​he hotel industry has increasingly acknowledged both its vulnerability to climate change and its role in environmental degradation. In response, many hotels have adopted green practices to appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers and drive financial viability. However, despite widespread adoption, a comprehensive and coherent understanding of green hotels and the scope of their practices remains elusive. This study conducts a systematic literature review of 318 peer-reviewed journal articles to trace the evolution of green hotel research and identify key knowledge gaps. The findings reveals several persistent challenges, including outdated definitions of green hotels, a lack of diverse stakeholder perspectives, and limited contextualisation of green practices, alongside a notable absence of in-depth analysis of greenwashing practices. Consequently, this research proposes future directions to foster more robust studies, ultimately contributing to the development of contextualised and authentic green initiatives within the hotel sector.​