AI for Sustainable Hospitality : Guest Perceptions of Green Technologies in Certified Hotels in the Philippines

Abstract

The hospitality industry faces mounting pressure to integrate sustainable practices in response to climate change, resource scarcity, and growing environmental awareness among travellers. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool for enabling green innovations in hotels, particularly those certified under sustainability programs such as ANAHAW, ASEAN Green Hotel Standard, Green Key, and LEED. This study examines guest perceptions of AI-driven green technologies in certified hotels in the Philippines, focusing on awareness, perceived usefulness, and support for eco-friendly initiatives. Using a quantitative, descriptive–correlational approach and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), data were collected from 350 domestic and international tourists who had recently stayed in certified hotels. Findings reveal that while guests demonstrated moderate to high awareness of AI-enabled green practices, awareness alone did not significantly predict either perceived usefulness or behavioural support. Instead, perceived usefulness emerged as the strongest determinant of support, influencing intentions to revisit, recommend, and pay a premium for environmentally sustainable accommodations. These results highlight the importance of making AI features more visible and directly linked to guest experiences rather than relying solely on awareness. Beyond confirming the predictive strength of TAM, this study contributes originality by extending TAM, in combination with S-O-R and TPB, to the context of AI-enabled sustainability initiatives in certified hotels, offering new insights into guest behaviour in a developing economy. The findings provide practical guidance for hotel managers, certification bodies, and policymakers in aligning technological adoption with sustainability objectives while advancing the hospitality industry’s role in sustainable development.