Tommy TafazzoliRESEARCHER · EDUCATOR · ENGINEER
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RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT · 2025

Connecting LEED Performance with Hotel Guest Satisfaction

The findings help hotel owners prioritize sustainability investments that guests are more likely to experience.

Sustainability & resilienceMixed-methods data studyJournal article

The question

Hotels increasingly use LEED certification to signal sustainability, but higher certification does not automatically mean a better guest experience. This study examined which credit categories matter and whether the relationship changes by certification level.

What we did

Random-forest regression and moderated analysis were applied to a dataset of LEED-certified U.S. hotels with normalized guest-satisfaction scores. The models compared category-level performance and the effect of Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels.

What we found

  • Energy and Atmosphere and Indoor Environmental Quality were the strongest predictors of guest satisfaction.
  • The positive association between sustainability performance and satisfaction was strongest at Certified and Silver levels.
  • The relationship showed diminishing returns at Gold and Platinum levels.

Why it matters

The findings help hotel owners prioritize sustainability investments that guests are more likely to experience. They also caution against treating certification level alone as a uniform measure of customer value. Read together, the question, method, and findings show how this publication fits within Tafazzoli’s broader program of connecting built-environment evidence with practical decisions. The page intentionally separates documented results from interpretation and directs readers to the complete paper for methodological detail. The study also illustrates a recurring principle across this research portfolio: a useful result must be understood in its original setting before it is transferred to another project, organization, population, or policy context.

Diagram summarizing Connecting LEED Performance with Hotel Guest Satisfaction

Sustainability and guest experience. This original synthesis graphic is based on the study’s documented question, method, or principal contribution; consult the paper for complete figures, labels, units, and uncertainty.

Original website synthesis based on the cited publication.

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READ THE PAPER

Beyond the green label: How LEED certification levels shape guest satisfaction in USA hotels

Published · 2025 · Journal article

Goodarzi, M., Naseri, S., & Tafazzoli, M. (2025). Beyond the green label: How LEED certification levels shape guest satisfaction in USA hotels. Buildings, 15(12), 2108. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15122108

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DOI: 10.3390/buildings15122108

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