The Green Image in the Spanish Hotel Sector: Analysis of Its Consequences from a Relational Perspective

• Main Authors: José Ramón Sarmiento-Guede, Arta Antonovica, Rebeca Antolín-Prieto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: green image; green marketing; trust; satisfaction; loyalty; hierarchy of effects model
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/4734

The main objective of this research is to propose a hierarchy of effects model to study three antecedents of green brand image, such as trust, satisfaction and loyalty, and to examine the relationships between these variables. In this context, we investigated how these variables have been applied in the Spanish hotel management strategies for influencing consumer attitude and behavior. To test the proposed model empirically, personal surveys of 732 hotel customers were conducted in five Spanish cities using a structured questionnaire. A structural equations model was developed to test the research hypothesis. The main results indicate positive relationships between the green image and loyalty, the green image and satisfaction, the green image and trust. In addition, there are positive relationships between trust and loyalty, and finally between satisfaction and loyalty. From a practical point of view, hotel chains and their marketers must improve their green image through the correct design of activities, actions, and strategies to increase their clients’ trust, satisfaction, and loyalty. In addition, the hotel chains must design green communication campaigns through their own and paid media to ensure that customers talk about them, and as a result, be able to influence the attitude and behavior of their customers. The results of our research provide a better understanding of the relationships between the green image, trust, satisfaction, and loyalty, following the framework of the hierarchy of effects model. By complementing previous studies on green image creation, this study offers an assessment of how green marketing strategies in the hotel industry increase trust, loyalty, and customer satisfaction.