Modelling Tourists’ Acceptance of Hotel Experience-Enhancement Smart Technologies

Donglin Han,Joseph H K Lai,Hao Wu,Huiying (Cynthia) Hou

doi:10.3390/su13084462

Abstract

Whereas the use of specific smart technologies in various sectors of the tourism industry has been under greater scrutiny in recent years, research that investigates tourists’ acceptance of smart technologies applied as a whole to hotels is largely underexplored. To address this shortfall, a study with a focus on tourists’ acceptance of experience-enhancement smart technologies has been conducted. A technology acceptance model based conceptual framework was developed, followed by a series of interviews with the managerial staff of ten hotels in Hong Kong that adopt experience-enhancement smart technologies. Based on the interview findings, a questionnaire was designed for use in a survey in which data were collected face-to-face from 312 tourists. Structural equation modelling was utilised to reveal the interrelationships between nine technology acceptance parameters. This study contributes knowledge to both real-world practice and research in tourism management.

Highlights

This study focuses on the smart technologies that are accessible to tourists who stay at hotels as patrons, viz. “experience-enhancement (EE)
Using STATA 15.1, the data obtained from the survey interviews were analysed by structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the relationships and interactions among the variables, including their direct and indirect effects [79]
Previous studies on hotel smart technology acceptance usually focus on a particular technology, such as reservation websites, self-service kiosks, etc

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Information technologies have transformed the built form, infrastructure, ecosystem services and human services. Smart technologies, referred to as both hardware and software technology instruments that support inter-connectivity, have been increasingly used to provide convenience to tourists in searching for information, increase the operation efficiency of the hospitality sector, and promote hotels and tourist destinations. The hospitality industry, with its core value reliant on services delivery and quality, has been significantly influenced by smart technologies

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