Activating pro-environmental behavior in hospitality settings: A multi-level communication framework

The hospitality industry is both a contributor to environmental degradation and a key player in promoting sustainable practices. While previous research has examined pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in hospitality workplaces, the interplay between personal and corporate environmental values remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by investigating how different types of employees engage in PEB within an international hotel chain. Using an embedded case study approach, the study draws on 45 semi-structured interviews, participant and non-participant observations, and document analysis across hotel units in the UK and Vietnam. The findings identify four employee typologies: Value Initiator-Teller (VIT), Internal Messenger (iM), Receiver-Doer (RD), and Influencer (Ir), each playing distinct roles in environmental communication and action. The study contributes to the existing PEB framework by integrating corporate environmental values as an additional analytical layer and by examining how organisational communication pathways are associated with employee engagement. The findings suggest that tailoring sustainability communication strategies to employee roles and cultural contexts may support more consistent engagement with PEB, offering practical insights for multi-level environmental management within hospitality businesses.