Technologies Supporting Pandemic Restrictions in the Hospitality Industry, Hitherto Experiences and Outlook

  • Wieslaw URBAN Faculty of Engineering Management Bialystok University of Technology, Poland
  • Krzysztof ŁUKASZEWICZ Faculty of Engineering Management Bialystok University of Technology, Poland

Abstract

The circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic established new conditions for the hospitality industry, pandemic restrictions precluded full provision of leisure services. The study aims to identify technological concepts that could noticeably support the industry in dealing with pandemic restrictions while allowing guests take advantage of hospitality services. This is a conceptual study based on comprehensive review of the scientific literature and secondary sources, supported by the creative methodology. Twelve technological device concepts are elaborated, then evaluated, how they support pandemic-related restrictions and affect customer experience. Proposed concepts are aiming at the state of the art and beyond. The study mainly contributes with technological conceptualizations conceivably inspiring further developments favorable to the hospitality industry, particularly in pandemic time. The study presents a value co-creation analysis of the device concepts, several conclusions referring to the implementation of technologies in the hospitality industry are drawn up. One of the conclusions is that the current pandemic situation brings an opportunity to move toward the Industry 4.0 transformation. The study concerns a wider problem of technological changes than just pandemic restrictions.

References

[1] Aarthy, C.J. and Badrinarayanan, M.K. 2019. Automation and enhanced service delivery through process improvement in hospitality industry, International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, 8(4): 2842- 2848. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35940/ijrte.D8361.118419
[2] Araujo, T. 2018. Living up to the chatbot hype: The influence of anthropomorphic design cues and communicative agency framing on conversational agent and company perceptions. Computers in Human Behavior 85: 183-189. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.03.051
[3] Auh, Seigyoung, Bell, S. J., McLeod, C. S. and Shih, E. 2007. Co-production and customer loyalty in financial services. Journal of Retailing 83(3): 359-370. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2007.03.001
[4] Banker, S. 2020. Decontamination robots and industrial worker safety. Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebanker/2020/05/05/decontamination-robots-and-industrial-worker-safety/#22c4b467726a
[5] Belanche, D., Casaló, L.V., Flavián, C. and Schepers J. 2020. Service robot implementation: a theoretical framework and research agenda. The Service Industries Journal 40(3-4): 203-225. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2019.1672666
[6] Berezina, K., Ciftci, O. and Cobanoglu, C. 2019. Robots, artificial intelligence, and service automation in restaurants. In Ivanov S., Webster C. (Eds.), Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and Service Automation in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality, Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, England. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78756-687-320191010
[7] Bolton, R. and Saxena-Iyer, S. 2009. Interactive Services: A Framework, Synthesis and Research Directions. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 23: 91-104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2008.11.002
[8] Buhalis, D. and Sinarta, Y. 2019. Real-time co-creation and nowness service: lessons from tourism and hospitality. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 36(5): 563-582. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2019.1592059
[9] Buhalis, D. et al. 2019. Technological disruptions in services: lessons from tourism and hospitality. Journal of Service Management, 30(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-12-2018-0398
[10] Cain, L.N., Thomas, J.H. and Alonso, M.Jr. 2019. From sci-fi to sci-fact: the state of robotics and AI in the hospitality industry. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 10(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-07-2018-0066
[11] Castrodale, J. 2016. This small, multilingual robot is now answering travelers’ questions in the Tokyo airport. Aailable at: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/roadwarriorvoices/2016/02/11/this-small-multilingual-robot-is-now-answering-travelers-questions-in-the-tokyo-airport/83284386/
[12] Chathoth, P. et al. 2013. Co-production versus co-creation: A process based continuum in the hotel service context. International Journal of Hospitality Management 32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2012.03.009
[13] Choi, Y., Choi, M., Oh, M. M. and Kim, S. S. 2019. Service robots in hotels: understanding the service quality perceptions of human-robot interaction. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management 29(6). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2020.1703871
[14] Christophe, F., Coatanea, E. and Bernard, A. 2014. Conceptual Design. In Laperrière, L. and Reinhart, G. (Eds.), CIRP Encyclopedia of Production Engineering, Springer, Berlin. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20617-7_6444
[15] Chung, N., Han, H. and Joun, Y. 2015. Tourists’ intention to visit a destination: the role of augmented reality (AR) application for a heritage site. Computers in Human Behavior 50. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.068
[16] Cobos, L.M., Mejia, C., Ozturk, A.B. and Wang, Y. 2016. A technology adoption and implementation process in an independent hotel chain. International Journal of Hospitality Management 57, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2016.06.005
[17] Colby, C. L., and Parasuraman, A. 2016. Service robotics: How ready are consumers to adopt and what drives acceptance? 25th Annual Frontiers in Services Conference. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/ccolby/frontiers-2016-colby-parasuraman
[18] Danaher, P.J., and Mattsson, J. 1994. Customer Satisfaction during the Service Delivery Process. European Journal of Marketing 28(5). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/03090569410062005
[19] Davis, F.D., and Venkatesh, V. 1996. A critical assessment of potential measurement biases in the technology acceptance model: Three experiments. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 45(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/ijhc.1996.0040
[20] Ding, C. G., and Tseng, T. H. 2015. On the relationships among brand experience, hedonic emotions, and brand equity. European Journal of Marketing 49(7/8). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-04-2013-0200
[21] Etgar, M. 2008. A descriptive model of the consumer co-production process. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-007-0061-1 (accessed November 20, 2020).
[22] French, M.J. 1999. Conceptual design for engineers. 3rd Edition. The Design Council.
[23] Griffin, T., et al. 2017. Virtual Reality and Implications for Destination Marketing. Travel and Tourism Research Association: Advancing Tourism Research Globally 29, Available at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/ttra/2017/Academic_Papers_Oral/29
[24] Grissemann, U. S., and Stokburger-Sauer, N.E. 2012. Customer co-creation of travel services: The role of company support and customer satisfaction with the co-creation performance. Tourism Management 33(6). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.02.002
[25] Grönroos, C., and Voima, P. 2013. Critical service logic: making sense of value creation and co-creation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-012-0308-3
[26] Han, Dai-In, Dieck, C. t. and Jung, T. 2018. User experience model for augmented reality applications in urban heritage tourism. Journal of Heritage Tourism 13(1). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2016.1251931
[27] Heng, M. T. 2018. Lifting productivity in Singapore’s retail and food services sectors: The role of technology. Manpower and Marketing, World Scientific Books.
[28] Ho, T. H., Tojib, D. and Tsarenko, Y. 2020. Human staff vs. service robot vs. fellow customer: Does it matter who helps your customer following a service failure incident? International Journal of Hospitality Management 87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102501
[29] Huang, M.-H., and Rust, R.T. 2018. Artificial intelligence in service, Journal of Service Research 21(2). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1094670517752459
[30] Ilhan, I., and Celtek, E. 2016. Mobile marketing: usage of augmented reality in tourism. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences 15(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.256721
[31] Ivanov, S., and Webster, C. 2017. Adoption of robots, artificial intelligence and service automation by travel, tourism and hospitality companies – a cost-benefit analysis. Paper presented at the International Scientific Conference “Contemporary Tourism – Traditions and Innovations”, 19-21 October 2017, Sofia University, Bulgaria. Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3007577
[32] Jarvi, H., Keranen, J., Ritala, P. and Vilko, J. 2020. Value co-destruction in hotel services: Exploring the misalignment of cognitive scripts among customers and providers. Tourism Management 77, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104030
[33] Jung, Timothy, tom Dieck, C. M., Moorhouse, N. and tom Dieck, D. 2017. Tourists’ experience of virtual reality applications. 2017 IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCE.2017.7889287
[34] Kabadayi, S. et al. 2019. Smart service experience in hospitality and tourism services: A conceptualization and future research agenda. Journal of Service Management 30(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-11-2018-0377
[35] Kattara, H.S., and El-Said, O.A. 2014. Customers’ preferences for new technology-based self- services versus human interaction services in hotels. Tourism Hospitality Research 13(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358413519261 (accessed November 12, 2020).
[36] Krstic, B., Kahrovic, E. and Stanisic, T. 2015. Business process management in hotel industry: A proposed framework for operating processes. Journal for Economic Theory and Practice 61(4). DOI:https://doi.org/10.5937/ekonomika1504021K
[37] Li, Mengcheng, and Tuure Tuunanen. 2020. Actors’ dynamic value co-creation and co-destruction behavior in service systems: A structured literature review. Proceedings of the 53rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Hawaii, Maui. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2020.143
[38] Lim, C. et al. 2019. Customer process management. Journal of Service Management 30(1). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-02-2017-0031
[39] Line, N. D. et al. 2020. Control, use and ownership of big data: A reciprocal view of customer big data value in the hospitality and tourism industry. Tourism Management 80. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104106
[40] Liu, C. and Hung, K. 2020. Self-service technology preference during hotel service delivery: A comparison of hoteliers and customers. In Neidhardt, J., Wörndl, W. (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36737-4_22
[41] Lu, L., Cai, R. and Gursoy, D. 2019. Developing and validating a service robot integration willingness scale. International Journal of Hospitality Management 80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.01.005
[42] Lu, Y. 2017. Industry 4.0: a survey on technologies, applications and open research issues. Journal of Industrial Information Integration, 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jii.2017.04.005
[43] Lukanova, G. and Ilieva, G. 2019. Robots, Artificial Intelligence and Service Automation in Hotels. In S. Ivanov and C. Webster (eds.), Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and Service Automation in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality, Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, England. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78756-687-320191009
[44] Malbec, T. 2020. Restaurant Technology in the Post-COVID-19 World, Hospitality Technology. Available at. https://hospitalitytech.com/restaurant-technology-post-covid-19-world
[45] Malthouse, E.C., and Li, H. 2017. Opportunities for and pitfalls of using big data in advertising research. Journal of Advertising 46(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2017.1299653
[46] Marasco, A. et al. 2018. Exploring the role of next-generation virtual technologies in destination marketing. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management 9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2017.12.002
[47] Markopoulos, P. et al. 2016. Collaboration in creative design. Methods and tools. Springer International Publishing.
[48] McAfee, A. et al. 2012. Big data: the management revolution. Harvard business review, 90(10).
[49] McColl-Kennedy, J.R., et al. 2019. Gaining customer experience insights that matter. Journal of Service Research 22(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670518812182
[50] Miller, P. 2018. The relay hotel delivery robot will soon spot Wi-Fi dead zones and mingle with guests. Available at. www.theverge.com/2018/1/11/16879432/savioke-relay-hotel-delivery-robot-wi-fi-dead-zones-mingle-ces-2018
[51] Mody, M., Suess, C. and Lehto, X. 2019. Going back to its roots: Can hospitableness provide hotels competitive advantage over the sharing economy? International Journal of Hospitality Management 76, Part A. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.05.017
[52] Moura, F. T., Nobis, C. and Filho, S. C. 2017. Virtual reality and the decision making process of German senior travelers: A cross-media comparison. In Lee C., Filep S., Albrecht J.N., Coetzee W.J.L. (Eds.), CAUTHE 2017: Time for big ideas? Re-thinking the field for tomorrow, Department of Tourism, University of Otago, Dunedin.
[53] Neild, B. 2016. A hotel staffed by robots? It's not science fiction - it's now. Available at. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/hotels-robot-future-travel/index.html
[54] Neuendorf, K. A. 2016. The content analysis guidebook. Second Edition, SAGE Publications, Los Angeles.
[55] Nunkoo, R., Teeroovengadum, V., Ringle, C. M. and Sunnassee, V. 2020. Service quality and customer satisfaction: The moderating effects of hotel star rating. International Journal of Hospitality Management 91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.102414
[56] Oertzen, A. S., Odekerken-Schröder, G., Brax, S.A. and Mager, B. 2018. Co-creating services - conceptual clarification, forms and outcomes. Journal of Service Management 29(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-03-2017-0067
[57] Özdemir, A.I., Çolak, A. and Shmilli, J. 2019. Business process management in hotels: with a focus on delivering quality guest service. Quality & Quantity 53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-018-0727-4
[58] Panetta. 2020. How Technology Can Curb the Spread of COVID-19. Available at. https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/how-technology-can-curb-the-spread-of-covid-19/
[59] Price, E. 2017. You Rang? I Called Hotel Room Service—and Got A Robot. Available at. https://www.fastcompany.com/3068401/you-rang-i-called-hotel-room-service-and-got-a-robot
[60] Prior, D.D., and Marcos-Cuevas, J. 2016. Value co-destruction in interfirm relationships: The impact of actor engagement styles. Marketing Theory 16(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593116649792
[61] Rajesh, M. 2015. Inside japan’s first robot-staffed hotel. The Guardian. Available at. www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/aug/14/japan-henn-na-hotel-staffed-by-robots
[62] Ramaswamy, V. 2009. Co-creation of value – towards an expanded paradigm of value creation. Marketing Review St. Gallen 26 (6). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11621-009-0085-7
[63] Rauschnabel, P.A., Rossmann, A. and tom Dieck, C. M. 2017. An adoption framework for mobile augmented reality games: the case of pokémon go. Computers in Human Behavior 76. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.07.030
[64] Riek, L. D., Rabinowitch, T.-C., Chakrabarti, B. and Robinson, P. 2009. How anthropomorphism affects empathy toward robots. Proceedings of the 4th ACM/IEEE international conference on Human robot interaction (HRI ’09). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, USA. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1145/1514095.1514158
[65] Rodriguez-Lizundia, E., et al. 2015. A bellboy robot: study of the effects of robot behaviour on user engagement and comfort. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 82, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2015.06.001
[66] Rosenthal-von der Pütten, Astrid M., Krämer, N. and Herrmann, J. 2018. The effects of humanlike and robot-specific affective nonverbal behavior on perception, emotion, and behavior. International Journal of Social Robotics 10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-018-0466-7
[67] Samala, N., Katkam, B. S., Bellamkonda, and Rodriguez, R.V. 2020. Impact of AI and robotics in the tourism sector: a critical insight. Journal of Tourism Futures, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print., DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-07-2019-0065
[68] Samarrai, F. 2020. Mechanical engineers develop coronavirus decontamination robot. UVAToday. Available at. https://news.virginia.edu/content/mechanical-engineers-develop-coronavirus-decontamination-robot
[69] Sanders, L., and Stappers, P. 2013. Convivial toolbox: Generative research for the front end of design. BIS Publishers, Amsterdam.
[70] Schwab, K. 2017. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Crown Publishing Group.
[71] Silverstein, E. 2020. Robot bartender at the bionic bar on royal Caribbean cruises. Available at. https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=2454
[72] Sodar. 2020. Sodar: Google's new AR social distancing tool. Available at. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52888355
[73] Stamenov, S. 2018. 5 Benefits of Check-In/Out Hotel Kiosks. Available at. https://www.clock-software.com/blog/benefits-hotel-kiosks.html
[74] Takayama, L., and Pantofaru, C. 2009. Influences on proxemic behaviors in human-robot interaction. EEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, St. Louis, MO, 5495-5502. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/IROS.2009.5354145
[75] Tasci, Asli D.A., and Semrad, K. J. 2016. Developing a scale of hospitableness: A tale of two worlds. International Journal of Hospitality Management 53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.11.006
[76] Thompson, G. 1999. Improving maintainability and reliability through design, Professional Engineering Publishing.
[77] tom Dieck, C. M., Jung, T. and Dai-In Han. 2016a. Mapping requirements for the wearable smart glasses augmented reality museum application. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology 7(3). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-09-2015-0036
[78] tom Dieck, C. M., Jung, T. and tom Dieck, D. 2016b. Enhancing art gallery visitors’ learning experience using wearable augmented reality: generic learning outcomes perspective. Current Issues in Tourism 21(17). DOi:https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2016.1224818
[79] Tussyadiah, Iis. P. and Park, S. 2018. Consumer evaluation of hotel service robots. In Stangl, B. and Pesonen, J. (Eds.). Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2018, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72923-7_24
[80] Tuunanen, T., et al. 2019. From digitalization to cybernization: Delivering value with cybernized services. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems 31(2). Available at. http://iris.cs.aau.dk/tl_files/volumes/volume31/431-2Tuunanenetal(IRIS).pdf
[81] Van der Veen, S. 2020. Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 7). Infectious Microbes & Diseases, 2(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/IM9.0000000000000022
[82] Van Doorn, J. et al. 2017. Domo arigato Mr. Roboto: Emergence of automated social presence in organizational frontlines and customers’ service experiences. Journal of Service Research 20(1). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670516679272
[83] Vargo, S. L., and Akaka, M. A. 2009. Service-dominant logic as a foundation for service science: Clarifications. Service Science 1(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/serv.1.1.32
[84] Wirtz, J. et al. 2018. Brave new world: service robots in the frontline. Journal of Service Management 29, no. 5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2018-0119
[85] Yaoyuneyong, G., Foster, J., Johnson, E. and Johnson, D. 2016. Augmented reality marketing: consumer preferences and attitudes toward hypermedia print ads. Journal of Interactive Advertising 16(1). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2015.1125316
[86] Yu, Chung-E., and Boyol Ngan, H. F. 2019. The power of head tilts: gender and cultural differences of perceived human vs human-like robot smile in service. Tourism Review 74(3). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-07-2018-0097
[87] Yung, E. and Chan, A. 2002. Business traveler satisfaction with hotel service encounters. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 11(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J073v11n04_03
[88] Zhang, Y. and Shanshan, Qi. 2019. User experience study: The service expectation of hotel guests to the utilization of aI-based service robot in full-service hotels. In: Nah F.H., Siau K. (Eds.) HCI in Business, Government and Organizations. eCommerce and Consumer Behavior. HCII 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science 11588, Springer Cham. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22335-9_24
[89] Activetek. 2020. How it works. ActivPure RCI Technology. Available at: https://activtekhealthsolutions.com/how-it-works/
[90] Co-creation. 2009. Co-creation: New pathways to value. An overview. London: Promise Corporation. Available at: http://www.promisecorp.com/documents/COCREATION_REPORT.pdf
[91] Coronavirus. 2020. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Situation Report – 171, 9 July 2020, WHO. Available at: https://www.who.int
[92] Ekahau. 2020. Wi-Fi in Hospitality White Paper. Available at: https://wifi.ekahau.com/wifi-hospitality
[93] Operational. 2020. Operational considerations for COVID-19 management in the accommodation sector: interim guidance, 30 April 2020. World Health Organization. Available at. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/331937
[94] SOTI. 2018. The connected retailer: survey finds consumers prefer self-service technology over traditional interactions with retail sales associates. Available at. https://www.globenewswire.com
Published
2021-02-21
How to Cite
URBAN, Wieslaw; ŁUKASZEWICZ, Krzysztof. Technologies Supporting Pandemic Restrictions in the Hospitality Industry, Hitherto Experiences and Outlook. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 12, n. 1, p. 196 - 210, feb. 2021. ISSN 2068-7729. Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/5895>. Date accessed: 24 nov. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.12.1(49).17.