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This study aims to explore the components of eco-service quality at hotels and to cluster hotel customers based on their eco-service quality perceptions.

A quantitative research approach was adapted, and a survey study was performed on Russian tourists staying at the hotels located in Antalya, Turkey. Factor analysis results showed that the eco-service quality variable contains the dimensions of equipment, practice and staff and food. These factors were used to cluster hotel customers, and two groups were obtained as sensitive customers to eco-services and apathetic customers to eco-services. Cluster-based differences were identified by a series of cross-tabulations and regression analyses.

Some socio-demographic and travel choice-related differences were obtained between the customer groups. The results of regression analyses showed that the most important determinant of sensitive customers' overall satisfaction was equipment, which was followed by staff and food and practice. The only significant determinant of apathetic customers' overall satisfaction was equipment.

Hotel customers, who have different socio-demographic characteristics, are identified to have also distinct perceptions on the quality of eco-friendly equipment or services. Hence, hotel managers are suggested to develop proactive and value-generating environmentally friendly practices that appeal to different market segments. However, hotel managers should decide on prior areas and prefer low-cost options when “going green”, as some customer-groups do not notice such efforts.

From the theoretical point of view, this study is original in showing the dimensional structure of the eco-service quality construct and the impact of each dimension on hotel customers' overall satisfaction. Both theoretically and practically, the findings offer valuable implications about the behavioural tendencies of Russian tourists towards eco-hotel practices.

This paper aims to investigate a guest’s subjective appraisal of a hotel’s green marketing program, or green equity, along with value, brand and relationship equities on guest loyalty.

Study 1 presents three models to explicate the role of a luxury hotel’s green initiatives in influencing guest loyalty. By means of structural equation modeling, one model emerges with the best fit. Study 2 examines how tourists assign economic value to a hotel’s green programs.

Green equity plays a significant role in customers’ overall assessment of a hotel’s marketing programs; however, the effect is weaker when compared with the other indicators, including a hotel’s value proposition, brand image and loyalty programs. Furthermore, the results reveal that tourists are willing to pay a price premium for a hotel’s green marketing programs.

The paper links green marketing to the customer equity model and clarifies the impact of green marketing programs on loyalty and profitability. However, the study was conducted among luxury hotel guests and tourists in Macau, a leading gambling destination; thus, these customers might not have been concerned with green marketing initiatives.

The results show that green initiatives are beneficial as long as managers include these initiatives in their overall strategic marketing programs that also promote firm value propositions, brand images and reputation.

The paper clarifies the role of green marketing programs in hospitality and shows how hotels can benefit from enhanced guest loyalty and decreased operational expenses by implementing green initiatives.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores are becoming increasingly relevant in academic literature and the corporate world. This is partly because the themes covered by ESG scores are intended to resolve multiple major social and environmental issues. However, there is little consensus among academics about the definition of ESG scores and their measures. Many scholars have used ESG scores to represent various issues. The purpose of this study is to gather all definitions that were used by scholar when using ESG scores in their research.

This systematic literature review aims to identify how ESG scores are presented in the academic literature. A total of 4,145 articles were identified, of which 342 articles from influential peer-reviewed journals were retained.

In the articles, five different thematic definitions emerged in terms of how scholars have used ESG scores in their research: sustainability, corporate social responsibility, disclosure, finance and the analysis of ESG scores. Although some definitions are consistent with the methodologies of the agencies that produce ESG scores, others raise further questions. Caution is required when using ESG scores as a metric. They represent financial adjusted risk-return for some and are used to express business sustainability for others.

Only top-ranked journals were analyzed. In addition, only the key terms “ESG Score” and “ESG Scores” were used to gather all research papers.

Researchers could improve the accuracy of their results by developing specific methodologies that are closely related to the issues intended to be measured. The underlying variables composing the ESG scores could be used instead of the final score for more accurate environmental or social issues measurements.

This research shows that scholars use ESG scores to represent multiple issues that are not always captured by ESG scores’ official methodologies. ESG scores can express the overall performance of environmental and social issues, but they cannot be used to track specific underlying issues.

The purpose of this paper is to examine guests’ experiences at green hotels and the impact of green experience on customer satisfaction.

A total of 727 green reviews (reviews on green experiences) of the top ten green hotels in the USA were downloaded from TripAdvisor for content analysis. Descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regressions were then used.

Guests have both positive and negative experiences at green hotels. “Energy”, “purchasing” and “education and innovation” are the most frequently discussed green practices. Some guests’ green experiences, such as “guest training”, “energy”, “water”, “purchasing” and “education and innovation”, significantly influence their overall satisfaction with hotels. Compared with basic green practices, advanced green practices tend to have greater impacts on customer satisfaction.

This study provides insight into guests’ green experiences at hotels and their impact on customer satisfaction. More importantly, this study examines the contribution of different types of green practices to customer satisfaction. As the green hotels examined in this study were not randomly selected, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Different practices impact customer satisfaction in different ways, so hoteliers should refine their green strategies when they implement these green practices.

Very few studies have examined the relationship between green practices and customer satisfaction. A gap still exists in specifically what types of green practices affect customer satisfaction and whether different levels of green practices have different impacts on customer satisfaction. This study investigates guests’ actual experiences and fills the above research gap.

This paper aims to examine how “green” attributes contribute to hotel customers' overall satisfaction.

A qualitative study helped generate a list of the attributes that contribute to overall satisfaction with hotel services. Then a Tetraclasse model, which highlights the four‐fold nature of this contribution, was used. Two hypotheses are posed. First, attributes of hotel service can be divided into four different types according to the way in which they contribute to forming satisfaction. Second, in terms of how they contribute to forming satisfaction, environmental protection initiatives can be considered “plus” attributes.

The first hypothesis is rejected. For the second hypothesis, the results show that the environmental attributes were evaluated as “basic”, which means they were seen as an integral part of the service offer, rather than as differentiating criteria.

The study was based on a relatively restricted sample. Further research is needed to improve the external validity of the research.

It is necessary to maintain a high level of performance for “green” attributes. Moreover, it would be preferable not to inform customers about environmental initiatives in order to limit the risk of being unfavorably evaluated on these attributes. It would seem worthwhile for a company to invest in service attributes that are respectful of the environment, even if they do not promote these attributes directly to the customer. Pro‐environment initiatives may also be introduced for economic reasons.

The paper makes use of the Tetraclasse model methodology.

The purpose of this study is to elucidate how green value influences potential green hotel customers’ propensity to choose green. Studies on green hotels emphasized environmental and financial benefits that conventional hotels do not provide to society or the companies. However, these benefits may not be the ones that resonate best with its potential customers. Besides, given the characteristics of green products, it is also important to point out how customers perceive green-related costs.

A pilot test was conducted in three universities and then an anonymous questionnaire was randomly administered to Korean passengers at the Incheon International Airport. Exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were the primary methods of data analysis.

Four dimensions for perceived green benefits and three dimensions for perceived green costs emerged: functional, emotional, social and epistemic benefits; and monetary, explicit and implicit costs. Environmental concern influenced perceived green benefits positively and perceived green costs negatively, while its relationship with purchase intention was insignificant. Perceived green benefits was not a significant predictor of purchase intention, but perceived green costs was, and it partially mediated the effect of environmental concern on purchase intention. Functional and emotional benefits as well as monetary and explicit costs were significantly associated with purchase intention.

This study has only investigated customer perceived value of a green hotel stay in the pre-purchase stage, and hotel brand level was not taken into consideration. Besides, convenience sampling of Korean respondents only may limit the generalizability of the research findings.

Research findings help to explain the inconsistency between eco-friendly attitude and green purchase intentions. Managers may understand the importance of developing customers’ green awareness and how to market the green value to them.

Few researches have focused on the role of customer perceived value in explaining true behavioral change of green hotel guests. The current study may be the first attempt to incorporate the social exchange theory into the conceptual model, and extend the knowledge of perceived value in this specific green context by not only emphasizing multi-dimensional perceived green benefits and perceived green costs but also incorporating a situational factor of environmental concern.

The COVID-19 crisis has jolted the hotel landscape profoundly and sector's usual resistance to innovative efforts is gone. Ecologically innovative (green) hotels are now expected to set the benchmark in protecting the environment and mitigating human health hazards. The need for this study stems from the fact that eco-innovative (green) hotels need not only be established and promoted, but also accepted or adopted by guests. Existing studies have mostly relied on customer's pro-environmental attitude, knowledge, and a selective list of green hotel attributes in order to predict green hotel visit intentions. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive list of environmental and human health attributes that are likely to influence guest's decision to visit a green hotel. One of the first studies to utilize the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory in sustainable hospitality research, this qualitative study identifies 27 key green hotel's perceived attributes. Examining the guest's expected green hotel attributes would help managers make their green efforts more effective and attract potential guests who have not yet stayed at green hotels.

Purpose: This chapter presents the topics related to environmental, social and governanace (ESG) scoring, with particular emphasis on ESG ratings as a tool for benchmarking the company. The banking sector was selected for the study and comparisons were made against the banking sector in the European Union (EU).

Methodology: Firstly, a literature review and a bibliometric analysis of publications related to ESG scoring were conducted for this chapter. Secondly, the LSEG database were employed and further studied in environmental, social, and governance. The time scope of the research is 2017–2022. Using descriptive statistic tools and comparative studies of scoring, we perform an analysis for all three ESG areas and the value of the total scoring for banks from EU countries.

Findings: ESG scoring for all dimensions in the banking sector in EU countries shows good relative ESG performance and above average degree of transparency in reporting material ESG data publicly. The highest rank for total ESG score has banks from France, Portugal, and Spain (score A). Banks from Sweden, Slovenia, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Greece, Germany, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Austria assessed the scoring, which was situated above the median values, in the third quartile (score B). The last group with satisfactory relative ESG performance (score C) are banks from Slovakia, Denmark, Cyprus, and Belgium. The studies also allow us to formulate the following conclusions: the average and the median values for all ESG disclosure areas are higher in the old EU countries in all ESG dimensions. Moreover, other statistical measures (Q1, Q3) are also higher in banks from the old EU countries.

Implications: Important both for banks’ insiders and stakeholders as it provides a measurement and benchmarking tool. The data can be used as well for further analysis of the banking sector.

Limitations: Comparable ESG scoring among EU countries. Nevertheless, not all banks and countries were included in further analysis because of a lack of data. Unfortunately, the comparative analysis covers only 19 out of 27 counties. The time scope of the research is limited to six years due to regulatory limitations.

Future Research: The relationship between ESG scores and the performance of banks (e.g., return on assets, return on equity, market value).

Purpose: This chapter elaborates application of ESG principles in retail aimed to increase consumers’ knowledge of sustainability and to promote conscious actions when choosing products and services. As conscious consumer decision-making may have a detrimental impact on retail revenues, this concept is not sufficiently addressed in retail marketing literature.

Methodology: Firstly, we address the ESG concept application in the retail industry in general by analysing contemporary literature in the field and by analysing available secondary statistical data and retailers’ reports on a given topic in Croatia and Poland. Secondly, we elaborate perception of young consumers on retailers’ actions in promoting sustainable behaviour. Data is collected by survey in Croatia and Poland during 2023. The sample includes more than 550 respondents who evaluated the role of retailers in promoting healthy lifestyles, increasing social benefits in local communities, fostering social security of employees, sponsoring, and promoting educational activities, etc. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses will be applied to test and describe differences in perception of retailers’ impact among countries.

Findings and implications: Findings fill in the gap on sustainability and its perception in the retail industry from the standpoint of consumers which enriches literature in the field of retail marketing and management. Primary results will contribute to a better understanding of consumers’ perceptions of implemented ESG principles, and managers in the retail industry may use results to fit communication and implementation of ESG to a particular sub-segment of consumers regarding origin.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the managerial efficiency and the customer satisfaction of Parisian boutique hotels by using the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods.

In the first stage, hotels’ managerial efficiency is assessed by data envelopment analysis to establish which hotel has the most efficient performance. In the second stage, the customer satisfaction of these hotels is estimated by the ELECTRE (ELimination et Choix Traduisant la RÉalité) method to assess the hotel’s ability to satisfy their customers.

Empirical results show that there is an inverse relation between customer satisfaction and ability to maximise the Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR). In other words, trying to improve efficiency implies a reduction in guests’ satisfaction (and vice versa).

Therefore, through this research the authors can realise that hotel managers should give more attention to customer service because it has a more direct and important impact on customer satisfaction. It also positively impacts on resource management. However, there are some limitations to this study. First, this study only focuses on 12 hotels. Because the data set is very confidential, it is very difficult to have a bigger sample. Then, the evaluation is based on 2014 figures only. It could be interesting to know their performance for previous years to understand their evolution. Finally, it is necessary to know the percentage of direct reservations for each hotel. For instance, if a hotel is relying too much on online travel agents (i.e. Booking.com, Expedia, etc.), it needs to pay a significant amount of commission to these companies. As a result, it could have a good RevPAR but might pay a huge commission (for example, 20 per cent for most of sites) at the end. In terms of perspectives, it is necessary to conduct a more extensive research to test the hypothesis in a different context. Additionally, the data were taken for a single period of time. It will be very interesting to create a panel of hotels and collect data over a period of time (Barros, 2005; Barros and Santos, 2006; Barros and Deike, 2008). This would enable to better understand the relationship between managerial efficiency and customer satisfaction in a long-term prospective.

This paper presents the relationship between the managerial efficiency and customer satisfaction in Parisian boutique hotels context. Study suggests that in service industry, increase of firm’s efficiency could negatively impact the guest satisfaction. Therefore, through studying the authors can realise that why hotel managers should focus on customer satisfaction, which attributes play the vital role in customer satisfaction and how to optimize their resources. One of the originalities of this paper is that the authors use the customers’ feedback from the UGC websites (Trip Advisor and Booking.com) as the performance evaluation indicators for customer satisfaction. The data are very confidential and hard to get.