The double-edged sword effect of green certification. Empirical evidence from an online travel platform

In recent years, significant changes in the global environment and resource over-consumption have heightened the urgency for sustainable development. To address pressing environmental issues, many online platforms have introduced green certifications. For hotels, balancing environmental protection with customer response—choosing between green certification and online reputation—is crucial. However, the impact of green certification on hotels' online reputation, particularly in scenarios where customers favor green hotels, requires further analysis. This paper introduces the theoretical analytical frameworks of signaling theory and expectation disconfirmation theory, and conducts a rigorous empirical analysis to investigate the effects of green certification by constructing a quasi-experiment using data from leading online travel platforms. The findings reveal that green certification, which has a complex impact on online reputation, significantly boosts both the number of hotel reviews and average ratings. This increase in reviews is driven by greater customer polarization, marked by a notable rise in both positive and negative feedback. Specifically, independent, low-class hotels, which are typically disadvantaged, benefit more from relatively few negative reviews, while high-class, chain hotels face greater risks. Further analysis utilizing hotel revenue data and customer level analysis further strengthens the conclusions. Addressing previous studies that discuss the benefits of green certification from the customer perspective, this study considers the double-edged sword effect of green certification on online reputation. The results offer valuable insights for hotels to implement green practices effectively and for platforms to promote green behaviors.