Rise of the machines: towards a conceptual service-robot research framework for the hospitality and tourism industry

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to introduce a conceptual framework for service robot (SR) acceptance by customers, employees and policymakers – a framework to help determine corporate decision-making on SR workplace integration.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reviews SR adoption literature within the tourism and hospitality industry. These SRs may have some level of artificial intelligence capability and possibly anthropomorphic (e.g. humanoid) or zoomorphic (e.g. animal-like) features, contingent on task and design choices. The study then identifies factors that potentially influence employee and consumer acceptance and experiences of SR, as well as policy and compliance factors and all elements of the corporate decision-making process concerning SR adoption in the hospitality setting.

Findings

This paper reviews the obstacles and benefits of SR adoption in the hospitality industry based on employee, consumer and public policy considerations.

Research limitations/implications

SRs are increasingly deployed within hospitality and tourism settings. Future studies should further explore the value-adding functions of SRs implemented in existing hospitality operations.

Practical implications

Hospitality and tourism industry practitioners should integrate the dimensions in the conceptual framework to make fully informed decisions on SR adoption.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to provide a holistic SR adoption framework offering theoretical and practical implications for ongoing SR research and implementation.

Citation

McCartney, G. and McCartney, A. (2020), "Rise of the machines: towards a conceptual service-robot research framework for the hospitality and tourism industry", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 32 No. 12, pp. 3835-3851. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2020-0450