How Robot’s Humanness Shapes Consumer Purchase Intentions to Hotels with Robot Service Personnel
(A2024-119402)

AUTHORS

Yunqi Su, NEOMA Business School; Yiping Song, NEOMA Business School; Peng Zuo, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics; Sisi Lei, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics

ABSTRACT

Robot technology has undergone a transition from early-stage mechanical robots to the latest generation that incorporates artificial intelligence and exhibits humanoid characteristics. Although service robots have been increasingly applied in hospitality, by no means all are clear with whether the types of service robots they used fit their hotels. This aspect has not received sufficient attention from researchers. Across one pilot study and two experiments, we demonstrate that perceived humanness of service robots shapes consumer purchase intentions, and form likability and perceived intelligence mediate the main effect. Specially, consumption type can moderate the relationship between perceived humanness of hotel service robot and consumer purchase intentions. These findings advance research on the perceived humanness of robots and provide critical insights for deploying humanoid robots in customer service in the hospitality settings.