Global hospitality leader Accor, in
partnership with Booking.com and the University of
Surrey, have released the
findings
of research aimed at understanding and addressing traveler motivations when it
comes to making more sustainable decisions during their stay.
Tourism can be a positive force when it supports
communities,
breaks down social and cultural
barriers,
and builds
awareness
around the need to better protect our planet. But the industry also has
significant negative
environmental,
social and economic
impacts
that need to be managed.
Guests play a critical role in the efficacy and efficiency of various
sustainability initiatives — but there can be a high level of skepticism among
travelers when it comes to their role in those efforts. The research confirmed
the meaningful role of messaging in motivating more sustainable
behaviors
— a key component in the continued development of sustainability practices
within the industry. The white paper provides a useful reference point on
guests — helping to address hospitality’s shared challenges when it comes to
bridging the intent-to-action
gap
for many travelers.
Traveling more sustainably is of increasing
priority. According to the Booking.com Sustainable Travel Report 2024:
-
83 percent say sustainable travel is important to them, and 67 percent say
they are inspired to adopt more sustainable behaviors after witnessing
responsible practices. -
In 2023, 66 percent of travelers said they wanted to leave the places they visit better than when they arrived. In 2024, that rose to 71 percent.
The impetus for driving and scaling positive change is therefore clear, and
crucial to remaining aligned with guests’ values and expectations.
Jordane de Villaret, VP of
Sustainability Marketing & Communications at Accor, says: “Creating more
sustainable hospitality experiences is a journey of learning and humility. At
Accor, with over 40 brands, we’re excited to set new marketing standards to make
sustainability messaging clearer and more impactful. Too often, these
communications are vague — leaving brand leaders without practical guidance.
“Our partnership with Booking.com and the University of Surrey aims to equip
marketing and communication experts with actionable insights that truly engage
guests in our hotels’ impact journey. By sharing this work openly, we hope to
inspire both global brands and independent properties to craft compelling
narratives that empower guests to be part of the change.”
Drawing on lab research, and interviews with global travelers to identify common
issues and misconceptions when it comes to sustainability communications, the
paper provides four key recommendations to optimize guest messaging to promote
more sustainable practices:
1. Highlight property’s sustainability practices — including for less sustainable amenities — and show how guests can easily contribute
A key takeaway was the importance of providing clear, specific information about
sustainability practices and avoiding vague claims such as ‘eco-friendly’ or
‘green.’ In one example from the study, messaging that helped guests understand
their part in reducing food
waste
reduced levels of skepticism from 46 percent to 21 percent, compared to more
generic and vague messaging. This shows the importance for hotels to demonstrate
they are playing their part to address sustainability issues, with specific and
focused messages crucial to better engaging guests and avoiding perceptions of
greenwashing. This echoes another recent University of Surrey
study
that highlighted the fine line between informative communication around
sustainability and information overload, and the need for hotels to align both
their sustainability messaging and practices with consumer expectations.
2. Balance appeals to pleasure and comfort for optimal results
Many travelers interviewed associate the notion of sustainability with more
restricted and less enjoyable experiences. To overcome this, hotels should
balance sustainability messages around both pleasure and comfort, highlighting
options which are both enjoyable and sustainable — such as scenic train rides or
local culinary experiences. Sustainability messages that focus on comfort or
pleasure were found to increase feelings of satisfaction and joy by 145 percent
and 475 percent, respectively, over examples of existing messaging being used.
3. Empower guests; don’t constrain or dictate to them
The research indicates that guests prefer an empowering approach to
sustainability communications rather than feeling dictated to, with 55 percent
reporting feeling skeptical toward assertive messages such as “limit your water
use.” As such, hotels should adopt a tone that encourages guests to make
informed choices without pressure. By sharing knowledge about simple,
high-impact actions guests can take (ex: “every drop counts.”) and highlighting
local, more sustainable options and activities — such as public transport
schedules and community-led, culturally immersive
experiences
— hotels can position guests as active participants in sustainability efforts.
4. Help guests act as responsibly as they do at home
The final takeaway is that many travelers wish to maintain their sustainable
habits
while away from home, but hotel processes and operations can often make them
feel constrained in doing so. Messaging that evokes familiarity, trust and
heartfelt care is therefore important to ensuring sustainable behaviors remain
intuitive — helping guests feel more connected to their surroundings and
encouraging repeat visits. In particular, messages that seek to create a sense
of home were perceived as twice as responsible than messaging currently in use,
and reduced skepticism to more than half of current levels.
The research
Insights were gathered following a two-phased research exercise which gathered
quantitative and qualitative data from numerous surveys and lab-based behavioral
experiments.
The first phase involved 24 in-depth interviews with 100 guests from
France, Germany, India and the US about their expectations regarding sustainability and
its influence on booking decisions. Booking.com’s research team then followed 22
guests from the same countries via a diary study covering the planning, booking
and traveling phases of their trips — aiming to understand what role
sustainability played at each stage and to capture the highs and lows of their
stay through a sustainability lens.
The second research phase was then able to provide deeper insights based on
rigorous behavioral research from Surrey’s Human Insight
Lab.
This research looked at the emotional and physiological responses of nearly 70
customers presented with different sets of sustainability messages — utilizing
sensing technologies such as eye tracking, galvanic skin responses and facial
analysis software. The researchers also conducted interviews with the same set
of customers, employing advanced psychological approaches through projective
techniques, enabling them to gain deeper insights into customer experience by
tapping into subconscious responses to provide unparalleled insights for the
hospitality industry.
These findings will support the industry in enhancing positive customer
experiences and driving sustainable behavior change, ultimately leading to
long-term customer loyalty and improved environmental outcomes.
“Many hospitality providers are making great strides in their sustainability
journeys; however, they still meet a number of challenges. Engaging travelers on
the efforts they are making is one of them, and the cooperation of guests can be
vital to the efficacy of many sustainability practices,” says Danielle
D’Silva, Director of
Sustainability, Booking.com. “At Booking.com, we’re committed to collaborating
with partners across the industry to help overcome the various barriers
hospitality providers face. The aim of our collaboration with Accor and the
University of Surrey is to enable more hospitality providers to optimize the
impact of their sustainability efforts and positively influence traveler
behavior towards embracing more sustainable actions and choices.”
The research partners hope that the collaborative
report
will help to foster a more responsible and environmentally conscious travel
experience, setting a new standard for the industry and fostering positive
impact around the world.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Feb 28, 2025 2pm EST / 11am PST / 7pm GMT / 8pm CET