The primary purpose of this study is to investigate guests’ perception of green hotels through a content analysis of online hotel reviews. A total of 7370 comments were collected, and 737 green comments were analyzed based on TripAdvisor’s top 10 green hotels. Our results indicate that the majority of hotel green practices are perceived as positive. Hotel guests consider some green practices, such as a reflective roofing system, a storm water management system, and guest training, as sincere efforts by hotels to be green and they complement them. However, some hotel guests assert that hotels may just be using green practices as a marketing tool or to gain financial benefits. Some green practices, such as temperature control, low water pressure, and degradable utensils, are actually not positively perceived. Therefore, our results suggest to hotel operators how they should implement being a sincere green hotel and how green practices should be approached to build environmental friendly branding strategies.

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Purpose Despite the perfect nutritional value of imperfect “ugly” produce, they are either never harvested or discarded, resulting in escalating farm-to-fork food waste problems in the USA. The purpose of this paper is to investigate US consumers’ perceptions of imperfect “ugly” produce and their willingness to purchase and consume these foods in their households. Design/methodology/approach Four focus group sessions with at least five voluntary participants per session were conducted. Each session used structured interview questions and the discussions were led by the same moderator. All sessions were recorded, transcribed and analyzed based on published focus group guidelines and recommendations. Findings The research study has revealed two categories of potential consumers, Influencers and Learners, when it comes to an initial understanding of “ugly” produce consumption. The study also identified nine themes (i.e. food safety, price sensitivity, location of sale, product display, name/label, purpose of use, fun, targeted education and food waste) that consumers hold regarding imperfect “ugly” produce. Research limitations/implications Insights from this study provide strategies for sustainable food management that could help stakeholders along all points of the food chain save money, reduce hunger and diminish food waste in our communities. Originality/value This study serves to provide preliminary insights in approaching the issue of consumers’ perception of imperfect “ugly” fruits and vegetables from a research perspective. Although a limited number of real consumers from the local community participated, their rich and in-depth qualitative responses defined the scope and the defining questions that need further exploration.

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This study examines the effects of restaurant attributes on customers' perceptions of price and brand reputation. Four restaurant attributes were used to represent restaurant quality. Multiple regression was conducted to measure the relationships between the four restaurant attributes and price and brand reputation. Further, an independent T-test was used to compare differences between perceptions of locals and tourists with regard to restaurant quality under two categories (price and brand reputation) after they selected a restaurant. Results of this study revealed that residency did not have a significant impact on customers' perceptions of price or brand reputation, whereas restaurant attributes did have an impact. Taste was a predictor of perceived price, whereas service and atmosphere were predictors of brand reputation. In addition, comparison of restaurant attributes between locals and tourists showed that sanitation and service were significantly different in accordance with price and atmosphere, whereas taste and service were significantly different in accordance with brand reputation. Locals showed higher means for each restaurant attribute compared to tourists.