Title: 'Going green'! Exploring customer preference in the hotel industry

Authors: Matrecia S.L. James; Angela K. Miles; Millicent F. Nelson; Sally Sledge; Sidika Colakoglu

Addresses: Davis College of Business, Jacksonville University, 2800 University Blvd. N, Jacksonville, FL 32211, USA. ' School of Business and Economics, North Carolina A&T State University, 1601 E. Market St., Greensboro, NC 27411, USA. ' Jennings A. Jones College of Business, Middle Tennessee State University, P.O. Box 450, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA. ' School of Business – Brown Hall A227, Norfolk State University, 700 Park Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23504, USA. ' School of Business – Brown Hall A227, Norfolk State University, 700 Park Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23504, USA

Abstract: Green management has become a new mandate for firms in all industries to use in their operational strategies. The hotel industry has long utilised environmentally friendly practises yet it has incorporated more actions in recent years due to consumer demand. This work offers an exploratory qualitative study of consumer perceptions about the importance of green management practises in purchase decisions for hotel stays. The sample includes hotel customers. Results suggest that green management practises do matter to a majority of customers. Other findings and directions for future research are included.

Keywords: green management; sustainability; corporate responsibility; hotel management; sustainable development; consumer perceptions; customer perceptions; purchasing decisions; hotel stays; customer preferences; environmentally friendly.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSM.2011.044351

International Journal of Sustainable Strategic Management, 2011 Vol.3 No.2, pp.93 - 108

Published online: 21 Feb 2015 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article