Communicating hotel sustainability in the digital age: the effectiveness of virtual tours and the moderating role of ESG awareness

The development of innovative communication strategies to showcase hotels’ sustainability initiatives and better communicate them with customers is gaining prominence. This study investigates a 360° virtual hotel tour as an immersive tool for communicating sustainability initiatives. Using a design thinking approach, a digital prototype was developed and evaluated via an experiment combining eye-tracking and a post-experience survey. The virtual tour significantly enhanced customers’ perceived value and, in turn, their visit intention. Visual attention to sustainability-related stimuli positively affected perceived value, with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) awareness moderating these relationships, particularly among customers with lower ESG awareness.