EUROPE: Accor, Booking.com and the University of Surrey have published a report looking at traveller motivations and how they respond to sustainability messaging during their stay.
The 34 page white paper looks at guest motivations, acknowledging how they play a critical role in the success and efficacy of hotel sustainability initiatives, and why sometimes well-meaning initiatives fail to take off.
The method of collecting and processing the data for the report involved 24 detailed interviews with 100 travellers, as well as following the booking process and decision-making along the way. Researchers also probed into the psychology of traveller behaviour.
A summary of the methodology is featured at the end of this piece but Xavier Font, professor of sustainability marketing, University of Surrey said: “Through our collaboration with Accor and Booking.com, we apply cutting-edge behavioural insights to understand how sustainability messaging can better engage guests and influence decision-making.
“By combining academic rigour with industry expertise, this research provides hospitality professionals with evidence-based strategies to make sustainable travel more intuitive, impactful, and actionable.”
The report looks to address hospitality’s shared challenges when it comes to bridging the intent to action gap of travellers.
While Booking.com’s Sustainable Travel Report 2024 revealed travelling more sustainably is a priority for many travellers, with 83 per cent saying that sustainable travel is important to them, and 67 per cent saying they are inspired to adopt more sustainable behaviours after witnessing responsible practices, we recently reported on a story from the WTTC which looked at the say-do gap in more detail.
Danielle D’Silva, director of sustainability, Booking.com said: “The aim of our collaboration with Accor and the University of Surrey is to enable more hospitality providers to optimise the impact of their sustainability efforts and positively influence traveler behavior towards embracing more sustainable actions and choices.”
Drawing on lab research, and interviews with global travellers the new research offers hoteliers four key recommendations to optimise guest messaging when promoting more sustainable practices. It ends with other key initiatives hotels can do to keep up sustainability and engagement including; demonstrating credibility with third party certification, helping staff be more sustainable, supporting the local community and also helping sustainable choices become the norm.
Key recommendations for hotel sustainability messaging
Be specific
A key takeaway from the research was the importance of providing clear, specific information about sustainability practices and avoiding big claims such as ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘green’. Messaging that helped the guest understand their part in reducing food waste was found to reduce levels of skepticism from 46 per cent to 21 per cent, compared to more generic and vague messaging. Specific and focused messages are crucial to better engaging guests and avoiding perceptions of greenwashing.
“There are lots of places that call themselves eco-tourism, but it doesn’t tell you why it’s eco-tourism. I think that is a little bit of a problem.” Female traveller (28) India
“The resort I was staying in has a shuttle and I really felt this was a better option than using [a taxi] every time because
it picked up a lot of people from the resort. By using it I tried to cut down on individual rides and so I felt like I was making a difference and was so grateful that the resort had that option.” Female traveller (43) US
Show sustainable experiences can be enjoyable
Interviews revealed many travellers associate the notion of sustainability with more restricted and less enjoyable experiences. Balancing sustainability messages around both pleasure and comfort, such as scenic train rides or local culinary experiences are key. Sustainability messages which focus on comfort or pleasure were found to increase feelings of satisfaction and joy by 145 per cent and 475 per cent respectively, over examples of existing messaging being used.
“If I was going on some luxury trip away, I wouldn’t be staying in some eco-lodge. If I was treating myself to some nice fantasy holiday I would like it to be a little bit luxurious and feel a bit more pampered”. Female traveller (40) US
Empower guests
Guests prefer an empowering approach to sustainability communications rather than feeling dictated to, with 55 per cent reporting feeling skeptical toward assertive messages such as “limit your water use”. Adopting a tone that encourages guests to make informed choices without pressure by sharing knowledge about local sustainable options— public transport schedules— will help guests feel like active participants in sustainability efforts.
“It needs to come from a place of kindness. It should be expressed in a positive fashion. Not saying, “you did this, that’s not good”. Instead, maybe say “this would be better”. Male traveller (26) France
Keep it familiar
Many travellers want to carry on their sustainable habits while away but sometimes hotel processes can make it feel difficult. Stick to messaging which evokes familiarity, trust and care to help guests feel more connected to their surroundings and also encourage repeat visits. The research showed that messages which looked 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.
“There are things that I can’t have influence over, for example the food I’m given at the hotel. You have to adapt to the situation because you’re not at home.” Female traveller (52) Germany
“In the hotel I stayed in Washington DC, the bike share programme was in the parking garage, which was so nice. I could just go right from the hotel and start biking” Male traveller (19) US
Jordane de Villaret, VP sustainability marketing & communications, Accor said: “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.
How the research was conducted
The first phase of this research involved 24 in-depth interviews with 100 guests from the US, Germany, France, and India, focusing on their expectations regarding sustainability and its influence on booking decisions.
After these interviews, Booking.com’s research team followed 22 guests from the same countries via a diary study covering the planning, booking, and travelling phases of their trips. This aimed to understand what role sustainability played at each stage and to capture the highs and lows of their stay through the lens of sustainability. 
The second research phase was then able to provide deeper insights based on rigorous behavioural research from the University of 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, utilising 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.
You can download and read the full report here.
For those in the SME sector we recently shared news of a new course helping SMEs with sustainability marketing in line with the Green Claims Directive.
New course to help SMEs with sustainability marketing in line with Green Claims Directive
Image: Accor