Applications and Implications of Service Robots in Hospitality

TLDR

Service robots are increasingly permeating the hospitality sector, potentially transforming service production, delivery, management, and marketing practices. This study investigates the impacts of robotization in hospitality by providing one of the first empirical accounts of service robotics deployment. The authors examine service robotics in hospitality through an empirical analysis of current state‑of‑the‑art deployments. The results show that service robots can support or substitute employees, offer a novel differentiation point when integrated into marketing, and raise socioeconomic implications, urging executives to balance operational efficiency with customer expectations and exercise ethical leadership.

Abstract

Service robots continue to permeate and automate the hospitality sector. In doing so, these technological innovations pose to radically change current service production and delivery practices and, consequently, service management and marketing strategies. This study explores the various impacts of robotization in the sector by offering one of the first empirical accounts on the current state-of-the-art of service robotics as deployed in hospitality service encounters. The results suggest that service robots either support or substitute employees in service encounters. They also offer hospitality businesses a novel point of differentiation, but only if properly integrated as part of wider marketing efforts. Finally, the automation of tasks, processes, and, ultimately, jobs has serious socioeconomic implications both at the microlevel and macrolevel. Consequently, hospitality executives need to consider where and how to apply robotization to strike a balance between operational efficiency and customer expectations. Displaying ethical leadership is key to reaping the benefits of the robot revolution.