Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Understanding travellers’ reactions to robotic services: a multiple case study approach of robotic hotels

Understanding travellers’ reactions to robotic services: a multiple case study approach of... The purpose of this paper is to investigate travellers’ behaviour and examine their reactions to high-tech hotels offering robotic services to customers.Design/methodology/approachData were gathered from user-generated content within the context of a qualitative research method by analysing the online narratives of travellers at TripAdvisor who visited robotic hotels. Data analysis was realised through content analysis, which revealed various themes and categories of traveller behaviour and reactions to technology.FindingsResults show that robotic services significantly improve the quality of service offered to travellers, while positively affecting travellers’ intention to revisit robotic hotels within the context of customer engagement behaviours.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the present research reveal that the introduction of new technologies in the service industry, such as the robotic butler, can have considerable effects on guest behaviour and attitudes. This field has emerged as a new sub-dimension of customer engagement.Practical implicationsThe use of robots will most likely enhance experiences through interaction between customers and robots. Additionally, in cases where social distancing is required, the use of robots in the hospitality and tourism industry may increase the mobility of people wishing to travel by applying social distancing through use of robots in services.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the extant literature by identifying the concept of adoption as a sub-dimension deriving from human–robot interaction, thus generating the novelty of the research. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology Emerald Publishing

Understanding travellers’ reactions to robotic services: a multiple case study approach of robotic hotels

Download PDF
20 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/understanding-travellers-reactions-to-robotic-services-a-multiple-case-aG3P9Cv39x
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
1757-9880
eISSN
1757-9880
DOI
10.1108/jhtt-01-2020-0015
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate travellers’ behaviour and examine their reactions to high-tech hotels offering robotic services to customers.Design/methodology/approachData were gathered from user-generated content within the context of a qualitative research method by analysing the online narratives of travellers at TripAdvisor who visited robotic hotels. Data analysis was realised through content analysis, which revealed various themes and categories of traveller behaviour and reactions to technology.FindingsResults show that robotic services significantly improve the quality of service offered to travellers, while positively affecting travellers’ intention to revisit robotic hotels within the context of customer engagement behaviours.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the present research reveal that the introduction of new technologies in the service industry, such as the robotic butler, can have considerable effects on guest behaviour and attitudes. This field has emerged as a new sub-dimension of customer engagement.Practical implicationsThe use of robots will most likely enhance experiences through interaction between customers and robots. Additionally, in cases where social distancing is required, the use of robots in the hospitality and tourism industry may increase the mobility of people wishing to travel by applying social distancing through use of robots in services.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the extant literature by identifying the concept of adoption as a sub-dimension deriving from human–robot interaction, thus generating the novelty of the research.

Journal

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology – Emerald Publishing

Published: Apr 8, 2021

Keywords: Customer engagement; Customer behaviour; Service robots; Robotic services; 关键词：机器人服务; 服务型机器人; 顾客参与; 顾客行为

References

  • The theory of planned behavior
    Ajzen, I.
  • User-generated content: tourists’ profiles on tripadvisor
    Amaral, F.; Tiago, T.; Tiago, F.
  • Service robot implementation: a theoretical framework and research agenda
    Belanche, D.; Casaló, L.V.; Flavián, C.; Schepers, J.
  • Robots, artificial intelligence, and service automation in restaurants
    Berezina, K.; Ciftci, O.; Cobanoglu, C.; Ivanov, S.; Webster, C.
  • Top ten high-tech hotels around the world
    Berman, J.
  • Technology infusion in service encounters
    Bitner, M.J.; Brown, S.W.; Meuter, M.L.
  • The transformative value of a service experience
    Blocker, C.P.; Barrios, A.
  • Beware hospitality industry: the robots are coming
    Bowen, J.; Morosan, C.
  • Hate flying but love travel? This airline will send an avatar in your place
    Brady, S.
  • Wine tourism: a multisensory experience
    Brochado, A.; Stoleriu, O.; Lupu, C.
  • Customer engagement: conceptual domain, fundamental propositions, and implications for research
    Brodie, R.J.; Hollebeek, L.D.; Jurić, B.; Ilić, A.
  • Emotion and reinforcement: affective facial expressions facilitate robot learning
    Broekens, J.; Huang, T.S.; Nijholt, A.; Pantic, M.; Pentland, A.
  • Reset redux: possible evolutionary pathways towards the transformation of tourism in a COVID-19 world
    Brouder, P.
  • The 22nd session of the UNWTO general assembly–special session on smart tourism: Chengdu, China, 14–15 September 2017
    Bu, N.
  • The future eTourism intermediaries
    Buhalis, D.; Licata, M.C.
  • Information-enabled tourism destination marketing: addressing the accessibility market
    Buhalis, D.; Michopoulou, E.
  • Real-time co-creation and nowness service: lessons from tourism and hospitality
    Buhalis, D.; Sinatra, Y.
  • When robots engage humans
    Cabibihan, J.J.; Williams, M.A.; Simmons, R.
  • Value of social robots in services: social cognition perspective
    Čaić, M.; Mahr, D.; Oderkerken-Schröder, G.
  • From sci-fi to sci-fact: the state of robotics and AI in the hospitality industry
    Cain, L.N.; Thomas, J.H.; Alonso, M.
  • New consumer behavior: a review of research on eWOM and hotels
    Cantallops, A.S.; Salvi, F.
  • Do online hotel rating schemes influence booking behaviors?
    Casaló, L.V.; Flavian, C.; Guinaliu, M.; Ekinci, Y.
  • Examining the effects of robotic service on Brand experience: the moderating role of hotel segment
    Chan, A.P.H.; Tung, V.W.S.
  • The use of social media in travel information search
    Chung, N.; Koo, C.
  • Humanlike robot and human staff in service: age and gender differences in perceiving smiling behaviors
    Chung-En, Y.
  • Alibaba's keyless and cashless hotel is straight out of the future
  • Milestones in the psychological analysis of social influence
    Crano, W.D.
  • Socially intelligent robots: dimensions of human–robot interaction
    Dautenhahn, K.
  • A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems: theory and results
    Davis, F.D.
  • Exploring influencing variables for the acceptance of social robots
    De Graaf, M.M.; Allouch, S.B.
  • Consumer engagement in online brand communities: a social media perspective
    Dessart, L.; Veloutsou, C.; Morgan-Thomas, A.
  • Why do travelers trust TripAdvisor? Antecedents of trust towards consumer-generated media and its influence on recommendation adoption and word of mouth
    Filieri, R.; Alguezaui, S.; McLeay, F.
  • A survey of socially interactive robots
    Fong, T.; Nourbakhsh, I.; Dautenhahn, K.
  • Automatically classifying user engagement for dynamic multi-party human–robot interaction
    Foster, M.E.; Gaschler, A.; Giuliani, M.
  • Machine learning of robots in tourism and hospitality: interactive technology acceptance model (iTAM)–cutting edge
    Go, H.; Kang, M.; Suh, S.C.
  • The transformation of consumer behaviour
    Gretzel, U.; Fesenmaier, D.R.; O’Leary, J.T.; Buhalis, D.; Costa, C.
  • Application of the theory of planned behavior to green hotel choice: testing the effect of environmental friendly activities
    Han, H.; Hsu, L.T.J.; Sheu, C.
  • Customer engagement with tourism social media brands
    Harrigan, P.; Evers, U.; Miles, M.; Daly, T.
  • Demystifying customer brand engagement: exploring the loyalty nexus
    Hollebeek, L.D.
  • Strategic drivers, anticipated and unanticipated outcomes of customer engagement
    Hollebeek, L.D.; Conduit, J.; Brodie, R.J.
  • Istanbul’s new airport is one of the world’s largest. A fleet of humanoid robots is helping passengers find their way around
    Holley, P.
  • Artificial intelligence in service
    Huang, M.H.; Rust, R.T.
  • Consumer engagement in online brand communities: a solicitation of congruity theory
    Islam, J.U.; Rahman, Z.; Hollebeek, L.D.
  • Robonomics - principles, benefits, challenges, solutions
    Ivanov, S.
  • Ultimate transformation: how will automation technologies disrupt the travel, tourism and hospitality industries?
    Ivanov, S.
  • The robot as a consumer: a research agenda
    Ivanov, S.H.; Webster, C.
  • Conceptual framework of the use of robots, artificial intelligence and service automation in travel, tourism, and hospitality companies
    Ivanov, S.; Webster, C.; Ivanov, S.; Webster, C.
  • Robots in tourism: a research agenda for tourism economics
    Ivanov, S.; Webster, C.
  • Economic fundamentals of the use of robots, artificial intelligence, and service automation in travel, tourism, and hospitality
    Ivanov, S.; Webster, C.; Ivanov, S.; Webster, C.
  • Adoption of robots and service automation by tourism and hospitality companies
    Ivanov, S.H.; Webster, C.; Berezina, K.
  • Young Russian adults' attitudes towards the potential use of robots in hotels
    Ivanov, S.; Webster, C.; Garenko, A.
  • Biosecurity, automation technologies and economic resilience of travel
    Ivanov, S.; Webster, C.; Stoilova, E.; Slobodskoy, D.
  • Progress on robotics in hospitality and tourism: a review of the literature
    Ivanov, S.; Gretzel, U.; Berezina, K.; Sigala, M.; Webster, C.
  • Determinants of sharing travel experiences in social media
    Kang, M.; Schuett, M.A.
  • An alternative model of self-service retail technology adoption
    Kaushik, A.K.; Rahman, Z.
  • Value-based adoption of mobile internet: an empirical investigation
    Kim, H.W.; Chan, H.C.; Gupta, S.
  • A model of traveller acceptance of mobile technology
    Kim, D.Y.; Park, J.; Morrison, A.M.
  • An empirical examination of the acceptance behaviour of hotel front office systems: an extended technology acceptance model
    Kim, T.G.; Lee, J.H.; Law, R.
  • Exploring combined tourist offerings: the case of sightrunning
    Kolar, T.
  • Shop while you talk: determinants of purchase intentions through a mobile device
    Kumar, A.; Mukherjee, A.
  • Customer engagement in a big data world
    Kunz, W.; Aksoy, L.; Bart, Y.; Heinonen, K.; Kabadayi, S.; Villaroel Ordenes, F.; Sigala, M.; Diaz, D.; Theodoulidis, B.
  • Investigating an innovative service with hospitality robots
    Kuo, C.M.; Chen, L.C.; Tseng, C.Y.
  • A thematic exploration of digital, social media, and mobile marketing: research evolution from 2000 to 2015 and an agenda for future inquiry
    Lamberton, C.; Stephen, A.T.
  • Progress on information and communication technologies in hospitality and tourism
    Law, R.; Buhalis, D.; Cobanoglu, C.
  • Information technology applications in hospitality and tourism: a review of publications from 2005 to 2007
    Law, R.; Leung, R.; Buhalis, D.
  • Helpful reviewers in TripAdvisor, an online travel community
    Lee, H.A.; Law, R.; Murphy, J.
  • 5 Hi-tech hotels in Asia that use robot concierges and apps to serve guests
    Lo, R.
  • Goodbye maps, hello apps? Exploring the influential determinants of travel app adoption
    Lu, J.; Mao, Z.; Wang, M.; Hu, L.
  • Will AI cripple or leapfrog developing nations' growth?
    Manning, R.A.
  • Getting smart: learning from technology-empowered frontline interactions
    Marinova, D.; de Ruyter, K.; Huang, M.H.; Meuter, M.L.; Challagalla, G.
  • Progress on outbound tourism expenditure research: a review
    Mehran, J.; Olya, H.G.
  • Pandemic spurs adaptation, upgrades in China’s hotel industry
    Min, H.
  • Tracking the concept of sustainability in Australian tourism policy and planning documents
    Moyle, B.D.; McLennan, C.L.J.; Ruhanen, L.; Weiler, B.
  • Are robots the future of the travel industry?
    Murison, M.
  • Service robots in hospitality and tourism: investigating anthropomorphism
    Murphy, J.; Gretzel, U.; Hofacker, C.
  • Dawning of the age of robots in hospitality and tourism: challenges for teaching and research
    Murphy, J.; Hofacker, C.; Gretzel, U.
  • Marketing robot services in hospitality and tourism: the role of anthropomorphism
    Murphy, J.; Gretzel, U.; Pesonen, J.
  • Exploring word-of-mouth influences on travel decisions: friends and relatives vs. other travellers
    Murphy, L.; Mascardo, G.; Benckendorff, P.
  • Demonstration experiments of a robot service of stamp-rally and questionnaires for tourism destination marketing
    Nakagawa, S.; Akutsu, H.; Tsuchiya, Y.; Matsuhira, N.; Narita, M.
  • Applying modern robotics technologies to demand prediction and production management in the quick-service restaurant sector
    Noone, B.M.; Coulter, R.C.
  • Managing a hotel's image on TripAdvisor
    O'Connor, P.
  • Analysis of robot hotel: reconstruction of works with robots
    Osawa, H.; Ema, A.; Hattori, H.; Akiya, N.; Kanzaki, N.; Kubo, A.; Tora, K.; Ichise, R.
  • Framing overtourism: a critical news media analysis
    Phi, G.T.
  • Long-term assessment of a service robot in a hotel environment
    Pinillos, R.; Marcos, S.; Feliz, R.; Zalama, E.; Gómez-García-Bermejo, J.
  • Singapore’s robotic future arrives: robots works as chefs and assists heart surgeons
    Post, V.
  • Social media in crisis management: an evaluation and analysis of crisis informatics research
    Reuter, C.; Hughes, A.L.; Kaufhold, M.A.
  • A bellboy robot: study of the effects of robot behaviour on user engagement and comfort
    Rodriguez-Lizundia, E.; Marcos, S.; Zalama, E.; Gómez-García-Bermejo, J.; Gordaliza, A.
  • A literature review on new robotics: automation from love to war
    Royakkers, L.; van Est, R.
  • A review of eye-tracking research in tourism
    Scott, N.; Zhang, R.; Le, D.; Moyle, B.
  • Measuring communication participation to initiate conversation in human–robot interaction
    Shi, C.; Shiomi, M.; Kanda, T.; Ishiguro, H.; Hagita, N.
  • Applying the technology acceptance model and flow theory to cyworld user behavior: implication of the web 2.0 user acceptance
    Shin, D.H.; Kim, W.Y.
  • Social networks and customer involvement in new service development (NSD) the case of www.mystarbucksidea.com
    Sigala, M.
  • New technologies in tourism: from multi-disciplinary to anti-disciplinary advances and trajectories
    Sigala, M.
  • Customer engagement with tourism brands: scale development and validation
    So, K.K.F.; King, C.; Sparks, B.
  • Air transport and tourism–a systematic literature review (2000–2014)
    Spasojevic, B.; Lohmann, G.; Scott, N.
  • Emotion transfer from frontline social robots to human customers during service encounters: testing an artificial emotional contagion model
    Stock, R.M.
  • Understanding technology adoption: theory and future directions for informal learning
    Straub, E.T.
  • A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data
    Thomas, D.R.
  • Travel blogs on China as a destination image formation agent: a qualitative analysis using leximancer
    Tseng, C.; Wu, B.; Morrison, A.M.; Zhang, J.; Chen, Y.C.
  • Exploring customer experiences with robotics in hospitality
    Tung, V.W.S.; Au, N.
  • The potential for tourism and hospitality experience research in human–robot interactions
    Tung, V.W.S.; Law, R.
  • Customer engagement behavior: theoretical foundations and research directions
    Van-Doorn, J.; Lemon, K.N.; Mittal, V.; Nass, S.; Pick, D.; Pirner, P.; Verhoef, P.C.
  • Domo arigato Mr Roboto: emergence of automated social presence in organizational frontlines and customers’ service experiences
    Van-Doorn, J.; Mende, M.; Noble, S.M.; Hulland, J.; Ostrom, A.L.; Grewal, D.; Petersen, J.A.
  • Customer engagement: exploring customer relationships beyond purchase
    Vivek, S.D.; Beatty, S.E.; Morgan, R.M.
  • A generalized multidimensional scale for measuring customer engagement
    Vivek, S.D.; Beatty, S.E.; Dalela, V.; Morgan, R.M.
  • Future tourism in a robot-based economy: a perspective article
    Webster, C.; Ivanov, S.
  • Post-COVID-19 Chinese domestic tourism market recovery: potential influence of traditional Chinese medicine on tourist behaviour
    Wen, J.; Wang, C.C.; Kozak, M.
  • COVID-19: potential effects on Chinese citizens’ lifestyle and travel
    Wen, J.; Kozak, M.; Yang, S.; Liu, F.
  • ICT and the changing landscape of global tourism distribution
    Werthner, H.; Klein, S.
  • Brave new world: service robots in the frontline
    Wirtz, J.; Patterson, P.G.; Kunz, W.H.; Gruber, T.; Lu, V.N.; Paluch, S.; Martins, A.
  • Social robots: views of staff of a disability service organization
    Wolbring, G.; Yumakulov, S.
  • Role of social media in online travel information search
    Xiang, Z.; Gretzel, U.
  • Robotics for customer service: a useful complement or an ultimate substitute?
    Xiao, L.; Kumar, V.
  • The influence of user-generated content on traveler behavior: an empirical investigation on the effects of e-word-of-mouth to hotel online bookings
    Ye, Q.; Law, R.; Gu, B.; Chen, W.
  • Strengthening customer loyalty through intimacy and passion: roles of customer–firm affection and customer–staff relationships in services
    Yim, C.K.; Tse, D.K.; Chan, K.W.
  • Humanlike robots as employees in the hotel industry: thematic content analysis of online reviews
    Yu, C.E.
  • From high-touch to high-tech: COVID-19 drives robotics adoption
    Zeng, Z.; Chen, P.J.; Lew, A.A.
  • SD logic–informed customer engagement: integrative framework, revised fundamental propositions, and application to CRM
    Hollebeek, L.D.; Srivastava, R.K.; Chen, T.