Although nearly three-fourths of hotel guests in North America willingly participate in environmentally friendly programs offered during their hotel stays, many guests remain unaware of whether these programs are offered at the hotel property, according to J.D. Power and Associates 2007 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study.

When guests were asked if the hotel had conservation programs in place, 63 percent of guests answered yes, while eight percent said no, and 29 percent indicated that they didn’t know. When they are aware of a hotel’s environmentally friendly programs, 73 percent of hotel guests indicate they participate. In turn, raising awareness of environmentally friendly programs among customers may help properties further increase participation.

Of the 27 percent of hotel guests who are aware of hotel environmentally friendly programs and choose not to participate, a large number (86 percent) indicate that they would take part if offered a reward for doing so. However, this number declines to 83 percent among guests in the Pre-Boomer generation (those born prior to 1946), and drops even furtherA?AA¢AA¢aAA¬AA¢a?A¬?to 33 percentA?AA¢AA¢aAA¬AA¢a?A¬?among Pre-Boomers staying in luxury hotels.

Willingness to participate is much higher among luxury hotel guests in other generational groupsA?AA¢AA¢aAA¬AA¢a?A¬?87 percent of Baby Boomers, 95 percent of Generation X and 79 percent of Generation Y.