Corporate social responsibility that converts: hotel purchase intentions and the limits of price moderation

What the paper says

Purpose This study tests whether social, environmental and economic CSR initiatives increase hotel consumers’ purchase intentions and whether these effects are moderated by willingness to pay (WTP). Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey (N = 164) employed validated scales to assess social, environmental and economic CSR, purchase intentions (seven items per CSR type) and single-item WTP for each type. Dimensionality and reliability were evaluated through exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's a. Hypotheses were tested via ordinary least squares regressions with mean-centered predictors and CSR × WTP interactions (PROCESS Model 1). Findings All three CSR dimensions are positively associated with purchase intentions (ps < 0.001), whereas WTP did not significantly moderate any CSR–intention relationship within the observed range. CSR effects on intentions thus appear stable across WTP levels. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional, self-report design limits causal inference and generalizability. Future work should use experiments or field tests with explicit price manipulations and multi-item price constructs to identify CSR × price boundary conditions. Practical implications Hotels should communicate specific, verifiable CSR actions at booking touchpoints, test price-fairness thresholds for any CSR-linked premium and pair economic CSR with visible service-quality investments to avoid “self-serving” perceptions. Originality/value This study simultaneously compares three CSR types in hotels and examines price-related boundary conditions. It shows that CSR reliably enhances purchase intentions even when WTP varies, offering actionable guidance on what to communicate and when.