Research / HRI
Studying how intelligent machines reshape human experience.
My research program investigates artificial intelligence and human-robot interaction in hospitality and tourism, how technology is adopted, how guests respond, and how operators can deploy it responsibly.
INDUSTRY FOUNDATION
Industry Foundation of Robotic Hospitality
Robotic hospitality represents an emerging interdisciplinary domain at the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and service management. This field focuses on the deployment of autonomous and semi-autonomous systems to enhance service delivery, operational efficiency, and customer experience in hospitality environments. This paper outlines the foundational components that support the development and scalability of robotic hospitality systems.
Research & Publication
Reconfiguring Warmth: Can Hospitality Be Engineered?
1
Redefining service quality: Development and validation of the robotic service quality scale
The expansion of robotic technologies in the hospitality industry is redefining traditional service interactions and customer expectations. Grounded in social exchange theory, this study presents a multidimensional framework for measuring the quality of robotic services in hospitality settings. Through a comprehensive literature review, five focus group studies, and a four-stage scale development process involving 1600 valid responses, this study develops and validates a multidimensional framework to assess hotel customers’ perceptions of robotic service quality (ROBOQUAL).
2
The role of perceived risk and information security on customers' acceptance of service robots in the hotel industry
This study proposed and tested a theoretical framework that investigated the influences of perceived risk and information security on hotel customers’ intention to use service robots. In addition, the impacts of self-efficacy, innovativeness, and facilitating conditions on perceived risk and information security were examined. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed model by utilizing data collected from eleven countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, Spain, Romania, Japan, Israel, India, Greece, Canada, and Brazil.
3
Interactive voice response systems: The double-edged sword of AI and the culture of hospitality in healthcare
The main objective of this research note is to turn healthcare organizations’ and scholars’ attention to the challenges experienced by patients as they interact with various artificial intelligence (AI)-based applications, particularly interactive voice response (IVR) systems, in the healthcare industry. While the existing literature reveals a substantial scholarly interest in the adoption and utility of these technologies in various contexts, the paucity of comprehensive research investigating how some of these technologies lie in contrast to the culture of hospitality in healthcare
4
Hotel customers’ behavioral intentions toward service robots: the role of utilitarian and hedonic values
This study aims to investigate the effects of hotel customers’ perceived utilitarian and hedonic values on their intention to use service robots. In addition, the influences of innovativeness, ease of use and compatibility on hotel customers’ perceived utilitarian and hedonic values were examined.The data of the current study was collected from 11 countries including the USA, UK, Turkey, Spain, Romania, Japan, Israel, India, Greece, Canada and Brazil. A structural equation modeling was used to test the study hypotheses. The results indicated that hotel customers’ intention to use service robots was positively influenced.
5
Measuring the perceived impacts of tourism: A scale development study.
Tourism brings with it several positive and negative impacts on destination communities. However, the real impacts of tourism are different from residents’ perspectives, which are shaped by multiple factors. The literature asserted a need for a more resident-oriented evaluation of tourism impacts, and this study aimed to develop and validate a scale to measure residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts following the inductive scale development process. The steps of the study included the generation of items, purification of items, and testing the reliability and validity of the scale.
6
Factors affecting hotel managers’ intentions to adopt robotic technologies: A global study.
The objective of this study that was conducted with 1077 hotel managers in 11 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, was to identify the effects of technological, organizational, and environmental (TOE) factors on hotel managers’ intentions to adopt robotic technologies in their hotels. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the study hypotheses. The results indicated that hotel managers’ intention to adopt robotic technologies were positively influenced by their perceived relative advantage, competitive pressure and top management support.
