Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore small hotels guests' perception of social responsibility (SR), to relate their SR perceptions with their motivation for choosing small hotels instead of large ones, and to check whether motivation is further related to guests' satisfaction. System thinking is used for better attainment of SR through linking the environmental and social dimension of hotel guests' SR perceptions. Design/methodology/approach -The paper starts with a theoretical background for the conceptual model. The empirical quantitative research was conducted in 2013. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire. The hypotheses were analysed with structural equation modelling. Findings -The findings show that guests of small hotels perceive SR predominantly through its environmental and socio-local perspective. The guests with stronger perception of SR are more motivated to choose small hotels for their vacations, and at the same time, demonstrate a higher level of satisfaction with their choice.Research limitations/implications -The research is limited to guests of small hotels only and to two dimensions of SR: environmental and socio-local. Originality/value -Results of the study should encourage the small hotel operators to implement system thinking when reviewing their existing SR actions and adding some new ones. Relevant SR actions in small hotels, based on managers' system thinking, should become an important part of strategic, managerial and operational decisions.