Effective approaches for encouraging hotel guests’ voluntary bedding linen reuse behavior

Hotel strategies for encouraging guests to engage in pro-environmental behaviors – specifically, in linen reuse – have received much attention in the literature. This study investigated the most preferred messaging approaches and motivators for fostering tourists’ linen reuse behavior in hotels. Using data from surveys of 200 respondents, we took cultural differences into account to illustrate how Asian tourists differ from Western tourists in their attitudes and responses toward hotel linen reuse. The results revealed that the monetary incentive messaging approach was the most preferred approach for fostering linen reuse behavior in hotels. Multiple regression analyses disclosed that the effectiveness of different messaging approaches was driven by four underlying pro-environmental dimensions: environmental concerns, a request/clear expectation, a reward, and personal needs/habits. These findings increase the current understanding of green practices in hotels and provide practical implications for hotel operators and governments.