Rethinking Emotional Labour in Hospitality: The Contextual Role of Service Robots in Employee–Customer Interactions

This study examines how service robots reshape hotel employees’ emotional labour strategies. Using data from 410 hotel employees, we find that robot–employee interactions decrease surface acting and increase deep acting, whereas employee–customer interactions promote deep acting, reflecting emotional authenticity. However, when both interactions occur simultaneously, robots weaken the positive link between customer interaction and deep acting while increasing surface acting. These findings extend emotional labour theory by revealing how automation moderates emotional expression in hybrid service settings and provide managerial guidance for balancing efficiency and authenticity in robot-assisted hospitality.