Customer experience in green star hotels: a content analysis of online complaints

Year 2025, Issue: 14, 1 - 17, 31.12.2025

Muhammet Emin Soydaş

Abstract

The increasing global concern over environmental degradation has positioned sustainability as a central concept in both consumer expectations and corporate strategies. In parallel, the tourism industry has progressively integrated environmentally friendly practices into its operations. This study investigates electronic customer complaints regarding green-star certified lodging establishments in Denizli, Turkey, with the dual objective of identifying major areas of dissatisfaction and evaluating the extent to which sustainability-related issues are reflected in customer feedback. To this end, customer reviews posted on Tripadvisor.com concerning green-star hotels certified by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism were subjected to content analysis. The results indicate that the most prominent complaints pertain to staff attitudes and behaviors, food and beverage services, and the physical environment, particularly issues of cleanliness. Conversely, complaints explicitly related to sustainability were minimal, implying that guests prioritize service quality and operational performance over environmental initiatives when expressing dissatisfaction.

Keywords

Green-Star Hotels , Customer Complaint , Sustainability , Tourism

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