How Does Message Framing Influence Hotel Guests’ Participation in Linen Reuse Programs?

AAA estimates that this Thanksgiving there will be 37.29 million Americans traveling fifty miles or more from home. As many Americans fill hotels across the country, there’s a good chance they’ll find a message in their rooms encouraging them to participate in the hotel’s linen reuse program. But how can hotels increase guest participation in this program? A recent study published in Cornell Hospitality Quarterly entitled “The Influence of Message Framing on Hotel Guests’ Linen-Reuse Intentions” found that the use of appropriate message framing could have a higher rate of success.

The abstract:

Hotels have attempted numerous approaches to encourage guests to participate in linen-reuse programs. One of the most promising methods is to use appropriate message framing. A study of 427 travelers to Charleston, South Carolina, examined the participants’ opinion of how they would respond to various message frames. A comparison of the messages that are framed as gains versus those framed as losses found that the guests generally responded to a message framed as avoiding a loss, in this case, one that said “don’t miss out.” However, the study also found that mentioning the destination city by name effectively trumped the loss framing. Particularly for first-time travelers, specifically mentioning Charleston in the message increased the respondents’ opinion that they would be likely to participate in a linen-reuse program. The destination name had less effect for returning travelers, who did, however, respond to the “don’t miss out” message.

You can read “The Influence of Message Framing on Hotel Guests’ Linen-Reuse Intentions” from Cornell Hospitality Quarterly for free by clicking here. Want to get all the latest news and research from Cornell Hospitality Quarterly? Click here to sign up for e-alerts!