Human vs robot baristas during the COVID-19 pandemic: effects of masks and vaccines on perceived safety and visit intention

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to compare the effect of barista type (human vs robot) on perceived safety and examine the role of two moderators (mask-wearing and coronavirus vaccination) on the effects of barista type on perceived safety and visit intention. Design/methodology/approach The research design consists of three studies. Three experiments were sequentially designed and conducted to address research questions. Findings Study 1 found that perceived safety mediates the effect of barista type on customers’ visit intention. Study 2 revealed that the mask-wearing of human and robot baristas differently influences perceived safety. Study 3 showed that customers, especially where robot baristas are used, perceive the effect of mask-wearing differently depending on their coronavirus vaccination status. Research limitations/implications Given that the levels of restrictions vary worldwide, together with the extent of countries’ vaccination rollouts, caution is required when generalising the research findings. Practical implications The findings have practical implications for the hospitality industry, where the roles of face masks and coronavirus vaccines in shaping consumer psychology and behaviour have been underexplored. Originality/value Coronavirus vaccination is considered one of the most important driving forces for the recovery of hospitality businesses. As a heuristic-systematic model postulated, this study identified that vaccination status (fully vaccinated vs not vaccinated) changes the level of involvement when customers assess the level of risk in service environments. By pinpointing the function of service robots in safeguarding customers from the potential spread of the disease, this study broadens the scope of human–robot interaction research in hospitality.

Travel medicine in hospitality: an interdisciplinary perspective

“…Similarly, despite some focus on topics such as food safety (MacLaurin, 2001; Tarulevicz and Ooi, 2021), healthy eating (Al-Ansi et al , 2022; Jeong et al , 2019), hotel cleanliness (Zemke et al , 2015) and hotel safety during COVID-19 (Choi et al , 2022; Morosan and DeFranco, 2021), no hospitality studies appear to have addressed travel medicine thus far. Only a handful of papers in travel medicine journals have mentioned hotel guests’ health; most have covered food and waterborne infectious diseases such as diarrhea, norovirus, malaria, Legionnaires’ disease and COVID-19 (Erdogan and Arslan, 2007; Leshem et al , 2016; Fan et al , 2021); however, as confirmed by the pandemic’s devastating blow to tourism and hospitality, safety and health are of paramount importance in consumer-centered sectors (Wilks and Oldenburg, 1995; Maher et al , 2022).…”

Preference for utilitarian or hedonic value options during a pandemic crisis: The moderation effects of childhood socioeconomic status and sensation-seeking

“…The pandemic has seen the complete closure of borders, cancellation of flights and hotels, closure of tourism attractions, confinement of cruise ships, and/or discrimination against specific tourist groups ( Sigala, 2020 ). Despite the challenges, some silver linings have emerged, including reduced human trafficking, reduced pollution and carbon emissions, preference for green/sustainable brand, and a boom in technological advances in the hospitality and tourism industries ( Choi et al, 2022 , Kim et al, 2022c ).…”

“… Kim et al (2022c) Preference for green/sustainable brand Customers showed a higher level of preference for green/sustainable hotel brands at high levels of COVID-19 threat. Choi et al (2022) Preference for mask-wearing robot barista Customers demonstrated different preferences for a mask-wearing robot barista according to their level of safety concern and vaccination status. …”

“…Recent hospitality research, however, suggests that COVID − 19 has also adversely influenced the general tourism and hospitality industry by ‘internally’ affecting consumers’ preferences and behaviours. For example, in response to the threat of COVID − 19, hospitality consumers tended to prefer private seating in a restaurant ( Kim and Lee, 2020 ) and artificial intelligence technologies or robots (vs human staff) in the hotel context ( Choi et al, 2020 , Choi et al, 2021 , Choi et al, 2022 , Kim et al, 2021 ). These findings may be the manifestations of more fundamental changes triggered by COVID-19.…”

Experimental design studies in hospitality and tourism research: constructive recommendations

“…Even though experimental design methods have been incrementally adopted in the hospitality and tourism fields, they showed an unprecedented increase after the outbreak of COVID-19 (Figure 1). One of the mainly considered reasons was that data collection in field settings was restricted because tourists have not been allowed to travel, and consumers have been reluctant to engage in consumption behaviors due to stringent social distancing measures and fear of infection (Chi et al , 2022; Choi et al , 2022; Kim et al , 2021). As Table 1 shows, a total of 513 papers in the eight major hospitality and tourism journals were published between January 2010 and January 2022.…”