Does the Generational Cohort Influence the Effects of Sustainability-Oriented Service Innovation?

In recent years, the tourism sector has undergone a transformation in its business model due to changes in societal mentality, with a growing concern for social and environmental well-being, and the digitization of services, particularly affecting hotels. For this reason, this paper examines the effects that innovative and sustainable practices have jointly on hotel guests. Specifically, sustainability-oriented service innovation in tourist satisfaction and loyalty is examined. This analysis aims to examine the impact of the generational cohort on these relationships. For this, an empirical study of a quantitative nature was carried out in 2020 on a sample of 302 guests from Spanish hotels. The analysis of the results was carried out using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique to study the dimensional structure of the constructs included in the proposed model, and, using the PLS-SEM technique, we examined the proposed relationships. The results show that innovation and sustainability drive customer satisfaction and loyalty in hotel accommodations. Likewise, significant differences are observed regarding the impact of the generational cohort on the links tested.