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Hotel selection and attributes that are important to travelers has been extensively researched using a variety of methods (Dolnicar, 2002). Dolnicar & Otter (2003) confirmed, after reviewing 21 studies related to hotel attributes, cleanliness as the top priority, followed by hotel location. In total, 173 attributes were identified that were related to image, price/value, the hotel itself, and service (Lockyer, 2005). None of those attributes, however, were related to environmental attributes of a hotel. For more than a decade, the hospitality industry has been under pressure by government legislation and regulations to implement environmental strategies and thereby reduce their carbon footprint (Zurburg, Ruff & Ninemeier, 1995). In addition to this, increased customer awareness regarding the environment has provided for new marketing opportunities for the industry (Revilla, Dodd & Hoover, 2001). 78 percent of American travelers consider themselves “environmentally conscious”(US Travel Association, 2009). In a survey of 1000 business travelers, 95 percent of respondents thought that lodging companies should be undertaking green initiatives.(Weissenberg, Redington, & Kutyla, 2008).

Hotels have implemented a gamut of green strategies in their operations. These practices however are often implemented despite a lack of research on how specific green attributes might influence a customer’s hotel selection (Millar & Baloglu, 2008). Mark Dolliver (2008) suggests that green marketing has now become mainstream to consumers, and that companies need to make more informed decisions regarding spending on environmental initiatives and not ride the …