In-room Voice-Based AI Digital Assistants Transforming On-Site Hotel Services and Guests’ Experiences

Voice-based artificial intelligence (AI) devices transform human-computer bidirectional interactions with new touchpoints. Despite the recent release of purpose-developed in-room voice assistants for hotels, they have not been widely deployed by hospitality companies. There is limited research on the phenomenon of voice-based digital assistants and a research gap in their adoption by hotels for automating workflows and enhancing guests’ experiences. This study analysed the role of voice devices for mediating interactions between hotels and guests from both the hospitality technology providers’ and guests’ perspectives. This was done by the means of inductive qualitative research using 28 semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that benefits associated with the application of voice-based digital assistants in hospitality outweigh the drawbacks for both hotels and guests. The paper proposes a model which illustrates the essence of speech-based interactions between hotels and guests via voice assistants. This concept contributes to human-computer interactions in the hotel industry.