Understanding responsible brand leadership in green hotels: role of uncertainty and green skepticism

Despite hotels increasingly embracing green practices, many initiatives remain symbolic and fragmented. Responsible brand leadership (RBL) enables hotels to guide stakeholder relationships and assume moral responsibility. Using a mixed-methods approach (Study 1: interviews with 27 hoteliers; Study 2: surveys of 271 consumers), we investigate the role of perceived brand authenticity and brand trust as mediators under conditions of uncertainty and green skepticism. RBL positively affects perceived brand authenticity and brand trust, alongside booking intentions through the independent mediating effects of these two variables. We establish RBL as a robust leadership mechanism for driving consumer responses in green hospitality contexts.