Purpose Given the important role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to enhance company performance, the purpose of this paper is to fill the existing gaps in the hotel CSR literature via application of the loyalty formation mechanism and conceptualizations of different aspects of CSR initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The current study examines the effect of environmental and social CSR strategies on multidimensional brand loyalty of hotel customers (i.e. cognitive, affective and conative). This study uses the partial least squares–structural equation modeling to examine the effect of CSR types on multidimensional loyalty. Findings The results reveal that environmental and social CSR strategies have a significant positive effect on all three loyalty responses of hotel customers with a different level of power. Especially, environmental CSR is highly correlated with conative loyalty, while social CSR is highly correlated with cognitive and affective loyalty responses. Research limitations/implications Limited studies have applied the multidimensional attitudinal loyalty in the CSR context. Thus, this study brings theoretical and practical implications. The findings of this study indicate that customers’ perception of hotel CSR could be directly incorporated into their patronized attitudes. Originality/value This study provides an empirical guideline for monitoring CSR initiatives from the customers’ perspectives.