How do hotel star ratings affect the relationship between environmental CSR and green word-of-mouth?

Abstract

Hotels have increasingly engaged in environmentally responsible initiatives to demonstrate their commitment to environmental concerns and sustainable hospitality and tourism. These initiatives are expected to become even more popular in the context that the COVID-19 crisis has driven people to further acknowledge the importance of the ecosystem. This study aims to examine how hotels' environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects customers' green word-of-mouth (WOM). Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze data from an online survey of 749 Chinese respondents. The findings reveal that hotels' environmental CSR indirectly enhances customers' green WOM intention via green perceived value (i.e., cognitive route) and green hotel pride (i.e., emotional route). Furthermore, the indirect effects of hotels' environmental CSR on customers' green WOM are more substantial for hotels with higher star ratings. These findings offer valuable insights for hoteliers to develop genuine environmentally responsible initiatives that can generate positive customer responses.