International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management最新文献

Purpose

As artificial intelligence technology empowers service robots, they increasingly communicate with consumers in a human-like manner. This study aims to investigate the effect of service robots’ different conversational styles (competent conversational style vs. cute conversational style) on consumer service acceptance and demonstrate the moderating role of consumers’ technology anxiety.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on anthropomorphism theory and social presence theory, the authors conducted two scenario-based experiments (restaurant scenario and hotel scenario) to investigate this issue.

Findings

The results indicate that service robots’ conversational styles impact consumers’ willingness to accept the use of service robots through perceived social presence and positive emotion. Moreover, consumers perceived social presence and positive emotion play a serial mechanism. In addition, the effect of competent conversational style on consumers perceived social presence is less effective than that of cute conversational style. Finally, the authors demonstrate the moderating role of consumer technology anxiety in the relationship between conversational styles and perceived social presence.

Practical implications

To provide consumers with a positive human–robot interaction experience at the service front line, managers need to make better use of the conversational styles of service robots by comprehensively considering the characteristics of consumer technology anxiety.

Originality/value

This research extends the literature on service robots by integrating consumer characteristics and robots’ conversational styles. These findings highlight the effectiveness of cute conversational style in alleviating consumer technology anxiety.

Purpose

The technology acceptance model (TAM) is a widely used framework explaining why users accept new technologies. Still, its relevance is questioned because of evolving consumer behavior, demographics and technology. Contrary to a research paper or systematic literature review, the purpose of this critical reflection paper is to discuss TAM's relevance and limitations in hospitality and tourism research.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a critical reflective approach, enabling a comprehensive review and synthesis of recent academic literature on TAM. The critical evaluation encompasses its historical trajectory, evolutionary growth, identified limitations and, more specifically, its relevance in the context of hospitality and tourism research.

Findings

TAM's limitations within the hospitality and tourism context revolve around its individual-centric perspective, limited scope, static nature, cultural applicability and reliance on self-reported measures.

Research limitations/implications

To optimize TAM's efficacy, the authors propose several strategic recommendations. These include embedding TAM within the specific context of the industry, delving into TAM-driven artificial intelligence adoption, integrating industry-specific factors, acknowledging cultural nuances and using comprehensive research methods, such as mixed methods approach. It is imperative for researchers to critically assess TAM's suitability for their studies and be open to exploring alternative models or methods that can adeptly navigate the distinctive dynamics of the industry.

Originality/value

This critical reflection paper prompts a profound exploration of technology adoption within the dynamic hospitality and tourism sector, makes insightful inquiries into TAM's future potential and presents recommendations.

Purpose

Given the growth of virtual reality (VR)-based tourism experiences in the past five years, this study aims to investigate the impact of VR-based interactions (ergonomics and embodiment) on memorable experiences and revisit intention mediated by cognitive and emotional responses.

Design/methodology/approach

This study has used an exploratory sequential mixed methodology research design to operationalise this research. Study 1 uses qualitative in-depth interviews to explore the proposed research questions, and Study 2 uses a 3 × 3 factorial experimental research design to test the proposed hypothetical model with 355 samples.

Findings

The results indicate that embodiment plays a more crucial role than VR ergonomics. Also, the cognitive response in the virtual tour indirectly generates a more memorable experience than the emotional response.

Research limitations/implications

This research uses the theory of technological mediation as an overarching framework to conceptualise the research. Also, the research has applied the tenets of cognitive embodiment theory, metacognitive theory and other related theories to develop the arguments. Thus, the results of this research will extend the holistic understanding of these theories.

Practical implications

This research will guide VR tourism developers in understanding the requirements and expectations of tourists. It also serves as a manual to understand how tourists process the VR tour psychologically.

Originality/value

Very minimal focus was given to understanding the tourists’ interaction with technology in VR tours. The concept of ergonomics and embodiment investigated as an experimental variable is a novel approach in technology-based tourism research.

Purpose

By conducting a longitudinal study, this study aims to investigate how the role of hotel attributes in destination competitiveness changed through the stages of pre-, amid and recovery from the crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the latent Dirichlet allocation method was used to identify hotel attributes from 15,137 online reviews, and then a sentiment analysis was performed to determine tourist satisfaction with the subject attributes. Second, separate asymmetric impact competitor analyses were conducted for the three stages of the crisis, and their results were compared with understand how the role of the hotel attributes changed throughout the crisis.

Findings

The results revealed that the impacts of hotel attributes on tourist satisfaction and destination competitiveness differed significantly at each stage of the crisis.

Research limitations/implications

This research expands the existing literature by offering valuable insights by elucidating the changing characteristics of hotel attributes at each crisis stage. The results extend the body of knowledge in destination management by providing evidence on the validity of asymmetric impact competitor analysis.

Originality/value

To fully understand the impact of a crisis (e.g. COVID-19) on destination competitiveness with a focus on the hotel sector, this research conducted a longitudinal study that covers three stages of the crisis (i.e. pre-, amid and post-crisis). Moreover, unlike previous studies, this research considers the asymmetric relationships between service attributes and overall tourist satisfaction, as well as competitors’ information.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a research model that explored leader psychological capital (LPsyCap) as a predictor of follower creative performance (FCRP). The model also investigated follower job crafting (FJC) and follower knowledge collecting (FKC) and follower knowledge donating (FKD) behaviors as the multiple mediators of the trickle-down effect of LPsyCap on FCRP in a sequential manner.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from hotel employees in Korea. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling with the user-defined estimands function.

Findings

LPsyCap boosted employees’ FCRP. FJC and FKC behaviors mediated the trickle-down effect of LPsyCap on FCRP in a sequential manner. As predicted, FKC behavior parallelly mediated the effect of FJC on FCRP.

Practical implications

Hotel firms should boost a workplace that would encourage employees to redefine and redesign their jobs. To achieve this, the presence of structural (e.g. learning new things in the workplace) and social (e.g. supervisor coaching) job resources and challenging job demands (e.g. willingly taking on additional tasks) would pay dividends.

Originality/value

This paper is one of its kind focusing on unexplored parallel and sequential multiple mediation effects that highlight FJC and FKC as the two potential mediators in the association between LPsyCap and FCRP.

Purpose

The intention of consumers to behave sustainably is not a reliable predictor of sustainable hospitality choices. This intention-behaviour gap represents one of the biggest challenges for marketers and environment-friendly businesses. To address this issue, this study aims to draw upon the intention-behaviour gap. The authors revise the sustainable hospitality literature to identify the limitations, to evaluate the extent to which the intention-behaviour gap is embedded in the hospitality literature and to provide practical guidance on how to move research forward in the sustainable hospitality field.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors adopted a five-step process to review and analyse 71 scientific papers published in 14 Hospitality Journals. The authors developed a descriptive overview of the literature showing the publications in this field over the years, the sustainability practices implemented by companies and consumers and the setting of the studies. Finally, the authors conducted a critical analysis of research in sustainable hospitality adopting the intention-behaviour gap lens.

Findings

Leveraging the descriptive overview and critical analysis, the authors offer four directions for future research to address the existing literature limitations. The authors encourage scholars to expand the scope of the research setting, investigate diverse sustainability practices, integrate existing knowledge on the intention-behaviour gap into sustainable hospitality research and combine traditional research methods with emerging technologies.

Practical implications

This study exposes the theoretical challenge of applying conventional behaviour theories to sustainable hospitality, prompting a call for framework re-evaluation. It offers practical insights, empowering researchers, marketers and policymakers to navigate and mitigate the intention-behaviour gap in sustainable hospitality.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper is underscored by its distinctive focus on the unique intention-behaviour gap within sustainable hospitality, coupled with a compelling call to re-evaluate traditional behavioural frameworks. It provides a roadmap for future research in sustainable hospitality, benefiting researchers, policymakers and marketers in promoting sustainable initiatives.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to revisit the measures of internal consistency for multi-item scales in hospitality research and compare the performance of Cronbach’s α, omega total (ω_Total), omega hierarchical (ω_H), Revelle’s omega total (ω_RT), Minimum Rank Factor Analysis (GLB_fa) and GLB algebraic (GLB_a).

Design/methodology/approach

A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to compare the performance of the six reliability estimators under different conditions common in hospitality research. Second, this study analyzed a data set to complement the simulation study.

Findings

Overall, ω_Total was the best-performing estimator across all conditions, whereas ω_H performed the poorest. α performed well when factor loadings were high with low variability (high/low) and large sample sizes. Similarly, ω_RT, GLB_fa and GLB_a performed consistently well when loadings were high and less variable as well as the sample size and the number of scale items increased. Of the two GLB estimators, GLB_a consistently outperformed GLB_fa.

Practical implications

This study provides hospitality managers with a better understanding of what reliability is and the various reliability estimators. Using reliable instruments ensures that organizations draw accurate conclusions that help them move closer to realizing their visions.

Originality/value

Though popular in other fields, reliability discussions have not yet received substantial attention in hospitality. This study raises these discussions in the context of hospitality research to promote better practices for assessing the reliability of scales used within the hospitality domain.

Purpose

This study aims to pay attention to the brand portfolio extension of international hotel chains, and explores the double-edged sword effect of consumer confusion in hotel brands on the purchase decision process.

Design/methodology/approach

Four representative international hotel chains (Marriott, Accor, Wyndham and Hyatt) were selected, and this study adopted consumer confusion from both formative and reflective perspectives. First, the authors dealt with stimuli-causing consumer confusion and evaluated similarity, overload and ambiguity confusion about the brand portfolio of these major hotel companies. Second, the authors examined the influence of consumer confusion on the decision-making process, which is rooted in the awareness–interest–desire–action model.

Findings

Among the source of consumer confusion, similarity confusion was critical for Marriott, Accor and Hyatt, whereas ambiguity confusion was severe for Wyndham. Awareness was positively affected by overload confusion, but negatively affected by ambiguity confusion. Furthermore, the link between interest and desire was moderated by the consequences of consumer confusion.

Practical implications

Based on both positive and negative roles of consumer confusion, this study provides implications for enhancing brand strategy and communications of international chain hotels.

Originality/value

This present study differs from previous studies, in that it deals with consumer confusion associated with brand portfolio expansion, which produces a double-edged sword effect in the hotel context.