Service Robots in the Hotel Industry: Customer Acceptance Among International and Local Hotel Brand

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to explore the customer acceptance of service robots in the hotel industry. Four determinants are analysed: perceived privacy, novelty value, service robots appearance, and attitudes towards service robots. The differences in customer acceptance between international and local hotel brands are also presented, along with the genders’ distinctive results. Methodology – The study was conducted in Indonesia, involving 120 respondents who had prior experience staying in the hotel. Data was gathered from May to June 2022 through online questionnaires and analyzed using structural equation modeling with SmartPLS. Findings – Findings show that for international hotel customers, three determinants (perceived privacy, novelty value, and appearance) simultaneously exert a greater influence on customer attitude, compared to local hotel customers. In contrast, the service robots’ acceptance of local hotel customers is influenced more by their attitude, than of international hotel customers. Furthermore, male customers have proven that they have a higher value on all constructs in this research, meaning higher acceptance and attitude, compared to their female counterparts. Originality of the research – This study attempts to go beyond the hotel industry as a whole, but is limited to both international and local hotel brands.