Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

Hsu, Meng-Jun; Ting, Hiram; Lui, Tsz-Wai; Chen, Shih-Chih; Cheah, Jun-Hwa

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-05-2022-326

Santoso, Halim Budi; Wang, Jyun-Cheng; Windasari, Nila Armelia

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-01-2021-0036

The use of extended reality (XR) to create memorable experiences has attracted considerable attention, especially in tourism. Multisensory XR offers a new way of virtually previewing a destination before physical holidays. This study aims to explore how multisensory XR can be used at each stage of the tourism experience journey. This study established a model for how destination-image formation is affected by multisensory XR in each phase of tourism experience.Design/methodology/approachThe authors followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines to review studies published between 2013 and 2020, gathered from four research databases. The authors identified the predominant XR technology and sensory stimuli based on the characteristics of various tourism domains. The authors synthesized the previous studies to explain destination-image formation by using multisensory XR.FindingsThis study summarized the XR study distribution among the three stages of the tourism experience journey. The authors identified the predominant sensory stimuli and dominant XR application and developed a destination-image formation model by using multisensory XR.Originality/valueThis study highlights the holistic approach of multisensory XR in the tourism experience journey in relation to various tourism domains. It also contributes to destination-image formation in the virtual environment by providing multisensory experiences of predominant sensory stimuli at each stage.

Buhalis, Dimitrios; Moldavska, Iuliia

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-03-2021-0104

Voice assistants (VAs) empower human–computer interactions by recognising human speech and implementing commands pronounced by users. This paper aims to investigate VA-enabled interactions between hotels and guests in the hospitality context. The research positions VAs within the artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) context, disrupting old practices and processes. Smart hospitality uses VAs to support effortless value cocreation for guests cost-effectively. The research examines consumer perceptions and expectations of hospitality VAs and explores VA capabilities through expert technology providers.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical paper investigates the current use and future implications of VAs for hotel environments. It uses qualitative, semi-structured in-depth interviews with 7 expert hospitality VA technology providers and 21 hotel guests who have VA experience. The research adopts a demand and supply approach, addressing the VAs in hospitality holistically.FindingsThe findings illustrate the requirements from both end-users’ sides, hotels and guests, exploring VA advantages and challenges. The analysis demonstrates that VAs increasingly become digital assistants. VA technology helps hotels to improve customer service, expand operational capability and reduce costs. Although in its infancy, VA technology has made progress towards optimising hotel operations and upgrading customer service. The study proposes a speech-enabled interactions model.Research limitations/implicationsThis research stimulates the transformation of hospitality services by using VAs and the development of smart hospitality and tourism ecosystems. The study can benefit from further research with hotel managers, to reflect hoteliers’ points of view and investigate their perception of VAs. Further research can also explore different aspects of consumer–VA interaction in different contexts.Practical implicationsThe paper makes a significant contribution to hospitality management and human–computer interaction best practices. It supports technology providers to reconsider how to develop suitable technology solutions towards improving their strategic competitiveness. It also explains how to use VAs cost-effectively and profitably while adding value to travellers’ experience.Originality/valueVA studies are often focussed on the technology in private households, rather than in commercial or hotel spaces. This paper contributes to the emerging literature on AI and IoT in smart hospitality and explores the acceptance and operationalisation of VAs. The research contributes to the conceptualisation of VA-enabled hotel services and explores positive and negative features, as well as future prospects.

Wu, Weilin; Chin, Wynne; Liu, Yide

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-01-2021-0032

This study aims to provide a response to calls for research on the consequences of technostress among employees in smart hotels. Based on the person–environment fit and job demands–resources theories, the authors offer a theoretical framework and investigate how factors affect employees’ well-being and performance. Further, the authors investigate the moderating effects of organizational learning on the relationship between technostress and employee well-being and performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors developed and empirically tested a research model based on a survey of 454 respondents in China. The effect of technostress was analyzed by applying the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results support that technostress negatively affects employee well-being (e.g. engagement and overall well-being) and performance. Employee well-being mediates the relationship between technostress and performance. Organizational learning has a countervailing moderating impact on employee well-being and performance. Specifically, organizational learning significantly counteracts the relationship between technostress and performance while significantly exacerbating the relationship between technostress and engagement.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to an enhanced understanding of technostress in smart hotels and provides practical recommendations for assisting hotel managers in improving employee well-being and performance.Originality/valueThis work represents an early attempt to investigate the impact of technostress on employee well-being and performance in smart hotels. The countervailing moderating effect of organizational learning on employee engagement and performance is identified. In addition, this study is an initial attempt at estimating the predictive contribution of the mediating effects of employee engagement and overall well-being in the relationship between technostress and employee performance in smart hotels.

Chang, Hsuan Hsuan; Chiang, Chin Chung

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-03-2021-0076

This study aims to investigate the effect of virtual reality (VR) as a communication tool for advertising on tourism destination image and the changes in destination attitude, clarifying how flow experience affects destination image, and examining how destination image mediates the effect of flow experience on attitude changes.Design/methodology/approachA survey was administered to collect data from 342 study participants who watched a tourism destination marketing video through HTC VR vive gear. A research model tested data collected from participants using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling by using partial least squares structural equation modeling software.FindingsThe results found that two factors (friendliness and telepresence) of flow experience in VR can positively affect destination image. Destination image has a significant indirect effect on how flow experience influences attitude change.Originality/valueAs tourism destinations are faced with strategic decisions about investment in different VR platforms or some other technologies, understanding how individuals respond to various VR stimuli is of practical importance. Therefore, this study’s findings provide valuable information for tourism industry practitioners.

Lui, Tsz-Wai; Goel, Lakshmi

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-03-2021-0091

Training is one of the key dimensions of internal marketing. Virtual reality (VR), a computer technology that replicates an environment (real or imagined) and simulates a user’s physical presence in that environment to allow for user interaction, offers unique opportunities from a training perspective, such as allowing users to improve their skills without the consequence of failing real customers or the need to be in the real environment physically. This study aims to focus on comparing the effectiveness of VR hospitality training with that of real-world hospitality training.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts situated cognition theory to empirically test the effect of the awareness of contextual variables (social interaction, location and task) on learning and compare learning outcomes between tourism training in VR and real-world experimental settings.FindingsResults indicate that location and task awareness enhance cognitive absorption, but social awareness does not influence cognitive absorption. There is no significant difference between training in real-world and VR environments. Finally, cognitive absorption has a positive effect on mental model change (the learning outcome).Originality/valueThis result advances the theoretical understanding on the significance of learning context by applying situated cognition theory in hospitality training and has significant implications for training that aims for rigor and efficiency within cost, location and time constraints.

Chen, Shih-Chih; Chou, Tung-Hsiang; Hongsuchon, Tanaporn; Ruangkanjanases, Athapol; Kittikowit, Santhaya; Lee, Tse-Ching

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-03-2021-0093

In this era of smartphone applications, brands are actively developing applications to occupy the consumer’s mobile phone space, adding many practical functions to their applications to increase brand exposure or consumer interest in the brand. Augmented reality (AR) has evolved rapidly in the past decade because of technological breakthroughs, making AR no longer an untouchable technology, but one that can be easily used on almost every phone. Therefore, this study aims to combine extended customer experience with AR marketing activities to explain and predict usage and purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachThe eight key factors integrated into the extended customer experience are used as environmental stimulation factors, and Wanna Kicks and FitGlasses are used as experimental environments. A total of 193 valid samples were collected from users with AR experience. The empirical data is processed and verified by partial least squares in this study.FindingsCustomer experience has received increasing attention in the field of marketing research. This study developed a model to evaluate the antecedents and consequences of AR marketing activities by systematically adding customer experience, continuance intention, purchase intention and customer engagement, and then linking them to the AR application environment. This study presents the academic and practical implications, which can provide future research directions and references for brand marketing strategies and AR applications.Originality/valueThis study adds interactivity, vividness, perceived usefulness and novelty to the extended concept of customer experience. Therefore, the authors proposed that the extended customer experience can be used to measure the perceptions related to AR applications. This study is expected to provide scholars and practitioners in AR fields with a better understanding of the causes and consequences of customer experience with innovative technologies and to suggest effective marketing recommendations.

Leung, Wilson K.S.; Cheung, Man Lai; Chang, Man Kit; Shi, Si; Tse, Sin Yan; Yusrini, Lenny

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-03-2021-0088

This study aims to examine the impact of virtual reality (VR) interactivity elements, including synchronicity, two-way communication and active control, on tourists’ VR memorable experiences, and the subsequent effect on tourists’ word-of-mouth (WOM) and VR continuance intention.Design/methodology/approachThe research model was tested using self-administrated survey data from 285 Chinese tourists who were experienced in travel and VR tourism activities. Partial least squares–structural equation modelling was adopted to perform latent variable analysis.FindingsVR interactivity elements, including synchronicity, two-way communication and active control, play a considerable role in driving tourists’ VR memorable experiences, which in turn drive tourists’ WOM and VR continuance intention.Research limitations/implicationsCross-sectional, single country data was used and thus the generalisability of the findings may be limited. Future research is recommended adopting a longitudinal approach to compare the relationship between constructs in countries with diverse cultures.Practical implicationsThe findings provide guidance for tourism marketers to use the interactive features of VR, including synchronicity, two-way communication and active control, to drive tourists’ memorable experiences and thereby strengthen tourists’ referral and continuance intention.Originality/valueScholarly attention on the importance of VR interactivity in driving tourists’ memorable experiences and behavioural intention is limited. This study contributes to the tourism marketing literature by empirically testing the research model to reveal the importance of VR interactivity elements, including synchronicity, two-way communication and active control, to drive tourists’ VR memorable experiences and behavioural intentions.

Hsu, Hsuan; Tseng, Kuo-Feng

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-04-2021-0120

Concerning the emergence of Industry 4.0 and the concept of “smartness”, the technology competence of hospitality practitioners that was previously neglected and overlooked should be explored. Therefore, this study aims to explore previous hospitality technology competence through a literature review and then to extend, strengthen and build a new framework of the required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners in terms of facing smartness.Design/methodology/approachTo investigate the previous research on the characteristics of the required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners, this study carried out a systematic literature review (SLR) on works published from 2011 to 2020. Then, based on the SLR results, the required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners in terms of facing smartness was explored with 26 experts from the government, industry and academia. The data were analysed through thematic analysis based on the perspectives of task–technology fit, and then, the framework was constructed.FindingsThis study reconfirmed that technology competence has been neglected in the previous hospitality competence literature and that the current methods and ways of thinking cannot succeed in this smart era. Moreover, based on fundamental technology competence, a new framework with ten dimensions of technology competencies required for hospitality practitioners in terms of facing smartness was created.Originality/valueThis study identified the required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners, an area that has rarely been addressed in the previous literature. Moreover, specific competencies, especially those needed to face this smart era, are urgent and novel in the academic hospitality field.

Yoon, Jiyoung; Yu, Hyunji

2022 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology

doi: 10.1108/jhtt-03-2021-0089

The purpose of this study is to assess the possibility of introducing a restaurant-menu curation (RMC) chatbot service to help consumers quickly and effectively decide on their restaurant or menu choices. To this end, it measures the characteristics of consumer chatbot experiences and analyzes their impact on future acceptance intentions through their attitudes toward the RMC chatbot service.Design/methodology/approachThis study consists of three parts: developing a RMC chatbot prototype, testing the chatbot prototype and a customer survey based on experience. A convenience sample method was used to collect data from 368 adults who tried the RMC chatbot service before answering a self-administered questionnaire. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed structural model.FindingsThe results showed that all experience characteristics, except usable facets, had a significant positive impact on attitudes toward the chatbot. Three experience characteristics, “usable,” “usefulness” and “valuable,” revealed a significant positive effect on utilization intention. Attitudes toward chatbot services also significantly affected utilization intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study can offer practical and academic implications for establishing curation services in the restaurant industry that can increase customer acceptance and utilization intentions. Follow-up studies are required to explore and verify the various personal and psychological factors related to the intention to accept RMC chatbot services.Originality/valueThis study is meaningful because it makes it possible to evaluate the introduction of curation chatbot services in the restaurant sector, by developing and testing the dining-out curation service protocol to help customers’ smart choices in the information technology environment.