Wulan Riyanti

Navigating Institutional Pressures in Driving Authentic Environmental Management Practices in the Hotel Industry

Abstract: The growing demand for sustainable hotel practices has led to an increase in green practice implementation, such as energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, and community participation. While some hotels genuinely practise green, others may benefit from deceptive green marketing, referred to as greenwashing. With greater awareness of the greenwashing phenomenon in the hotel industry, authenticity emerges as an important component of guests' trust and credibility. Numerous studies have identified several pressures that encourage green practices in the hotel industry. The pressures must then be navigated in line with the challenges, resulting in an advance driver for hotels to achieve genuine environmental management practices. This research examines the impact of institutional pressures on the adoption of authentic environmental management practices in the hotel industry. By integrating institutional theory and impression management theory, the research investigates how normative, coercive, and mimetic pressures impact on green practices. Through a systematic literature review, this research provides a theoretical framework that illustrates the dynamics of authentic green practices in the hotel industry. The findings suggest that institutional pressures have a considerable effect on the adoption of green practices, with guest perception of authenticity having an important mediating role. Furthermore, top management commitment and perceived advantages reinforce the relationship between institutional pressures and green practices. This research further adds to the literature by developing a comprehensive framework for analysing the dynamics of genuine green practices in hotels.