While travelers consistently report a preference for green accommodations (a 2022 global traveler survey found 72% of respondents intend to stay in a green accommodation at least once during the year), there is often a disconnect between what people say and what they do. Researchers revealed how to narrow this so-called “intention-behavior gap” for sustainability minded travelers.

People are more likely to book nights at green-certified hotels when the properties advertise their rates alongside rates for comparable hotels, according to the study. Providing information on how green certification reduces energy and water use also increased bookings.

Researchers found that taking these steps counteracts two of the main barriers to converting eco-certifications into sales: the misconception that green hotels are more expensive, and confusion about what eco-certification means and whether it’s a marketing ploy.

“Our research demonstrates that it is possible to convert customers’ intentions to “become green” into actual sales,” said Christina Chi, professor of hospitality business management at Washington State University’s Carson College of Business and the study’s lead author. 

Green Seal-certified hotels are well positioned to capitalize on this research by communicating the features of their certification. Certified properties are verified to meet leadership standards for recycling, energy use, water use, HVAC maintenance, and sustainable purchasing, among other criteria. A snapshot of the many sustainability attributes of Green Seal-certified hotels is here.

In addition, Green Seal-certified properties are now highlighted for eco-conscious travelers on hotel booking sites like Booking.com and Google Travel, making it easy for travelers to compare prices between comparable certified and un-certified properties.

Green Seal-certified hotels earn their credentials. With interest in wellness tourism and eco-conscious travel at record highs, communicating to travelers what those credentials mean can bring well-deserved financial benefits.

Google’s new environmentally preferable hotel designation makes it easier for travelers to choose safer, healthier, and certified green hotels. To be added to the tool, hotels must update their Google My Business account with their sustainability practices and maintain an ecolabel certification from a participating third-party organization.

Now more than ever, guests are looking for proven-green properties. In 2019, 70% of global travelers said they were more likely to book a green accommodation, and 62% preferred one with an ecolabel. Today, spurred by what a recent report calls the “pandemic effect,” consumers are continuing to turn toward sustainable travel, with 83% agreeing that sustainable travel is vital and 61% citing the pandemic as a reason they want to travel more sustainably moving forward.

Green Seal’s Environmental Leadership Standard for Hotels is a thorough, multi-attribute guide for hotel operations that addresses many of the areas sustainably minded travelers care about. The standard targets significant impacts, including healthier indoor air; pollution prevention; waste minimization; green purchasing policies, and energy and water efficiency. Hotels certified to Green Seal’s standard automatically qualify for inclusion in Google’s “Eco-Certified” tool, demonstrating to prospective guests that they provide the healthiest, greenest spaces.