Investigating an innovative service with hospitality robots

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that influence the development of service robots, and to apply a service innovation strategic mindset to the hotel industry in Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach - A mixed-methods approach, combining an expert panel and semi-structured interviews using a SMART SWOT ranking survey, was applied to understand the perspectives of hotel owners and robotics experts. Findings - Fifty-three items were collected regarding the demand side of the hospitality market, showing that the Taiwan hospitality industry has good potential to implement service robots. Sixty-one items on the supply side of business were collected, showing that this robotics service can help hotels handle seasonal employment and labor utilization. The SWOT analysis identifies " The fun and curiosity aroused in consumers can enhance the promotion of service robots", " Lack of talent in system integration", " Taiwan's aging society can increase the demand for service robots" and " China and South-east countries have aggressively poached talent in the global robotics market" as key issues. Originality/value - Few studies have investigated robotics service for hotels using the six-dimensional service innovation model. This model helps identify six factors and implies that this new service concept can position hotels to better compete by using IT and relationship marketing strategies.