Human-robot trust dynamics: understanding tourist confidence in service robots in tourism & hospitality
Vardhan Choubey, Debarun Chakraborty, Yatish Joshi
Abstract
The paper aims to investigate the evolving role of service robots in the hospitality industry, particularly in light of the increasing demand for contactless services. The authors propose a mixed-method research approach to explore how tourist trust is formed regarding service robots and what risks tourists perceive when interacting with them. For this, two studies were conducted. Initially, themes were drawn based on qualitative research. Emerging themes were compared with extant literature, and clear mapping with privacy calculus theory, artificially intelligent device use acceptance, and TAM theory were observed. Data was collected from 512 respondents who traveled and availed of hotel services recently. Perceived benefits, Perceived Risks, and enjoyment positively influenced initial trust towards robots. Overall, this research seeks to provide insights into how tourist trust can be cultivated in the context of service robots, ultimately contributing to more effective implementation strategies within the hospitality sector.