Hospitality Research Research Articles

What makes employees provide quality service? The role of employee customer-oriented perspective taking

Customer-oriented perspective taking (COPT) refers to the ability of employees to actively adopt a customer’s viewpoint, understanding their thoughts, motivations, and emotions. Despite the practical advantages of COPT, this concept has received limited attention in hospitality research. Drawing on social information processing theory, this study proposes that team collectivist culture, servant leadership, and coworker exchange can predict employee COPT, thereby enhancing employee service quality. Moreover, this study investigates the moderating role of high service performance work system (HSPWS). Specifically, data from 557 hospitality employees and 121 team leaders representing 121 teams in China was analyzed. The findings indicate that team-related factors, including collectivist culture, servant leadership, and coworker exchange, positively influence employee COPT, which subsequently leads to improved employee service quality. Additionally, the findings reveal that the impact of employee COPT on service quality is amplified when supported by HSPWS. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Predictors of citations: an analysis of highly-cited-papers in hospitality and tourism research using a machine learning approach

ABSTRACT In the dynamic nature of hospitality and tourism (H&T) research, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish highly-cited-papers (HCPs) due to the rapid proliferation of publications. This study employs machine learning techniques to identify the predictors of citation counts in H&T research over both short-term (5-year) and long-term (20-year) periods using HCPs. The analysis integrates a theoretical framework comprising normative theory and social constructivist theory. The findings indicate that international citation, PlumXmetrics, and early citations are the most effective determinants in both periods. Furthermore, while the importance of international citations is evident in both periods, the order of importance of the other two predictors changes. PlumXmetrics are more important in the long-term, while early citations are more important in the short-term. In conclusion, this comprehensive and up-to-date study of citation dynamics provides valuable insights for scholars and other stakeholders interested in enhancing the visibility and influence of H&T literature.

Journal editors’ views on altmetrics in tourism and hospitality research

ABSTRACT This study explores the awareness, perceived usefulness, and potential future roles of altmetrics among journal editors in the tourism and hospitality field. Altmetrics measure online engagement and research mentions, providing impact measures beyond citation-based metrics. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining altmetrics data analysis with qualitative interviews of editors from the top 25 tourism and hospitality journals. The findings reveal a range of awareness and perceived usefulness among editors. The study suggests altmetrics could increasingly assess the broader societal impact of research, though editors need more publisher support to leverage these metrics effectively. By offering insights into the application of altmetrics in tourism and hospitality literature, the study contributes to the understanding of alternative metrics in evaluating research impact.

The past scene of hospitality ethics: A citation analysis perspective

The literature on ethics research in hospitality has significantly expanded in recent years. The objective of this study is to present a comprehensive overview of ethical research in the field of hospitality literature. This will facilitate insight into future developments by examining the past. A two-step approach is employed, comprising citation analysis, a bibliometric analysis technique, and a systematic review. The former is used to identify themes, which are then discussed in the latter. The citation analysis revealed five main themes of the domain: environmental concerns, organisational citizenship behaviour, reputation management and ethical leadership. Environmental concerns were examined from two perspectives: the viewpoint of hotels and the environmental behaviours of tourists and consumers. Subsequently, a systematic review was conducted using the TCM framework (theory/context/methodology) with the objective of identifying the most prominent theories, contexts, and methodological issues associated with each theme. The issue has predominantly been discussed using quantitative analysis and social-based theories. Research has been mainly conducted in the US and the EU. Environmental ethics is likely to remain a significant area of concern in the future. This study offers a perspective that can aid researchers in developing future studies on ethics and help practitioners enhance the ethical climate of the industry.

Half-century qualitative research in tourism and hospitality: a bibliometric analysis

This bibliometric analysis explores the evolution of qualitative research in tourism and hospitality over the past 45 years, utilizing the Scopus database to highlight prominent trends, publications, and thematic developments. The study identifies significant trends in publication volumes, which show a remarkable increase, particularly in the past decade, reflecting a growing interest in qualitative methods to address the complexities of tourism and hospitality. Performance analysis indicates the dominance of key journals and authors, while science mapping reveals evolving research themes such as sustainable tourism, visitor behavior, and destination marketing. Notably, the analysis of cluster networks and thematic evolution demonstrates how research has transitioned from foundational topics like tourism development and anthropology to contemporary concerns such as sustainability, the sharing economy, entrepreneurship, and digital tourism. This shift reflects the field’s response to global changes and challenges, offering key insights to direct future research on resilience, crisis management, and tourism technology.

Text mining in tourism and hospitality research: a bibliometric perspective

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the current level of knowledge on the application of text mining in tourism and hospitality (T&H) research and provide a novel comprehensive framework for the field. This study also identifies gaps and proposes future research directions. Design/methodology/approach This bibliometric study analyzes 814 journal articles, sourced from Scopus between 2004 and 2024, and uses performance analysis and science mapping using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer software. Findings Over 50% of the articles were published between 2022 and 2024, reflecting a surge in text-mining applications in T&H research. These studies primarily focus on topics such as customer satisfaction, sustainability, destination image and COVID-19 effects, with sentiment analysis and topic modeling being the predominant techniques. The primary data sources are online reviews and microblogs. The review also highlights recent research trends (e.g. long–short-term memory, support vector machines and crisis) and classifies them into four conceptual categories concerning the application of text mining in T&H research: How? Where? Why? When? Originality/value This study comprehensively explores the evolution of T&H, contributions from research constituents and the intellectual structure of the field, providing a novel comprehensive framework while also assessing the field and highlighting its challenges.

A comprehensive science mapping of tourism and hospitality research: Tribes, territories and networks

This study aims to provide a comprehensive bibliographic analysis of the field of tourism and hospitality research by mapping the contributions of researchers, research institutions and evolution of research topics and collaboration networks. Metadata from 27 SSCI and 30 ESCI tourism and hospitality journals were collected from Web of Science. Data analysis was conducted utilizing R package of Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny, adhering to the guidelines of bibliometric analysis. The study identified topics of sustainability and IT technology applications in tourism and hospitality as the recent research fronts. An increasing number of Chinese origin researchers emerged in the author collaboration network, followed by Korean origin researchers. Authors and universities in China started to form distinctive clusters in the author and institutional collaboration networks. The results offer a holistic understanding of the field of tourism and hospitality research, and can help researchers develop personal strategies in research career planning and development.

Balancing Tradition and Modernity: The Brand Personality of Santiniketan as a Tourist Destination

The present case study rigorously investigates the brand personality of Santiniketan, a prominent tourism destination in West Bengal, India. This research aims to explore the dominant personality dimensions that define Santiniketan’s identity and to examine potential differences in perceptions between tourists who have visited the town and those who have not. Santiniketan’s unique identity, rooted in its cultural heritage, customs and the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore, is communicated through diverse marketing campaigns and promotions. A strong and positive brand personality can set a destination apart, providing a significant competitive advantage and facilitating increased visitation rates. To evaluate Santiniketan’s brand personality, traditionally associated with peace, tranquillity and spirituality, while exploring additional dimensions such as sustainability and environmental consciousness, this study used the rigorous Destination Personality Scale by Kumar and Nayak (2018, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 42, 1, 3–25). The study employed a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative tools, to gather data from 97 respondents through focus group interviews and surveys. Participants aged 18–70 were divided into those who had visited Santiniketan and those who had not but were knowledgeable about the destination. The findings indicate that courteousness, conformity, creativity and tranquillity significantly influence tourists’ perceptions of Santiniketan, with notable differences between visitors and non-visitors. This research contributes to the literature on destination branding by comprehensively understanding Santiniketan’s brand personality, emphasizing its cultural attributes and rich heritage as critical factors in its success as a popular tourist destination. The insights gained can assist destination marketers in aligning their strategies to enhance tourists’ perceptions and increase visitation rates. This study addresses the gap in academic inquiry into Santiniketan’s brand personality, offering valuable implications for developing and promoting similar cultural heritage destinations.

How hotel VR photography previews enhance customers’ immediate booking intention through mental imagery and perceived value

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how a hotel virtual reality photography (VRP) preview enhances customers’ immediate booking intention compared to a picture preview. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a one-factor between-subject experimental design and time-based systematic sampling. Respondents were asked to read a scenario on an iPad and assess a hotel preview (VRPs vs pictures) before answering the questionnaire. Findings The results show that a hotel VRP preview generates more mental imagery than a picture preview in terms of quantity, vividness, modality and valence. These four dimensions of mental imagery indirectly influence customers’ immediate booking intentions through perceived utilitarian value and hedonic value, among which modality has the greatest influence on utilitarian value and valence has the greatest influence on hedonic value. Moreover, utilitarian value has a stronger impact on customers’ immediate booking intentions than does hedonic value. Originality/value The results obtained in this study contribute to hospitality research by using cognitive consistency theory as the overarching framework, combining mental imagery theory, media richness theory and perceived value theory to explain the mechanism of tourists’ hotel booking decision-making from hotel previews. Comparing this study’s results with previous studies shows the difference in the effects of 360° (head-mounted) videos, VRPs and pictures on evoking mental imagery across tourism and hotel products, updating our knowledge of VR technology in tourism marketing.

Anatolia – unveiling its multidisciplinary landscape and future orientations

ABSTRACT Using methods such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and content analysis, this paper does a comprehensive analysis of Anatolia‘s contributions to tourism and hospitality research over the last 27 years, analyzing publishing trends, regional distribution, and topic evolution. The results show a significant increase in worldwide contributions, covering 92 nations, and an interdisciplinary strategy in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) 11. Important subject clusters are identified by the study, underscoring the journal’s growing influence and its part in determining the course of future research. Through the identification of emergent topics, the study highlights Anatolia‘s engagement in varied topics and offers a strategic framework for future research.

The Motivation Factors for Chinese Female Tourists to Participate in ‘Pin’ Themed Afternoon Tea at Luxury Hotels in Macau from the Sharing Economy Perspective and Self-Determination Theory

ABSTRACT The sharing economy has changed the consumption pattern of hospitality services. This study explored a new situation under the sharing economy service – the “Pin” afternoon tea (a form of group purchases) – and determined consumers’ motivations for participation. Qualitative research was conducted in the context of the sharing economy theory and self-determination theory. The results of interviews with 11 Chinese female tourists revealed nine motivation factors in five main dimensions (financial benefits, social benefits, sustainability, enjoyment, and novelty) of “Pin” afternoon teas: cost saving, product scarcity, expanding the circle of friends, social status, environmental consciousness, enjoying the processes, enjoying the foods, enjoying the environment, and experiencing new things. This study contributes to hospitality research by indicating how a niche market (Chinese female tourists) is motivated by a new sharing economy model (the “Pin” afternoon tea). Knowing these motivations may help the hospitality industry formulate appropriate strategies to speed tourism recovery.

Service robot acceptance: agenda for tourism and hospitality research

Purpose This study aims to provide insights and guidance for future research on service robot acceptance in the tourism and hospitality (T&H) domain through a comprehensive literature review. Design/methodology/approach A total of 249 journal articles, retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, were reviewed using an inductive analysis method. Findings Since its emergence in 2008, the topic of robot acceptance has gained significant attention, especially after 2019. The research assesses the current state of research, methodologies used, theoretical foundations and antecedents influencing acceptance. Five categories of antecedents affecting acceptance were systematically identified: robot design factors, individual/organisational factors, situational factors, appraisal factors and affective factors. Originality/value This study provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of service robot acceptance research. It offers insights and theoretical directions to advance research in the T&H domain.

A scoping review of robotic technology in hospitality and tourism

酒店与旅游业机器人技术的范围综述研究目的随着人工智能（AI）的颠覆性发展, 机器人在酒店和旅游业中的角色正迅速从自动化工作转变为情感性工作。尽管学术界已开始研究机器人在酒店和旅游业中的应用, 但对于机器人不同角色的具体图像仍不清晰。本研究系统性地汇总并评估了发表在社会科学引文索引（SSCI）列出的酒店与旅游期刊中的现有机器人技术相关研究, 以连接零散的知识, 并提供关于酒店与旅游业机器人技术的最新概览。研究方法本研究检索了134篇与机器人技术相关的文章, 并采用描述性分析和内容分析方法对检索到的文章进行了深入分析。研究发现最常见的关键词是服务机器人。机器人技术分为AI辅助、AI生成、机器人技术拟人化(RTA)促进和RTA中介。研究影响未来的研究可以考虑从旅游供应商的角度进一步探索服务机器人。还建议对机器人技术进行更全面的分类。研究创新本研究通过提供酒店与旅游研究中机器人应用的整体视角, 丰富了机器人研究领域。本研究还尝试明确潜在的研究方向, 为未来的研究扩展提供指导。

Ethical leadership and pro-social behavior in the hospitality industry: Does social norms matter?

Ethical leadership (EL) plays a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture and influencing employees' behaviors, especially in service-oriented sectors like hospitality, where interpersonal interactions are fundamental. This study investigates the mediating role of social norms (SN) in the relationship between EL and pro-social behavior (PSB) within Saudi Arabian hospitality enterprises. This research posits that SN serve as a critical conduit through which EL affects PSB among employees. A quantitative approach using self-administered questionnaire, gathering data from Saudi Arabian hotel employees to measure perceptions of EL, SN, and PSB. Structural equation modeling using Smart-PLS was used to analyze the data and test the proposed mediation model. The findings indicate that EL significantly enhances PSB and SN. Furthermore, SN partially mediate the relationship between EL and PSB. These results underscore the importance of fostering a culture of EL to promote PSBs in the hospitality industry, thereby enhancing overall service quality and employee satisfaction. Several theoretical and practical implications have been discussed for hospitality managers and researchers.

Generative AI insights in tourism and hospitality: A comprehensive review and strategic research roadmap

This study used bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review (SLR) to examine how the tourism and hospitality industries use generative artificial intelligence (GAI), identifying developed patterns, theoretical frameworks, strengths and limitations, and future research challenges. We conducted a systematic review using the Scopus database, adhering to PRISMA principles. We analyzed a sample of 25 articles published between 2019 and 2023 through narrative synthesis and bibliometric analysis using the VOSviewer software, a tool for visualizing network analysis. The USA, China, India, and Saudi Arabia are the major countries engaged in GAI research in tourism and hospitality. Significant research topics emphasize decision-making, chatbots, deep learning, and sentiment analysis, mainly through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R), and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) frameworks. GAI applications demonstrate strength in improving user experience and operational efficiency, though gaps exist in scope, ethics, technology performance, and collaboration between humans and AI. This study, therefore, provides a fundamental foundation for understanding the current status of GAI research in tourism and hospitality by pointing out some trends and areas that require further investigation to ensure the responsible and effective integration of AI within the industry.

Advancements of virtual reality in tourism and hospitality research. A hybrid review using the TCCM framework

ABSTRACT This paper aims to explore the advancements in VR research within tourism and hospitality industry using a hybrid review approach combining bibliometric analysis and TCCM framework. The study uncovers the past, present, and emerging research themes in the field, with most studies grounded in theoretical foundations (T); it presents eleven distinct contexts of VR applications (C); and indicates VR experiences mostly enhance behavioral intentions to visit (C); quantitative approaches, such as surveys and experiments are preferred over qualitative methods (M). Finally, this study proposes a conceptual model and nomological network, along with directions for future research through the TCCM perspective.

Green hotels visit intention among young adults: integrating the familiarity, novelty, trust, perceived risk, and theory of planned behaviour

Previous hospitality research typically focuses on consumers’ positive attitudes and intentions toward addressing an existing research gap in the literature on consumer attitude and behaviour in green hotel marketing. Those studies have frequently neglected to investigate the effects of negative attitudes and perspectives. This study aims to explore the relationships between seven indicators of perceived risk, familiarity, novelty, trust, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and intention to visit green hotels. A total of 606 questionnaires were collected and analysed using structural equation modelling. Results showed that perceived risk negatively influences trust, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control. Familiarity positively influences perceived risk but negatively influences attitude. Novelty negatively influences perceived risk and attitude, while trust positively influences attitude and intention. Subjective norm positively influences attitude, perceived behavioural control, and intention, and attitude influences intention. This study provides an alternative negative factor perspective on green hotel visitation using a theoretically driven approach.

Human–Robot interaction research in hospitality and tourism: trends and future directions

Purpose This paper aims to synthesize the evolving research of human–robot interaction (HRI) in the hospitality and tourism industry, identifying gaps and setting directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach Using a mixed-method approach, the study combines inductive co-citation analysis with deductive theory-context-characteristics-methodology analysis. Findings The findings trace the progression of HRI knowledge from initial feasibility and acceptance studies to advanced post-adoption experience management. The analysis identifies prevalent theories such as anthropomorphism theory, specific contexts like hotel environments, diverse robot types (e.g. embodied robots), outcome measures (e.g. use intention) and methodologies predominantly comprising survey-based analyses and experimental approaches. The analysis not only illuminates areas of research attention but also uncovers under-explored topics, offering a roadmap for future inquiry in tourism and HRI research. Originality/value The paper contributes to the literature by providing a structured framework that not only maps the intellectual structure of HRI research in tourism but also proposes a cohesive integration of disparate theories and methodologies, addressing both practical and academic gaps.

The evolution and application of emotional solidarity theory in tourism behaviour research

ABSTRACT This manuscript critically examines the use and application of the emotional solidarity (ES) theoretical framework within tourism, hospitality, sports, and leisure research, highlighting the interdisciplinary utilisation of the theory from other fields to understand individuals’ behaviour. The current study addresses the challenges posed by the selection of ES, including the issues of behavioural indicators, theory time lag, theory stickiness, and the potential restrictions of literature reviews. Through this exploration, this study aims to advocate for a more inclusive and dynamic approach to theory application in tourism studies that respects the original discipline's paradigms while adapting to the evolving landscape research focusing on residents’ and tourists’ behaviour as it pertains to the inextricably linked relationship between the parties.

Modeling Multidimensionality in Hospitality and Tourism Research: Exploratory Higher-Order Factor Analysis

The hospitality and tourism discipline has been criticized for often taking a lackadaisical approach to the modeling of latent phenomena. Research on scale development has been found to lack transparency and/or to omit important methodological steps, thus calling into question the validity and reliability of the existing scales. To address these issues, there is a need for more research that emphasizes measurement issues and provides methodological guidance to hospitality scholars interested in scale development. Given the multidimensional nature of most phenomena and the complexity of human behavior, this study seeks to provide researchers, within and outside the field, with a guide to exploratory higher-order factor analyses. An empirical example of the recommended practices is provided using data collected from a sample of destination marketing organization (DMO) executives.