Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Andreea-Elena Nisipeanu
Author-Name-First: Andreea-Elena
Author-Name-Last: Nisipeanu
Author-Email: nisipeanuandreea20@stud.ase.ro
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Economic Studies / Faculty of Business and Tourism
Author-Name: Antonio-Valentin Stoian
Author-Name-First: Antonio-Valentin
Author-Name-Last: Stoian
Author-Email: stoianantonio20@stud.ase.ro
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Economic Studies / Faculty of Business and Tourism
Title: Embracing intelligent hospitality: exploring Romanian consumers’ acceptance of AI and robotic technologies
Abstract: This paper examines the role of robots in the hospitality industry through their large-scale implementation, highlighting several relevant issues. The integration of advanced technologies has become a key pillar of the hospitality industry, particularly in the tourism sector. In recent years, ongoing digitalization has led to significant transformations in the tourism ecosystem. Today, the hospitality industry serves as a dynamic testing ground and implementation site for smart technologies, especially service robots. The need to increase efficiency, personalization, and service flexibility according to tourists’ preferences has encouraged the adoption of intelligent technologies, whose acceptance varies depending on the cultural characteristics of each country. To explore the acceptance of robots and the intention to use them in hotels, this study integrates key theoretical and methodological elements, focusing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data were collected from a sample of 109 individuals in October 2025, and the hypotheses were tested using SmartPLS software. The model employed in this study shows that understanding and acceptance are influenced by perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and self-efficacy, each mediated by individuals’ attitudes toward adopting robots. This study contributes to understanding how to integrate robots and smart technologies within the hospitality industry, providing insights into strategies for integrating robots based on respondents’ opinions.
Journal: CACTUS – Journal of Tourism Business, Management and Economics
Year: 2026
Creation-Date: 2026
Volume: 8
Issue: 1
Pages: 95-110
Keywords: robots; artificial intelligence; hospitality industry; Technology Acceptance Model (TAM); technology
Classification-JEL: F21, L86, O31, O33, Z32
File-URL: https://cactus-journal-of-tourism.ase.ro/uploads/public/1780248716297_hzi2bc012f_II.7_Nisipeanu___Stoian.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:bum:cactus:cactus-2026-16