Understanding Self-service Technology in Hotels in China: Technology Affordances and Constraints

Although self-service kiosks are prevalent in banks and airports, their presence in hotels is far behind. Understanding what hotels can do with self-service technology (SST) can offer valuable references for hoteliers and remedy the academic void regarding hotels’ application of SST. Thereby, this research conducted four focus group discussions followed by fifteen in-depth interviews to explore the potential opportunities and how hotels would be held back when applying SST, based on Technology Affordances and Constraints Theory (TACT). The findings revealed that by applying SSTs, hotels can save cost, increase efficiency, improve hotel image and enhance customer experience. Self-service technology constraints consist of decreasing customer-to-hotel communication, requiring the ability of customer, and failing to satisfy customer needs. The availability of affordances and constraints are dynamic and related to the interaction between SSTs and hotels. The conceptual framework enriches the knowledge of SSTs and provides supports for TACT.

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