Exploring the Transformative Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Hospitality: A Systematic Review of Applications and Challenges

Abstract

This study provides a systematic review of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in the hospitality industry and proposes a framework that addresses AI’s transformative potential. By identifying five key dimensions—design, application, outcome, fault recovery, and ethical regulation—this study offers different insights into mitigating AI failures and aligning AI adoption with ethical standards. Our framework bridges gaps in prior literature by integrating technical, operational, and ethical perspectives, providing actionable guidance for both researchers and practitioners.

Keywords

AI hospitality design and delivery impact on employees and visitors technical failures ethical issues and regulation

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abdel-Razek

S. A.

Marie

H. S.

Alshehri

Elzeki

O. M.

(2022). Energy efficiency through the implementation of an AI model to predict room occupancy based on thermal comfort parameters. Sustainability, 14(13), 7734.

Akarsu

T. N.

Marvi

Foroudi

(2023). Service failure research in the hospitality and tourism industry: A synopsis of past, present and future dynamics from 2001 to 2020. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(1), 186–217.

Arora

McIntyre

(2023). Developing chatbots for cyber security: Assessing threats through sentiment analysis on social media. Sustainability, 15(17), 13178.

Blöcher

Alt

(2021). AI and robotics in the European restaurant sector: Assessing potentials for process innovation in a high-contact service industry. Electronic Markets, 31(3), 529–551.

Borowski

Zwolińska

(2020). Prediction of cooling energy consumption in hotel building using machine learning techniques. Energies, 13(23), 6226.

Buhalis

Moldavska

(2022). Voice assistants in hospitality: Using artificial intelligence for customer service. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 13(3), 386–403.

Buhalis

O’Connor

Leung

(2023). Smart hospitality: From smart cities and smart tourism towards agile business ecosystems in networked destinations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(1), 369–393.

Bulchand-Gidumal

William Secin

O’Connor

Buhalis

(2023). Artificial intelligence’s impact on hospitality and tourism marketing: Exploring key themes and addressing challenges. Current Issues in Tourism, 27(14), 2345–2362.

Cai

Cain

L. N.

Jeon

(2022). Customers’ perceptions of hotel AI-enabled voice assistants: Does brand matter? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34(8), 2807–2831.

10.

Chatila

Havens

J. C.

(2019).The IEEE global initiative on ethics of autonomous and intelligent systems. In Ferreira

M. I. A.

Sequeira

J. S.

Virk

G. S.

Tokhi

M. O.

Kadar

E. E.

(Eds.), Robotics and well-being (pp. 11–16). Springer.

11.

Chen

(2023). Artificial intelligence-virtual trainer: Innovative didactics aimed at personalized training needs. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 14(2), 2007–2025.

12.

Chen

(2024). Beyond boundaries: Exploring the Metaverse in tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(4), 1257–1275.

13.

Chi

O. H.

Denton

Gursoy

(2020). Artificially intelligent device use in service delivery: A systematic review, synthesis, and research agenda. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 29(7), 757–786.

14.

Dini

Paolini

Saponara

Minossi

(2024). Leaveraging digital twin & artificial intelligence in consumption forecasting system for sustainable luxury yacht. IEEE Access, 12, 160700–160714.

15.

Doborjeh

Hemmington

Doborjeh

Kasabov

(2022). Artificial intelligence: A systematic review of methods and applications in hospitality and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34(3), 1154–1176.

16.

Dogru

Line

Mody

Hanks

Abbott

J. A.

Acikgoz

Assaf

Bakir

Berbekova

Bilgihan

(2023). Generative artificial intelligence in the hospitality and tourism industry: Developing a framework for future research. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 49(2),235–253.

17.

Dwivedi

Y. K.

Hughes

Ismagilova

Aarts

Coombs

Crick

Duan

Dwivedi

Edwards

Eirug

(2021). Artificial Intelligence (AI): Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 57, 101994.

18.

Dwivedi

Y. K.

Pandey

Currie

Micu

(2024). Leveraging ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence (AI)-based applications in the hospitality and tourism industry: Practices, challenges and research agenda. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 36(1), 1–12.

19.

Fan

Mao

Z. E.

(2022). To talk or to touch: Unraveling consumer responses to two types of hotel in-room technology. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 101, 103112.

20.

Zheng

Wong

I. A.

(2022). The perils of hotel technology: The robot usage resistance model. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 102, 103174.

21.

Gajić

Petrović

M.D.

Pešić

A.M.

Conić

Gligorijević

(2024). Innovative approaches in hotel management: Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability. Sustainability, 16(17), 7279.

22.

Gao

(2024). Optimizing hotel revenue management through dynamic pricing algorithms and data analysis. Journal of Computational Methods in Science and Engineering, 25(2), 1200–1209.

23.

Gaur

Afaq

Singh

Dwivedi

Y. K.

(2021). Role of artificial intelligence and robotics to foster the touchless travel during a pandemic: A review and research agenda. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(11), 4079–4098.

24.

Gupta

Modgil

Lee

C.-K.

Cho

Park

(2022). Artificial intelligence enabled robots for stay experience in the hospitality industry in a smart city. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 122(10), 2331–2350.

25.

Gursoy

Cai

(2025). Artificial intelligence: An overview of research trends and future directions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(1), 1–17.

26.

Gursoy

Song

(2023). ChatGPT and the hospitality and tourism industry: An overview of current trends and future research directions. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 32(5), 579–592.

27.

Min

H. K.

(2023). The dark side of artificial intelligence in service: The “watching-eye” effect and privacy concerns. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 110, 103437.

28.

Huang

Chao

Mora de la Velasco

Bilgihan

Wei

(2022). When artificial intelligence meets the hospitality and tourism industry: An assessment framework to inform theory and management. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 5(5), 1080–1100.

29.

Huang

M.-H.

Rust

R. T.

(2021). Engaged to a robot? The role of AI in service. Journal of Service Research, 24(1), 30–41.

30.

Huang

Liang

L. J.

Choi

H. C.

(2022). How we failed in context: A text-mining approach to understanding hotel service failures. Sustainability, 14(5), 2675.

31.

Hussein Al-shami

S. A.

Mamun

A. A.

Ahmed

E. M.

Rashid

. (2022). Artificial intelligent towards hotels’ competitive advantage: An exploratory study from the UAE. Foresight, 24(5), 625–636.

32.

Kim

(2022). A study on hotel employees’ perceptions of the fourth industrial technology. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 51, 559–567.

33.

Ivanov

Webster

(2024). Automated decision-making: Hoteliers’ perceptions. Technology in Society, 76, 102430.

34.

Jabeen

Al Zaidi

Al Dhaheri

M. H.

(2022). Automation and artificial intelligence in hospitality and tourism. Tourism Review, 77(4), 1043–1061.

35.

Jiménez-Barreto

Rubio

Molinillo

(2021). “Find a flight for me, Oscar!” Motivational customer experiences with chatbots. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(11), 3860–3882.

36.

Khaliq

Waqas

Nisar

Q. A.

Haider

Asghar

(2022). Application of AI and robotics in hospitality sector: A resource gain and resource loss perspective. Technology in Society, 68, 101807.

37.

Kim

K. K. F.

Shin

(2025). Artificial intelligence in hospitality and tourism: Insights from industry practices, research literature, and expert opinions. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 49(2), 366–385.

38.

Kim

J.-H.

Youn

(2022). Revisiting the service recovery paradox in the restaurant industry. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 34(3), 437–453.

39.

Kim

Yhee

Koo

(2022). Robots, artificial intelligence, and service automation (RAISA) in hospitality: Sentiment analysis of YouTube streaming data. Electronic Markets, 32(1), 259–275.

40.

Knani

Echchakoui

Ladhari

(2022). Artificial intelligence in tourism and hospitality: Bibliometric analysis and research agenda. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 107, 103317.

41.

Kong

Wang

Qiu

Cheung

(2023). 30 years of artificial intelligence (AI) research relating to the hospitality and tourism industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(6), 2157–2177.

42.

Kong

Yuan

Baruch

Jiang

Wang

(2021). Influences of artificial intelligence (AI) awareness on career competency and job burnout. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(2), 717–734.

43.

Koo

Curtis

Ryan

(2021). Examining the impact of artificial intelligence on hotel employees through job insecurity perspectives. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 95, 102763.

44.

Kumar

Sharma

(2024). An era of digital transformation in the hospitality & tourism sector. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(4), 9422–9427.

45.

Lau

(2020). New technologies used in COVID-19 for business survival: Insights from the Hotel Sector in China. Information Technology & Tourism, 22(4), 497–504.

46.

Law

Lin

K. J.

Fong

D. K. C.

(2024). Artificial intelligence research in hospitality: A state-of-the-art review and future directions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 36(6), 2049–2068.

47.

Lehto

X. Y.

Park

Mohamed

M. E.

Lehto

M. R.

(2023). Traveler attitudes toward biometric data-enabled hotel services: Can risk education play a role? Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 64(1), 74–94.

48.

Leung

(2021). Hospitality technology progress towards intelligent buildings: A perspective article. Tourism Review, 76(1), 69–73.

49.

Yin

Qiu

Bai

(2021). A systematic review of AI technology-based service encounters: Implications for hospitality and tourism operations. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 95, 102930.

50.

Shi

Gursoy

(2022). A look back and a leap forward: A review and synthesis of big data and artificial intelligence literature in hospitality and tourism. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 31(2), 145–175.

51.

Yang

Qin

Cao

(2022). Artificial intelligence service recovery: The role of empathic response in hospitality customers’ continuous usage intention. Computers in Human Behavior, 126, 106993.

52.

Manoharan

Ashtikar

S. P.

Kumar

(2024). Extenuating digital transformation: Revolutionizing hotel operations through AI technology. In Talukder

M. B.

Kumar

Tyagi

P. K.

(Eds.), Hotel and travel management in the AI era (pp. 257–274). IGI Global.

53.

McCartney

(2020). Rise of the machines: Towards a conceptual service-robot research framework for the hospitality and tourism industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(12), 3835–3851.

54.

Mercan

Cain

Akkaya

Cebe

Uluagac

Alonso

Cobanoglu

(2021). Improving the service industry with hyper-connectivity: IoT in hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(1), 243–262.

55.

Morosan

Dursun-Cengizci

(2024). Tips and trips: A structural model of guests’ intentions to stay and tip for AI-based services in hotels. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 15(1), 170–194.

56.

Nam

Dutt

C. S.

Chathoth

Daghfous

Khan

M. S.

(2021). The adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics in the hotel industry: Prospects and challenges. Electronic Markets, 31, 553–574.

57.

Pillai

Sivathanu

(2020). Adoption of AI-based chatbots for hospitality and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(10), 3199–3226.

58.

Pillai

S. G.

Haldorai

Seo

W. S.

Kim

W. G.

(2021). COVID-19 and hospitality 5.0: Redefining hospitality operations. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, 102869.

59.

Prentice

Dominique Lopes

Wang

(2020). The impact of artificial intelligence and employee service quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 29(7), 739–756.

60.

Prentice

Nguyen

(2020). Engaging and retaining customers with AI and employee service. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 56, 102186.

61.

Qiao

Ding

Zhang

Yan

(2022). Accessible tourism: A bibliometric review (2008–2020). Tourism Review, 77(3), 713–730.

62.

Qiu

Bai

Wang

(2022). The impact of AI-enabled service attributes on service hospitableness: The role of employee physical and psychological workload. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34(4), 1374–1398.

63.

Rasheed

H. M. W.

Khizar

H. M. U.

Abbas

H. S. M.

(2023). Exploring Consumer-Robot interaction in the hospitality sector: Unpacking the reasons for adoption (or resistance) to artificial intelligence. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 192, 122555.

64.

Reis

Melão

Salvadorinho

Soares

Rosete

(2020). Service robots in the hospitality industry: The case of Henn-na hotel, Japan. Technology in Society, 63, 101423.

65.

Roberts

Maier

(2023). The evolution of service toward automated customer assistance: There is a difference. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 36(6), 1914–1925.

66.

Samara

Magnisalis

Peristeras

(2020). Artificial intelligence and big data in tourism: A systematic literature review. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 11(2), 343–367.

67.

Semwal

Tripathi

Kulshrestha

Tyagi

(2024). Innovative approaches to sustainable hospitality: Leveraging AI and technology for energy efficiency, waste reduction, and eco-friendly mobility. In Talukder

M. B.

Kumar

Tyagi

P. K.

(Eds.), Hotel and travel management in the AI era (pp. 379–400). IGI Global.

68.

Semwal

Yadav

S. A.

Madhav

R. C.

Sharma

Srivastava

(2023, September 14–16). Enhancing guest experience and operations efficiency in homestays through artificial intelligence: A conceptual framework [Conference session]. 2023 6th International Conference on Contemporary Computing and Informatics (IC3I), Gautam Buddha Nagar, India, pp. 2163–2169.

69.

Shin

H. H.

Jeong

(2022). Redefining luxury service with technology implementation: The impact of technology on guest satisfaction and loyalty in a luxury hotel. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34(4), 1491–1514.

70.

Tian

(2024). Does technological innovation have an impact on employment in the hospitality industry? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 36(4), 1025–1043.

71.

Tussyadiah

(2020). A review of research into automation in tourism: Launching the annals of tourism research curated collection on artificial intelligence and robotics in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 81, 102883.

72.

Varsha

(2023). How can we manage biases in artificial intelligence systems–A systematic literature review. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 3(1), 100165.

73.

Voigt

Von dem Bussche

(2017). The EU general data protection regulation (GDPR). A Practical Guide, 1st Ed., Cham: Springer International Publishing, 10(3152676), 10–5555.

74.

Wang

L.-H.

J.-L.

Yeh

S.-S.

Huan

T.-C. T.

(2022). Is robot hotel a future trend? Exploring the incentives, barriers and customers’ purchase intention for robot hotel stays. Tourism Management Perspectives, 43, 100984.

75.

Wang

(2022). Application of DASH client optimization and artificial intelligence in the management and operation of big data tourism hotels. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 61(1), 81–90.

76.

Wang

Kumar

Chen

Gong

Kong

Wei

Gao

(2020). Realizing the potential of the internet of things for smart tourism with 5G and AI. IEEE Network, 34(6), 295–301.

77.

Wong

I. A.

Zhang

Lin

Z. C.

Peng

(2023). Hotel AI service: Are employees still needed? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 55, 416–424.

78.

F. Z.

Zhang

Wang

(2021). Facial recognition check-in services at hotels. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 30(3), 373–393.

79.

Stienmetz

Ashton

(2020). How will service robots redefine leadership in hotel management? A Delphi approach. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(6), 2217–2237.

80.

Yallop

A. C.

Gică

O. A.

Moisescu

O. I.

Coroș

M. M.

Séraphin

(2023). The digital traveller: Implications for data ethics and data governance in tourism and hospitality. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 40(2), 155–170.

81.

Yang

Chew

(2021). A systematic review for service humanoid robotics model in hospitality. International Journal of Social Robotics, 13(6), 1397–1410.

82.

Zhu

J. J.

Liu

Huang

Guo

X. S.

(2023). Roboethics of tourism and hospitality industry: A systematic review. PLOS ONE, 18(6), e0287439.