An Examination of Green Environmental Attributes in Hotel Service Settings

Abstract

This study uses Baker’s (1987) conceptualization of the physical environment (referred to from here as service environment framework) as a skeleton to build a new framework that introduces ‘green’ to service environment literature and proposes additional research opportunities within the field of service marketing. A major shift has been underway in the construction and design community. Architects and designers are using new materials and innovative systems that have been developed to work with and for the environment to encompass the entire building envelope. The implications of this shift to the service environment are significant and ultimately need to be empirically tested. There is limited research addressing the issue of green design in hotel service settings. Previous studies indicate that consumers would prefer a green hotel over a traditional hotel, but the numbers do not play out in reality (Scoviak, 2008). The problem appears to be that industry has little knowledge of how guests form perceptions that a hotel is green and which green attributes are most likely to have an effect on guest perceptions. To date, conceptual frameworks of traditional design elements have been presented, but the classification of green environmental attributes within the service environment still remains to be seen. This study developed a classification system of green environmental attributes in hotel service environments based on Baker’s (1987) service environment framework. Second, this study created a valid scale to measure consumers’ perceived importance of green environmental attributes within hotel service environments. Next, this dissertation also addressed a gap within service environment literature by establishing the presence of green within hotel service environments. Finally, this research has identified multiple research opportunities to the field of service marketing through the study of green environmental attributes within hotel service environments.