Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the acceptance of robots as social distancing agents and to understand how guests may respond to the application of service robots in a hospitality setting as a way to achieve a zero-COVID-19 travel experience. This study contributes to the current knowledge in the area of service robot application by providing a better insight of, and guests response to, service robot operation in hotels. Design/Methodology/Approach – To obtain information from participants, the semi-structured interview method was used. articipants were hotel guests who had stayed in hotels where robots performed human tasks. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings – The findings suggest that robots are perceived as effective social distancing agents even though the participants experienced instances of robot incompetency during their stay at a hotel with robotics-based services. Participants also believe that with improved smart robot services, hotels can resume operations and guests can stay in hotels during the pandemic period without unnecessary worries. Originality – In light of the findings, some future research directions are suggested for researchers to further understand and explore the wider application of robotics in social distancing.


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    Title :

    DOES COVID-19 DRIVE ROBOT ACCEPTANCE? AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF SERVICE ROBOT IN HOSPITALITY



    Publication date :

    2022-01-01


    Remarks:

    Tourism and hospitality management ; ISSN 1330-7533 (Print) ; ISSN 1847-3377 (Online) ; Volume 28 ; Issue 1


    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Classification :

    DDC:    629



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