact on the environment as possible. This fact means that many eco-friendly accommodations also have zero emissions. Green hotels can be found in urban areas, rural areas, or even out in the middle of nothing. The terms “green hotels” and “eco-friendly hotels” are often used interchangeably. The demand for eco-friendly products and services increases as people become more environmentally conscious (Boateng, 2019). A tremendous amount of pressure is put on businesses in many different industries to become green and become more environmentally friendly in some way or another. Many large and small organizations in the service industry are now working hard to improve their hotels’ green credentials.
The hospitality sector values altruism as one key principle for guaranteeing a green industry. A selfless person focuses on something besides oneself, and the basis of such altruism may be found in the item that inspires those generous impulses. Altruism is the act of doing something for the benefit of someone else, even if it puts our interests in danger or costs us anything (Storm & Taylor, 2018). While some people assume that individuals are inherently selfish, a new study shows that people’s initial reaction is to collaborate rather than compete. For instance, infants spontaneously assist others in need out of sincere concern for their well-being, and even non-human primates show altruism. According to evolutionary theory, altruism is deeply ingrained in human behavior because helping others and cooperating with others is essential to the long-term survival of the human species (Pham et al., 2020). Thus, the hotels invest in charitable programs to better the welfare of the people residing within the society.
The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a widely-used psychological model. It aids in our understanding of how individuals’ behavior might change. Models predict purposeful conduct because they believe that behavior is preplanned. According to the TPB, behavioral beliefs, social norms, and perceived control are all factors that influence what a person does (Olya et al., 2019). As a consequence of attitudes, people tend to have positive or negative feelings about certain behaviors. Normative beliefs, on the other hand, lead to feelings of societal pressure or personal standards. People are more likely to engage in the activity if they have high levels of positive conduct, a subjective standard, and a sense of control.
Although the hospitality industry endeavor to promote eco-friendly initiatives, consumers have conflicting perceptions and attitudes toward the programs. Interestingly, little study has been done on hotel customers who care about the environment and pay for environmentally friendly procedures. Thus, this short discourse considers the qualitative research approach to enlighten the audience with detailed facts about the mixed perceptions of society members regarding the benefits associated with eco-friendly advancements in the sector (Agag & Colmekcioglu, 2020). Also, the detailed report will focus on establishing the relationship between TPB and the individuals’ perceptions.
Literature Review
TPB Method with Green Hotels
Guests’ desired behavioral reactions are one of the most important components of green hotels since they have a direct impact on their results. One of the stated aims of green hotels, according to some researchers, is building customer loyalty. Scholars must use a sound scientific theory to adequately describe a conceptual model before they can develop people’s behavioral intents. It is common for green hotel visitors’ behavior to be modeled using the model of planned behavior. TPB offers green hotel operators a necessary consequence (Olya et al., 2019). The first phase in predicting whether customers pick green hotels to stay in is to investigate consumers’ behavioral intention and disposition towards the green hotel. It is widely accepted among academics that TPB should be dissected, combined, or expanded to enable concepts that depict consumers’ behavioral goals.
With the help of theoretical backing and proposed modification criteria, an improved TPB notion was created. The interpretive structural analysis confirmed the idea, revealing that attitudes, normative beliefs, and perceptions of behavioral control all influenced whether or not people planned to remain in an eco-friendly hotel (Agag & Colmekcioglu, 2020). When consumers who actively perform eco-friendly actions were compared to individuals who do not regularly participate in environmentally aware actions in their daily lives, the routes between any of these determinants and intention were not significantly different.
For consumers’ green consumption behavior intents, the TPB is often used to illuminate their motivations for purchasing green products. Non-linear, ambiguous, and dynamical decision-making procedures and the complexities of environmental issue behaviors are to blame for this complexity (Taşkıran, 2019). Using these socio-psychological frameworks, individuals can see that environmental-related actions are both complicated and non-linear. They are formed by various antecedent elements acting in diverse sequences and weightings to decide the final behavior. Scholars have sought to deconstruct, expand, alter, and integrate the TPB to provide a reasonable, theoretical basis for their suggested concepts for sustainable consumption. Experts added pro-environmental principles to characterize how people behave in national parks using the TPB as an example. Travelers’ reasons for traveling to a specific location were added to the TPB, along with their actual behavior (Olya et al., 2019). They said visitors’ pro-environmental attitudes were unrelated to their motivations. Adding eco-friendly events to the system helps TPB estimate whether or not customers would choose a green hotel due to their experience there.
What Stops People to Go to Green Hotel
Researchers believe that when people become more aware of the environmental effect of different corporate operations, they will be more inclined to engage in pro-environmental conduct. The patterns of causal linkages between awareness and knowledge or mindset and environmental attributes have yet to emerge clearly in this field. There seems to be a disconnect between what people say they care about the environment and do (Thao, 2017). This disparity may be due to customers’ differing levels of care about various aspects of eco-friendly attitudes. Perceived environmental issue severity, interruption of being ecologically responsible, the significance of being eco-friendly, and corporate accountability level are all factors that researchers have shown to be associated with pro-environmental sentiments (Wu, 2021). Water, electricity, and trees are examples of scarce resources that contribute to the perceived severity of ecological concerns. Being environmentally responsible may be inconvenient if it takes more work or sacrifice. Some green actions, such as recycling, may help to minimize pollution or even enhance the environment. Business environmental concern is referred to as corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Human Behavior about a Green Hotel: Why Do People Choose a Green Hotel or Not?
Recent decades have seen increased public interest in environmental concerns, leading customers to seek ecologically friendly items. As a result, businesses across all industries have understood that becoming green is no longer an option. Because of its harmful impacts on the planet, the hostel industry likewise embraces this “greening” of operations. Hotels are working actively to lessen these negative consequences, contributing to the rise of the “green hotel industry,” or environmentally friendly accommodations. A “green hotel” is a kind of accommodation devoted to minimizing their energy and water usage, as well as their trash generation. Many hotels have recently realized the importance of pro-environmental initiatives and are working to acquire a competitive edge over their rivals by switching to green practices (Thao, 2017). Many people argue that adopting environmental strategies is crucial to their choice of accommodation. Nearly all business travelers agreed that hotels should do more to promote green initiatives.
The majority of the world’s population is enlightened about the benefits of promoting green technology in the tourist industry. New rules and regulations to reduce pollution are being passed as people become more aware of their impact on the Earth’s ecosystem. On the other hand, new laws may be enacted in response to a particular emergency (Agag & Colmekcioglu, 2020). The enlightened society considers the hotels that value the specific eco-friendly projects while intending to enhance visitors’ stay in the premises.
It is essential to have a positive attitude about the significance of environmentally friendly activities if you want to be environmentally conscious. As stated in the cognitive consistency model, a person worried about ecological difficulties is also likely to be encouraged to lessen such problems. Consumers’ inclination to buy green items is positively correlated with their level of environmental consciousness and environmental stewardship (Martínez-Martínez et al., 2019). Customers who care about the environment are more likely to plan a trip to the green hotel industry and follow through on their plans. Corporate reputation is heavily influenced by its socially responsible initiatives, which directly impact consumer behavior. The fear of inconvenience stems from the belief that environmentally friendly conduct may need extra work, which benefits society.
Unfortunately, many customers disregarded the green hotels for fear of paying more for the services therein. Customers’ favorable intentions to pay extra for a green product are closely linked to their environmental-friendly sentiments. Furthermore, according to the social identity concept, a person’s impression of the gravity of ecological issues or their judgments of the necessity of being environmentally conscious may impact their desire to pay more for goods and services (Singjai et al., 2018). According to this idea from social identity, customers’ degree of environmental care and readiness to pay for environmentally friendly efforts go hand in hand. Willingness to pay may also be influenced by how companies are seen as far as social responsibility goes. The notion of environmental discomfort works against people’s desire to pay more. Also, guests’ refusal to experience discomfort is one reason for their dislike of eco-friendly hotel practices. For instance, visitors like it when they are provided with daily new linens and clean linens as pampering (Mercade Mele et al., 2019). If engaging in green practices interferes with such a visitor’s pleasure, they may be less likely to do so.
Altruism Behavior in Hospitality Industry
Volunteerism, charity, generosity, and organ donation are all examples of altruistic behavior. When people aid strangers, they may put themselves in danger and attract felons because of selfless conduct. Customers value the hotel business due to the obvious quality of customer-employee connections, among other things. To guarantee management can continue to develop the hospitality sector in the future, organizational commitment is examined as a key component of the company’s difficulties and contributions (Mbasera et al., 2016). To improve hotels’ service quality, competitiveness, and financial results, the hotel sector should encourage commitment to the organization by its workers. This will function as a strong influencer between employees’ performance and their stance toward repair and maintenance.
In tourism, altruistic conduct generally refers to an increase in the well-being of third parties in host cultures. Some people define direct altruism as altruism that happens between people who have a shared link of attachment. Second-party benefits accrue from altruistic actions between two people, igniting debate over the idea of cooperation. Tourism may also employ reciprocal benevolence to examine the reasons for generous conduct between visitors and hosts to investigate situations of short-term interdependence between non-relatives (Agag & Colmekcioglu, 2020). Since altruistic behavior is a fundamental idea in tourism, it may analyze how hosts see visitors and tourism growth.
While it appears that SET opposes conduct motivated by altruistic goals, social exchanges may be based on incentives other than monetary gains, such as charity, competitiveness, tolerance, and constancy of status, rather than only money gain. It doesn’t matter its limitations; when joined with generosity, SET may be employed in the setting of altruistic behavior since it is reward-based. In the second case, hosts may benefit intrinsically and intangibly from supporting tourist growth (Singjai et al., 2018). Furthermore, SET stresses the significance of individual transactions and rewards rather than the advantages gained by a certain group. Keeping in mind that “social processes are essentially distinct from personal activities is critical.
Current Trends Going On About Green Hotels
The past ten years have seen travelers go beyond basic facilities when deciding where to stay. To determine whether a property adheres to its core values, they look at the sustainability activities of the establishment. Increasingly, the hotel and tourist sector is under pressure to be more sustainable. This development puts hospitality administrators in a difficult position to balance environmental stewardship with commercial ethics (Dolva et al., 2016). The hotel firm can save vast amounts of money by becoming green because of its worldwide presence. One of the most challenging challenges for hotel entrepreneurs is to help explain clients’ demand for eco-friendly consumption options. Knowing more about green customers may help businesses create more efficient and successful green efforts. Increasing hotel executives’ grasp of eco-friendly attitudes may have strategic benefits (Jerónimo et al., 2020). Little study has been done for hotel customers who care about the environment and pay for environmentally friendly procedures. There has also been minimal focus on perceived hurdles to visitors’ participation in green activities. For instance, consumers may see reusing bedding as a green gesture, while hotels may consider it a cost-saving measure.
Methodology
This study considered the principles of meta-analysis to collect and assess the data about the complex issue of green hotels. A meta-analysis is an essential tool for qualitative researchers to evaluate data from other qualitative research methods secondary to their original study. For these research methods, meta-synthesis remains a critical approach since it greatly aids in comprehending many fields’ contextual aspects in a qualitative approach, notwithstanding its contingent character and the present lack of agreement regarding certain of its elements (Hu et al., 2020). This research used a qualitative meta-synthesis, which analyzes the results of previous qualitative studies on the same subject.
It is via the use of meta-synthesis that researchers may better grasp how different methods and the findings of existing qualitative studies can be applied to a particular subject of interest and examine, contrast, and interpret them. However, the authorized research assistants utilized only basic statistical techniques and concentrated instead on content estimates based on the study’s grounded model approach (Khonje et al., 2019). An ecolodge’s gap between green predictions made by management and visitors’ views was also experimentally examined using a case-study technique, with the researchers considering the Hyatt at Olive 8 Seattle as the case study.
Results
The findings of this multi-methodology study indicated that many tourists prefer green hotels to traditional premises. Although the Hyatt at Olive 8 Seattle valued the principles of corporate social responsibility, they had to raise the prices of their services and products to ensure that they safeguarded an environmentally sound atmosphere while guaranteeing the comfort of their target customers (Mzembe et al., 2019). On the other hand, the reports indicated that over fifty per cent of the customers were displeased with the hiked prices despite supporting the idea of transforming to a green hotel. Specifically, the outcome confirmed the significance of integrated quality management (IQM). Other than guaranteeing the visitors’ expectations, the green hotel upholds the distinct principles of the tourism industry and integrates into the community (Martínez-Martínez et al., 2019). For example, the management opted to consider alternative approaches that would uphold the goals of the tourism industry while ensuring sustainability. Additionally, the study findings acknowledged the significance of the community members in assuring a successful and eco-friendly hospitality sector. Thus, it is evident that this research strategy upheld the three key elements of the IQM.
Discussion
Although the hiked prices of the green hotels discourage potential visitors from visiting the premises, the industry is committed to conserving the environment. Implementing the IQM in a hotel is costly and hence the need for the establishments’ managers to solicit alternative financers to ensure they realize their collaborative aims. For instance, introducing a “green team” will require additional resources to facilitate their distinct operations (Jerónimo et al., 2020). Consequently, the team might decide to hike the costs of their services to facilitate the sustainability of the unique programs, with many customers disregarding the move.
Almost 87 percent of global visitors say they want to travel sustainably, with 39 percent saying they frequently or always succeed. Travelers report that 39 percent of the time, they successfully make environmentally friendly decisions when traveling, while 48 percent say they are not successful. This statistic shows that despite significant progress toward a greener world, there is still space for improvement. The majority of tourists (68%) said they would stay in an eco-friendly hotel in the future (Memarzadeh & Anand, 2020). Travel itself seems to be the main drive for individuals to travel responsibly, based on this research.
Thus, with about 87% of the global tourists advocating for eco-friendly hotels, it is obvious that every hotel in the hospitality industry will commit itself to transform into green hotels.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Eco-friendly hotels emphasize comfort, health, and safety while also protecting the environment. They also promote resource efficiency and environmental stewardship in their daily operations. By being green, hotels help the environment while saving money and gaining the respect of their customers. In the corporate sector, it is crucial to be sustainable to expand and satisfy clients. Customers are increasingly looking for eco-friendly enterprises and are willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly goods and services (Fatoki, 2020). Using sustainable best business practices in management, services, and distribution networks, an ecologically sound hotel strives to minimize its negative environmental impact. Thus, the following recommendations could play a crucial role in promoting sustainable green hotels:
- Create a green team to oversee the eco-friendly agendas within the establishments. Employers can consider forming a “green squad” of enthusiastic workers to spearhead suggestions for environmentally friendly quality standards in their departments (Taşkıran, 2019). This strategy provides workers with a feeling of ownership and an increased motivation for the long-term implementation of green methods. Also, the motivated team will play a crucial role in guaranteeing a sustainable initiative.
- The various organizations need to offer cost-effective services and products to attract many travelers from all parts of the world. The increased number of visitors will ensure that the green team has enough resources to facilitate their agendas. Additionally, the hotels can make the guest rooms more green by automating conservation (Peng & Chen, 2019). Such experiences attract many people to the premises, thus promoting the principles of the IQM.
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