Using social distancing technology in hotels: a social exchange perspective

Abstract

Purpose As social distancing procedures can be facilitated by various hotel technologies, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which consumers develop perceptions of value regarding the use of certain hotel technologies for social distancing in hotels. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from the social exchange theory, this study conceptualized the benefits of using technologies for social distancing, health risks, social rewards and privacy concerns as antecedents of value of using technologies for social distancing in hotels. The structural model was validated by using data from more than 1,000 nationwide US consumers. Findings Benefits and consumers’ privacy concerns of using technologies for social distancing in hotels were the strongest predictors of value. Social rewards also had a significant but relatively lower effect on value. Health risks was found to have no influence on value. Originality/value The study is the first to examine the role of technologies in mitigating the effects of coronavirus. Thus, it extends the information technology and hospitality literature by examining the role of these technologies in safeguarding individual and public health.

Travel medicine in hospitality: an interdisciplinary perspective

“…Similarly, despite some focus on topics such as food safety (MacLaurin, 2001; Tarulevicz and Ooi, 2021), healthy eating (Al-Ansi et al , 2022; Jeong et al , 2019), hotel cleanliness (Zemke et al , 2015) and hotel safety during COVID-19 (Choi et al , 2022; Morosan and DeFranco, 2021), no hospitality studies appear to have addressed travel medicine thus far. Only a handful of papers in travel medicine journals have mentioned hotel guests’ health; most have covered food and waterborne infectious diseases such as diarrhea, norovirus, malaria, Legionnaires’ disease and COVID-19 (Erdogan and Arslan, 2007; Leshem et al , 2016; Fan et al , 2021); however, as confirmed by the pandemic’s devastating blow to tourism and hospitality, safety and health are of paramount importance in consumer-centered sectors (Wilks and Oldenburg, 1995; Maher et al , 2022).…”

Examining the role of personality traits in guestroom technologies

“…Social factors contribute to a consumer's decision-making and perception of a specific behavior by influencing their expectations and perceptions of others (e.g. friends, family and colleagues) (Morosan and DeFranco, 2021). In addition to one's attitude toward a high-technology product, socialization forces related to following the norms of the referent group also influence consumer adoption (Morosan, 2021).…”