Purpose: This study sought to increase an understanding of consumer citizenship behavior through the service quality of AI-mediated service robots (SR) in the luxury hotel context. Since the expectations and demands from luxury customers are different, this paper studied the effect of service quality provided by robots on customer citizenship behavior.

Methodology: In the initial phase, qualitative research was conducted by interviewing people who had experienced SR in luxury hospitality settings. The second phase of the study was conducted based on the respondents’ themes. In the second phase, video clips of robots performing tasks like concierge and front-desk employees were shown to understand the customers’ perceptions.

Findings: The study’s findings showcased the importance of communication quality between the inorganic service agent and humans. Simultaneously, the factors like problem-solving and trendiness did not have a positive impact on service quality. However, an interesting finding was that the perception of robot service quality positively affected consumer citizenship behavior in the luxury hotel context.Practical

Implications: Luxury hotels have deployed SR in their operations in developed economies. Luxury hotels are renowned for their service quality, and by deploying SR, they are entering a new service industry domain. The results of this study showcased that communication ability, competence, and quality are significant factors in perceiving high-service quality by luxury consumers.Originality/

Value: The research explored the impact of service robots in the luxury hospitality industry on consumer citizenship behavior toward the hospitality organization. The study empirically validated the essential factors for creating citizenship behavior among luxury patrons.

1. Ahearne, M., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Gruen, T. (2005). Antecedents and consequences of customer-company identification: Expanding the role of relationship marketing. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(3), 574 – 585. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.3.574
2. Alexis, P. (2017). R-Tourism: Introducing the potential impact of robotics and service automation in tourism. “Ovidius” University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, 17(1), 211–216. https://stec.univ-ovidius.ro/html/anale/RO/2017/Section-III/16.pdf
3. Arbib, M. A., & Fellous, J.-M. (2004). Emotions: From the brain to robot. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8(12), 554 – 561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2004.10.004
4. Barry, B., & Crant, J. M. (2000). Dyadic communication relationships in organizations: An attribution/expectancy approach. Organization Science, 11(6), 648–664. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2640375
5. Belanche, D., Casaló, L. V., Flavián, C., & Schepers, J. (2020). Service robot implementation: A theoretical framework and research agenda. The Service Industries Journal, 40(3–4), 203–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2019.1672666
6. Bowen, J., & Morosan, C. (2018). Beware hospitality industry: The robots are coming. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 10(6), 726–733. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-07-2018-0045
7. Buhalis, D., Harwood, T., Bogicevic, V., Viglia, G., Beldona, S., & Hofacker, C. (2019). Technological disruptions in services: Lessons from tourism and hospitality. Journal of Service Management, 30(4), 484–506. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-12-2018-0398
8. Čaić, M., Odekerken-Schröder, G., & Mahr, D. (2018). Service robots: Value co-creation and co-destruction in elderly care networks. Journal of Service Management, 29(2), 178–205. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-07-2017-0179
9. Chiang, A.-H., & Trimi, S. (2020). Impacts of service robots on service quality. Service Business, 14, 439–459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-020-00423-8
10. Choi, Y., Choi, M., Oh, M., & Kim, S. (2020). Service robots in hotels: Understanding the service quality perceptions of human-robot interaction. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 29(6), 613–635. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2020.1703871
11. Chung, M., Ko, E., Joung, H., & Kim, S. J. (2020). Chatbot e-service and customer satisfaction regarding luxury brands. Journal of Business Research, 117, 587–595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.10.004
12. Clokie, T. L., & Fourie, E. (2016). Graduate employability and communication competence: Are undergraduates taught relevant skills? Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 79(4), 442–463. http://doi.org/10.1177/2329490616657635
13. Edvardsson, B., Frow, P., Jaakkola, E., Keiningham, T. L., Koskela-Huotari, K., Mele, C., & Tombs, A. (2018). Examining how context change foster service innovation. Journal of Service Management, 29(5), 932 – 955. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2018-0112
14. Ekinci, Y. (2001). The validation of the generic service quality dimensions: An alternative approach. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 8(6), 311–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-6989(00)00037-0
15. Enz, C. A., & Siguaw, J. A. (2000). Best practices in service quality. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(5), 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/001088040004100531
16. Epley, N. (2018). A mind like mine: The exceptionally ordinary underpinnings of anthropomorphism. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 3(4), 591–598. https://doi.org/10.1086/699516
17. Filimonau, V., & Brown, L. (2018). ‘Last hospitality’ as an overlooked dimension in contemporary hospitality theory and practice. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 74, 67–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.02.019
18. Garg, A. K. (2018). Measuring service quality and its relationship with customer patronage at a car dealership in South Africa. Indian Journal of Marketing, 48(9), 55–65. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2018/v48/i9/131442
19. Garvin, D. A. (1984). What does “Product quality” really mean? Sloan Management Review, 7(1), 25–41.
20. Grönroos, C. (1984). A service quality model and its marketing implication. European Journal of Marketing, 18(4), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000004784
21. Groth, M. (2005). Customers as good soldiers: Examining citizenship behaviors in internet service deliveries. Journal of Management, 31(1), 7–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206304271375
22. Hemmington, N., Kim, P. B., & Wang, C. (2018). Benchmarking hotel service quality using two-dimensional importance-performance benchmark vectors (IPBV). Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 28(1), 2–25. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-06-2017-0103
23. Huang, M.-H., & Rust, R. T. (2018). Artificial intelligence in service. Journal of Service Research, 21(2), 155–172. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670517752459
24. Ivanov, S. (2020). The impact of automation on tourism and hospitality jobs. Information Technology & Tourism, 22, 205–215. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-020-00175-1
25. Ivanov, S. H., & Webster, C. (2017). Adoption of robots, artificial intelligence and service automation by travel, tourism and hospitality companies – A cost-benefit analysis. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3007577
26. Kim, A. J., & Ko, E. (2012). Do social media marketing activities enhance customer equity? An empirical study of luxury fashion brand. Journal of Business Research, 65(10), 1480–1486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.10.014
27. Krishnamoorthy, V., Karthikeyan, P., & Prakash, N. (2016). An examination of the relationship between service quality and patients’ satisfaction in the hospital industry. Indian Journal of Marketing, 46(11), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2016/v46/i11/104732
28. Kumar, A., & Malik, G. (2022). Structural equation modeling of airlines service quality: A study of airlines industry in India. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 15(6), 28–45. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2022/v15i6/170025
29. Kuo, C.-M., Chen, L.-C., & Tseng, C.-Y. (2017). Investigating an innovative service with hospitality robots. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(5), 1305–1321. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-08-2015-0414
30. Lee, M. K., Forlizzi, J., Rybski, P. E., Crabbe, F., Chung, W., Finkle, J., Glaser, E., & Kiesler, S. (2009, March). The snackbot: Documenting the design of a robot for long-term human-robot interaction. In, HRI ’09: Proceedings of the 4th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human Robot Interaction (pp. 7–14). https://doi.org/10.1145/1514095.1514100
31. Lee, S. M., & Lee, D. (2020). “Untact”: A new customer service strategy in the digital age. Service Business, 14, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-019-00408-2
32. Lee, S., & Choi, J. (2017). Enhancing user experience with conversational agent for movie recommendation: Effects of self-disclosure and reciprocity. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 103, 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2017.02.005
33. Mattila, A. S. (1999). The role of culture in the service evaluation process. Journal of Service Research, 1(3), 250–261. https://doi.org/10.1177/109467059913006
34. Mende, M., Scott, M. L., van Doorn, J., Grewal, D., & Shanks, I. (2019). Service robots rising: How humanoid robots influence service experiences and elicit compensatory consumer responses. Journal of Marketing Research, 56(4), 535–556. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243718822827
35. Mohr, J. J., & Sohi, R. S. (1995). Communication flows in distribution channels: Impact on assessments of communication quality and satisfaction. Journal of Retailing, 71(4), 393–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-4359(95)90020-9
36. Monty, B., & Skidmore, M. (2003). Hedonic pricing and willingness to pay for bed and breakfast amenities in Southeast Wisconsin. Journal of Travel Research, 42(2), 195–199. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287503257500
37. Murphy, J., Gretzel, U., & Pesonen, J. (2019). Marketing robot services in hospitality and tourism: The role of anthropomorphism. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 36(7), 784–795. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2019.1571983
38. Murphy, J., Hofacker, C., & Gretzel, U. (2017). Dawning of the age of robots in hospitality and tourism: Challenges for teaching and research. European Journal of Tourism Research, 15, 104–111. https://doi.org/10.54055/ejtr.v15i.265
39. Nair, P. R., Sahay, M., & Anbuudayasankar, S. P. (2017). Investigation through system dynamics for the benefits of ICT intervention in distribution. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 10(8), 42–51. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2017/v10i8/117427
40. O’keefe, D. J. (2015). Persuasion: Theory and research. Sage Publications.
41. Oliver, R. L., & DeSarbo, W. S. (1988). Response determinants in satisfaction judgments. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(4), 495–507. https://doi.org/10.1086/209131
42. Pandey, P. K, Verma, P., & Trayambak, S. (2020). Empirical analysis of interrelationship between service quality, consumer involvement, and consumer satisfaction. Indian Journal of Marketing, 50(4), 25–42. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2020/v50/i4/151571
43. Parasuraman, A., Berry, L. L., & Zeithaml, V. A. (1991). Perceived service quality as a customer-based performance measure: An empirical examination of organizational barriers using an extended service quality model. Human Resource Management, 30(3), 335–364. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.3930300304
44. Qiu, H., Li, M., Shu, B., & Bai, B. (2020). Enhancing hospitality experience with service robots: The mediating role of rapport building. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 29(3), 247–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2019.1645073
45. Shetty, B., Bhandary, R., Chandra, S. R., & Shetty, A. D. (2018). Antecedents to customer loyalty in the restaurant industry: A millennial perspective. Indian Journal of Marketing, 48(7), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2018/v48/i7/129720
46. Shukla, A. K. (2009). Trends of marketing management in tourist attractions. Indian Journal of Marketing, 39(5), 28–34. https://indianjournalofmarketing.com/index.php/ijom/article/view/36983
47. Singh, H., Saufi, R. A., Tasnim, R., & Hussin, M. (2017). The relationship between employee job satisfaction, perceived customer satisfaction, service quality, and profitability in luxury hotels in Kuala Lumpur. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 10(1), 26–39. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2017/v10i1/109101
48. Spitzberg, B. H. (2006). Preliminary development of a model and measure of computer-mediated communication (Cmc) competence. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), 629–666. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00030.x
49. Tasci, A. D., & Semrad, K. J. (2016). Developing a scale of hospitableness: A tale of two worlds. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 53, 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.11.006
50. Tung, V. W., & Au, N. (2018). Exploring customer experiences with robotics in hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(7), 2680–2697. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-06-2017-0322
51. Tung, V. W., & Law, R. (2017). The potential for tourism and hospitality experience research in human-robot interactions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(10), 2498–2513. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2016-0520
52. Tuomi, A., Tussyadiah, I. P., & Stienmetz, J. (2021). Applications and implications of service robots in hospitality. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 62(2), 232–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965520923961
53. Van Dolen, W., De Ruyter, K., & Lemmink, J. (2004). An empirical assessment of the influence of customer emotions and contact employee performance on encounter and relationship satisfaction. Journal of Business Research, 57(4), 437–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(02)00277-1
54. Van Doorn, J., Mende, M., Noble, S. M., Hulland, J., Ostrom, A. L., Grewal, D., & Petersen, J. A. (2017). Domo arigato Mr. Roboto: Emergence of automated social presence in organizational frontlines and customers’ service experiences. Journal of Service Research, 20(1), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670516679272
55. Walls, A., Okumus, F., Wang, Y., & Kwun, D. J.-W. (2011). Understating the consumer experience: An exploratory study of luxury hotels. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 20(2), 166–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2011.536074
56. Woo, M. (2019). Assessing customer citizenship behaviors in the airline industry: Investigation of service quality and value. Journal of Air Transport Management, 76, 40–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2019.02.006
57. Yi, Y., & Gong, T. (2008). The effects of customer justice perception and affect on customer citizenship behavior and customer dysfunctional behavior. Industrial Marketing Management, 37(7), 767–783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2008.01.005
58. Yi, Y., & Gong, T. (2013). Customer value co-creation behavior: Scale development and validation. Journal of Business Research, 66(9), 1279–1284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.02.026
59. Yuan, C. L., Kim, J., & Kim, S. J. (2016). Parasocial relationship effects on customer equity in the social media context. Journal of Business Research, 69(9), 3795–3803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.12.071
60. Zhang, Z., Ye, Q., & Law, R. (2011). Determinants of hotel room price: An exploration of travelers’ hierarchy of accommodation needs. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 23(7), 972–981. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111111167551
61. Zolkepli, I. A., & Kamarulzaman, Y. (2015). Social media adoption: The role of media needs and innovation characteristics. Computers in Human Behavior, 43, 189–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.050