Guests’ perceptions of green hotel practices and management responses on TripAdvisor

Purpose The purposes of this study are to identify how hotel guests perceive green practices and to explore how hotels effectively inform customers of their green practices through social media such as TripAdvisor. Design/methodology/approach To examine hotel guests’ awareness of green practices through social media, this research investigated guests’ comments about green practices and management responses on TripAdvisor using content analysis. Findings The results indicated that most guests respond positively toward green practices when they can recognize them, e.g. reducing energy usage or water saving. However, lack of awareness about hotels’ green practices can cause guests to feel inconvenienced during their stays. Moreover, the study found that only a few hotel managements provide feedback on guests’ negative comments on TripAdvisor to inform them about the hotels’ green practices. Research limitations/implications This research is limited to analyzing only the top ten green hotels in the USA ranked by TripAdvisor. A study of more hotel cases with green practice standards, which could be adjusted to involve the use of different service levels such as luxury, upscale or economy hotels, may provide more insights into this discussion. Originality/value This research presents an exploratory intent to probe guests’ comments and management responses about green practices in the US lodging industry. The results provide empirical evidence of hotel guests’ perceptions of green practices as posted on social media. Moreover, management can use social media feedback as an educational tool and as effective advertisement, which in turn may reduce the negative perception of hotel green programs.