The Impact of Environmental Certification on Hotel Guest Ratings

Abstract

In this article, we analyze the impact on hotels of the ISO 14001 environmental certification system from the customers’ perspective. Based on a comparison of customer ratings of 6,850 hotels in Spain with and without ISO 14001 certification, overall guests rate the hotels with ISO 14001 certification higher than those without the certification. These results are stronger for hotel comfort and hotel services compared with other hotel attributes. Moreover, the most significant differences were found in the upscale four-star hotels. While the study does not reveal causes for these findings, the implication is that the highest end five-star luxury hotels do not gain distinctive differentiation by having the ISO 14001 certification, while for three-star hotels, guests’ price sensitivity overrides environmental concerns. At the four-star level, however, hotels seem to be able to gain a distinct market advantage from environmental certification. For all hotels, the management discipline provided by ISO 14001 can provide a competitive advantage.

Greening the lodging industry: Current status, trends and perspectives for green value

“…Interestingly, the absence of green practices or unfavourable consumer evaluation may result in negative consumer feelings (Robinot & Giannelloni, 2010). Green certification and linen and towel reuse policy are the most influential green initiatives for both business and leisure travellers (Millar & Baloglu, 2011;Peiró-Signes et al, 2014). Tourists also identify recycling and composting waste as important determinants for choosing a resort, though day customers express a stronger preference for the use of renewable resources compared to overnight visitors (Kelly, Haider, Williams, & Englund, 2007).…”

“…Scholars call for further research in the field of green marketing in the lodging industry not only in order to advance academic knowledge, but also in order to disseminate insights to hotel companies that still seem to struggle to achieve green integration (Leonidou, Leonidou, Fotiadis, & Zeriti, 2013;Peiró-Signes, Segarra-Oña, Verma, Mondéjar-Jiménez, & Vargas-Vargas, 2014). Thus, it is very timely to accumulate extant knowledge regarding consumers' perceptions towards green hotels, the driving forces for green integration for lodging firms and the role of public policy, governmental and trade organizations in the attempt to identify research gaps and extend our comprehension of green-related issues in the lodging industry (Kirstges, 2002).…”

Rural Tourism: Development, Management and Sustainability in Rural Establishments

“…There are many studies which analyse the sustainable behaviour of hotel establishments [11,12]; most of the research on environmental management has focused on two main areas: cost policies and business competitiveness. To a lesser extent, environmental protection has been analysed, and in many cases, is based only on the compliance with the environmental legislation at a given time.…”

Gestão E Responsabilidade Socioambiental: Estudo Multicaso No Setor Hoteleiro Da Cidade Portal Da Amazônia

“…Tal fato coaduna-se com dados da pesquisa de Silva et al (2013), ao afirmarem que a falta de qualificação dos recursos humanos acerca da educação ambiental e a gestão de resíduos sólidos gerados em hotéis apontam para a carência de informações. Além disso e segundo constatado em pesquisa anteriores, a aquisição da certificação ISO 14001 pode dar aos hotéis uma vantagem competitiva em relação àqueles não certificados (PEREIRA-MOLINER et al, 2015, SERRA-OÑA et al, 2014, PEIRÓ-SIGNES et al, 2014.…”