Why do hotel frontline employees use service robots in the workplace? A technology affordance theory perspective

The rapid robotization of the hotel industry faces reluctance from frontline employees. This study aims to explore frontline employees’ intentions to use service robots in the hotel workplace. Combining technology affordance theory and socio-material perspective, the study conducted four experiments pre-pandemic, amid-pandemic, and post-pandemic to test the proposed framework. The results reveal that hotel employees, especially those with low collectivism (vs. high), prefer a room service robot with physical affordance to a concierge robot with cognitive affordance because the former offers more relative advantages and higher trust. This main effect remained the same both pre- and amid-pandemic. During the pandemic, the COVID-19 compliance of guests showed a significant interaction effect on the employees’ intentions to use service robots in the workplace. The study findings provide meaningful implications for hoteliers selecting the correct type of robot for adoption and encouraging employees to use service robots. • Hotel employees prefer using a room service robot to a concierge robot. • The preference is caused by more relative advantage and higher trust a physical affordance robot offers. • Employees’ intentions to use service robots increased amid-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. • Concierge robots receive higher usage intention when guests are not following COVID guidelines. • Employees with low collectivism show higher preferences toward a room service robot. • Employees with high collectivism have higher intentions to use both robots.