When the servicescape becomes intelligent: Conceptualization, assessment, and implications for hospitableness

Abstract

Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has become widely used in the hospitality industry and has gradually been extended to the notion of the servicescape. However, how servicescapes have become “intelligent” has received little academic attention. Moreover, how intelligent servicescapes influence service outcomes, such as hospitableness, has not been discussed. In this study, we fill this gap by conceptualizing and modeling the intelligent servicescape to analyze its potential influence on service hospitableness. Netnography and constructivist grounded theory are adopted to collect and analyze data from online reviews and short videos. Our results suggest that the intelligent servicescape is understood through four subcategories: servicescape atmosphere, technology attributes, customer–technology interactions, and employee assistance. Additionally, the intelligent servicescape can lead to hospitableness through enhanced user-friendliness; opportunities for relaxation and immersion; and rapport among employees, customers, and technology. Our findings therefore extend servicescape theory and improve the understanding of hospitableness in the AI application context. Their practical implications can also be used to design better servicescapes and improve hospitableness.