Leveraging human-robot interaction in hospitality services: Incorporating the role of perceived value, empathy, and information sharing into visitors’ intentions to use social robots

Ronan de Kervenoael*, Rajibul Hasan, Alexandre Schwob, Edwin Goh

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Social robots have become pervasive in the tourism and hospitality service environments. The empirical understanding of the drivers of visitors' intentions to use robots in such services has become an urgent necessity for their sustainable deployment. Certainly, using social androids within hospitality services requires organisations' attentive commitment to value creation and fulfilling service quality expectations. In this paper, via structural equation modelling (SEM) and semi-structured interviews with managers, we conceptualise and empirically test visitors' intentions to use social robots in hospitality services. With data collected in Singapore's hospitality settings, we found visitors' intentions to use social robots stem from the effects of technology acceptance variables, service quality dimensions leading to perceived value, and two further dimensions from human robot interaction (HRI): empathy and information sharing. Analysis of these dimensions' importance provides a deeper understanding of novel opportunities managers may take advantage of to position social robot-delivered services in tourism and hospitality strategies.

Original languageEnglish
Article number104042
JournalTourism Management
Volume78
Early online date29 Nov 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2020

Keywords

  • Artificial intelligence
  • Hospitality services
  • Human-robot interaction
  • Intention to use robots
  • Social robots

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