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Guests are more likely to save energy if the hotel itself is climate-friendly.
Losses in comfort, such as cooler rooms, can be offset by price reductions.
Family businesses and environmentally conscious guests are more willing to save energy.
Environmentally friendly energy sources make hotels more attractive - even at higher prices.
Summary of this study
Tackling climate change and the energy crisis underlines the urgent need to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This scientific study addresses the question of how hotels, as key players in the tourism industry, can motivate their guests to adopt energy-saving behavior during their stay.
The results show that behavior-oriented measures that directly influence guest comfort are of crucial importance. In particular, it was found that guests of family-run hotels and those with a high level of environmental awareness are more willing to accept lower room temperatures. Price concessions can compensate for a loss of comfort.
A comprehensive experiment also shows that the willingness of guests to save energy increases considerably if the hotel itself actively implements energy-saving measures. This also has a positive effect on the perceived attractiveness of the hotel facilities.
The results can be used to derive specific recommendations for hotel managers on how they can successfully motivate their guests to adopt more sustainable behavior.
Findings from this study
- Guests attach great importance to their comfort during their stay. This includes, for example, the maximum room temperature and shower time. These aspects are very important to them. Discounts can compensate for the reduced attractiveness of lower temperatures.
- The results show that guests are more willing to save energy if the hotel also takes measures to save energy. This increases the overall attractiveness of the hotel.
- Guests of family-run hotels and those with a higher level of environmental awareness are more willing to accept lower room temperatures. This indicates that the type of hotel has an influence on guest behavior.
- Guests prefer environmentally friendly energy sources, especially in family-run hotels, which allows hotels to charge higher prices. This preference relates to technology-oriented measures.
- The study shows that the provision of information on sustainable measures on site increases the willingness of guests to participate in climate-friendly activities as well.
Publication: Robert Steiger, Ursula Scholl-Grissemann, Andreas Kallmuenzer, Fabian Klier & Mike Peters (2025)