Be Smart, but Not Humanless? Prioritizing the Improvement of Service Attributes in Smart Hotels Based on an Online Reviews-Driven Method

Although integrating smart technologies into service encounters can provide hoteliers with a competitive advantage, managing customer satisfaction in smart hotels remains challenging due to limited knowledge of how to prioritize improvements across smart service and traditional service. Therefore, the study aims to evaluate customer satisfaction with both smart and non-smart technology attributes in smart hotels, identify attributes with high improvement priorities, and uncover factors contributing to customer dissatisfaction. This study proposes a prioritization method for service improvement in smart hotels by analyzing online reviews from 42 smart hotels. The findings reveal that customers’ technological needs are well met in smart hotels, but smart hotels need to promptly address three key issues: long check-in wait times, staff attitude and competence, and breakfast quality. To maximize customer satisfaction, managers should adopt a hybrid service model that strikes the right balance between technology and human interaction.