Delighting Hotel Guests with Sustainability: Revamping Importance-Performance Analysis in the Light of the Three-Factor Theory of Customer Satisfaction

Michele Preziosi, Alessia Acampora, Maria Claudia Lucchetti and Roberto Merli
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Michele Preziosi: Energy Efficiency Department, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), Lungotevere Thaon di Revel 76, 00196 Roma, Italy
Alessia Acampora: Department of Business Studies, Roma Tre University, Via Silvio D’Amico 77, 00145 Roma, Italy
Maria Claudia Lucchetti: Department of Business Studies, Roma Tre University, Via Silvio D’Amico 77, 00145 Roma, Italy
Roberto Merli: Department of Business Studies, Roma Tre University, Via Silvio D’Amico 77, 00145 Roma, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-20

Abstract: Tourism has a key role in the global economy, and it is a significant contributor to environmental degradation and climate change. Concurrently, it is one of the most exposed businesses to the deterioration of environmental quality. Inside the tourism sector, the hospitality industry accounts for nearly 30% of emissions and in recent years has begun to introduce voluntary tools to manage the environmental impacts of its operations. Among these instruments, ecolabels ensure compliance with specific environmental performance criteria and reliable communication. In Italy, Legambiente Turismo is the most widespread tourism ecolabel that awards over 300 hotels. Previous investigations have shown that firms implementing environmental sustainability practices may gain economic advantages in terms of savings thanks to increased efficiency and reduced waste. At the same time, when evaluating firms’ performance, it is relevant to explore how customers perceive the actions implemented by the accommodation industry to minimize the environmental impact of its activities. Through a survey addressed to the customers of an eco-labeled hotel, this paper investigates if green practices form a specific dimension of service quality and if these green practices are considered by hotel guests as excitement factors among hotel service quality attributes. Results show that customers identify environmental practices as a specific dimension of eco-labeled hotels. Moreover, applying the three-factors theory of customer satisfaction, findings identify hotel green practices as delighting guests if properly delivered and communicated. Findings have significant implications both from a theoretical and managerial viewpoint, as they show that customers positively recognize the hotel’s commitment toward the natural environment, representing a significant differentiation strategy on the market.

Keywords: ecolabel; green hotels; green practices; importance-performance analysis; three-factor theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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