How AI chatbots reinforce green environments to shape customer satisfaction and loyalty

Purpose This research addresses the role of green physical environments (GPE) in sustainable hospitality practices (SHP) and further customer satisfaction and loyalty. Moreover, this paper aims to examine the mediating effect of SHP in the link between GPE and customer behavioral outcomes (satisfaction and loyalty). The moderating effect of the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot in these direct and indirect relationships is also tested in this study. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected using a questionnaire, and the sample size was 315 participants who composed of customers and hotel managers of different hotels in southern China. The time-lag approach was used to gather data in three waves that were separated by one month. Analysis of the data was done with SPSS and AMOS-24. Findings The analyses indicate that GPE has a significant impact on customer outcomes mainly through SHP. SHP has a positive association with customer satisfaction and loyalty, and the indirect relationships between GPE and these variables through SHP are significant. Adoption of conversational AI chatbots by hotels reinforces the positive association between GPE and SHP, and the moderation effect generates a greater conditional indirect effect of GPE on outcome variables through SHP when there is higher adoption of chatbots. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that integrating green design and AI-enabling customer engagement may enhance the sustainability performance and enhance the level of satisfaction and loyalty, and can provide hotels with a feasible path to improve environmental performance and customer satisfaction. Originality/value This study treated conversational AI as a boundary condition and therefore, contributing to sustainable tourism and service innovation research streams. By so doing, it connects the study of hospitality management to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) agenda of the United Nations, particularly toward the attainment of SDG 8, SDG 12 and SDG 13. This paper shows how digital technologies bring the returns of the green design and sustainable practices to a larger scale, creating a channel through which the hospitality industry can become an increasingly contributing factor to the global sustainability agenda.