Robots are being implemented in many frontline services, from waiter robots in restaurants to robotic concierges in hotels. A growing number of firms in hospitality and tourism industries introduce service robots to reduce their operational costs and to provide customers with enhanced services (e.g. greater convenience). In turn, customers may consider that such a disruptive innovation is altering the established conditions of the service-provider relationship. Based on attribution theory, this research explores how customers’ attributions about the firm motivations to implement service robots (i.e. cost reduction and service enhancement) are affecting customers’ intentions to use and recommend this innovation. Following previous research on robot’s acceptance, our research framework analyzes how these attributions may be shaped by customers’ perceptions of robot’s human-likeness and their affinity with the robot. Structural equation modelling is used to analyze data collected from 517 customers evaluating service robots in the hospitality industry; results show that attributions mediate the relationships between affinity toward the robot and customer behavioral intentions to use and recommend service robots. Specifically, customer’s affinity toward the service robot positively affects service improvement attribution, which in turn has a positive influence on customer behavioral intentions. In contrast, affinity negatively affects cost reduction attribution, which in turn has a negative effect on behavioral intentions. Finally, human-likeness has a positive influence on affinity. This research provides practitioners with empirical evidence and guidance about the introduction of service robots and its relational implications in hospitality and tourism industries. Theoretical advances and future research avenues are also discussed.

机器人正在许多一线服务中实施，从餐厅的服务员机器人到酒店的机器人礼宾。越来越多的酒店和旅游业公司引入服务机器人以降低运营成本并为客户提供更好的服务（例如更方便）。反过来，客户可能会认为这种颠覆性创新正在改变服务提供商关系的既定条件。本研究基于归因理论，探讨了客户对企业实施服务机器人的动机（即降低成本和增强服务）的归因如何影响客户使用和推荐这一创新的意愿。根据之前对机器人接受度的研究，我们的研究框架分析了客户对机器人与人类相似性的看法以及他们与机器人的亲和力如何影响这些归因。结构方程模型用于分析从 517 家评估酒店业服务机器人的客户收集的数据；结果表明，归因中介了对机器人的亲和力与客户使用和推荐服务机器人的行为意图之间的关系。具体而言，客户对服务机器人的亲和力对服务改进归因产生积极影响，进而对客户行为意向产生积极影响。相比之下，亲和力对成本降低归因产生负面影响，进而对行为意图产生负面影响。最后，人类相似度对亲和力有积极影响。本研究为从业者提供了有关引入服务机器人及其在酒店和旅游业中的相关影响的经验证据和指导。还讨论了理论进展和未来的研究途径。