Hospitality Administration and Management Commons^™

Check-In With A Chatbot: How Robots Are Redefining The Smart Hotel Experience, Jiaxin Sylvia Wang, Xiaoxiao Fu

Rosen Research Review

The research by Wang and Fu explores how guests perceive and experience smart hotels, with a particular focus on human–robot interaction. Analyzing 546 online reviews from Chinese travelers, the study identifies five key dimensions of guest gratification: utilitarian, sensual, social, experiential, and overall satisfaction. Guests praised smart servicescapes, robot efficiency, and novelty, while also expressing emotional connections and expectations for personalized interaction. The findings offer hospitality leaders a roadmap for designing smart hotel experiences that are not only functional but emotionally engaging.

Co-Working With Machines: How Service Robots Shape Frontline Employee Experiences And Well-Being, Cynthia Mejia, Hannah A. Crandell, Emily Broker, Mindy Shoss

Rosen Research Review

The research by Mejia, Crandell, Broker, and Shoss reveals the complex realities faced by restaurant workers navigating the rise of service robots. Through in-depth interviews with 42 frontline employees, the study uncovers how robot adoption affects collaboration, productivity, emotional well-being, and perceptions of job security. While robots reduce physical strain and offer entertainment value, they also spark frustration, resentment, and fears of displacement. This research offers hospitality leaders a human-centered roadmap for integrating service robots in ways that support—not replace—the workforce.

When Robots Say Sorry: Emotions, Apologies, And The Future Of Service Recovery, Ruby Hong Ngoc Nguyen, Ngoc Tran Nguyen, Murat Hancer

Rosen Research Review

The research by Nguyen, Tran Nguyen, and Hancer reveals how human–robot collaboration and apology styles shape customer retention after service failures. Using experimental scenarios, the study shows that robots can effectively lead recovery efforts—especially when paired with economic apologies—while human involvement enhances the impact of social apologies. Comfort emotions and continued robot usage mediate the path to loyalty, offering hospitality leaders a blueprint for designing emotionally intelligent service recovery strategies.

Reviews That Reveal Return: When Guest Feedback Becomes A Predictor Of Future Visits, Jeong-Yeol Park, Wookjae Heo, Jongwon Lee, Shinyong Jung

Rosen Research Review

The research by Park, Heo, Lee, and Jung reveals how online hotel reviews do more than express opinions—they predict whether guests will return. By blending the Theory of Planned Behavior with machine learning, the study uncovers how attitudes, social influence, and perceived control embedded in review language shape actual revisit behavior. This innovative approach transforms unstructured text into actionable insights, offering hospitality professionals a powerful new lens on customer loyalty.

Paws And Persuasion: How Dog Influencers Shape Hotel Booking Decisions, Wei Wei, Lu Zhang, Tianyu Ying, Yanyan Zheng

Rosen Research Review

The research by Wei, Zhang, Ying, and Zheng explores how pet influencers—specifically dog influencers on Instagram—impact hotel booking intentions. Through two experiments, the study reveals that message appeal (rational vs. emotional) interacts with audience characteristics like prior experience and perceived attractiveness of the pet influencer. Rational messages are more persuasive for less experienced travelers and when the pet influencer is perceived as less attractive. Emotional messages, while engaging, are less effective in these contexts. This research uncovers the nuanced power of pet influencer marketing and offers practical strategies for hospitality marketers seeking to tap into the booming “cute economy” of …

Intelligence Unleashed: How Generative Ai Is Rewriting The Rules Of Tourism Education And Research, Tarik Dogru, Nathana Line, Lydia Hanks, Fulya Acikgoz, Je'anna Abbott, Selim Bakir, Adiyukh Berbekova, Anil Bilgihan, Ali Iskender, Murat Kizildag, Minwood Lee

Rosen Research Review

The research by Dogru, Line, Hanks, Acikgoz, and colleagues explores how generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is transforming higher education and academic research in tourism and hospitality. From personalized learning to automated data analysis, GAI offers unprecedented opportunities— but also raises ethical and legal concerns. The study frames GAI as a disruptive innovation, challenging traditional models of teaching, authorship, and intellectual property. It calls for structural changes in curricula, transparent policies, and collaborative efforts to ensure responsible integration. With tools like ChatGPT already reshaping classrooms and research labs, this paper offers a timely roadmap for educators, researchers, and administrators navigating the …

Level Up Your Stay: How Energy-Saving Games Are Changing Green Hotel Loyalty, Aili Wu, Juhee Kang, David J. Kwun, Wei Wei

Rosen Research Review

The research by Wu, Kang, Kwun, and Wei reveals how gamification—specifically achievement-based energy-saving games—can transform hotel guests’ attitudes and behaviors toward sustainability. By integrating achievement-goal theory and the theory of planned behavior, the study shows that when guests feel challenged and motivated, they are more likely to engage in green practices and return to the hotel. Interestingly, perceived control over the game sometimes reduces revisit intentions, suggesting that too much ease can lead to boredom. Guests with prior green hotel experiences respond even more positively to gamified sustainability. This research offers a fresh perspective on how hotels can use game …

When Customers Collide Online: The Hidden Power Of Approval In Digital Service Failures, Wei Wei, Lu Zhang, Bobbie Rathjens, Sean Mcginley

Rosen Research Review

The research by Wei, Zhang, Rathjens, and McGinley reveals a surprising twist in how restaurant customers respond to online interactions after a service failure. When fellow customers chime in—either with support or mockery—their comments can dramatically shape how the original complainant feels, engages, and judges fairness. But the real game-changer? Whether the customer craves approval. Those with low need for approval react strongly to the tone of others’ comments, while high-approval seekers remain emotionally steady. This study uncovers the psychological undercurrents of electronic customerto- customer interaction (eCCI), offering fresh insights into empathy, justice, and digital engagement in hospitality.

Putting Humanity First In Service Robotics: For Me, Robotics Is About Giving Hospitality Teams The Breathing Room To Care More Deeply For People., Manuel Rivera, Cynthia Mejia

Rosen Research Review

In an engaging conversation with Juan Higueros, Co-Founder and COO of Bear Robotics, we explore his vision for human-centered robotics and how technology can empower hospitality teams to deliver deeper, more meaningful guest experiences.

Sky-High Expectations: How Drones And Emotions Are Reshaping Food Delivery In Africa, Frank Badu-Baiden, Weisheng Chiu, Eudora Hagan, Victor Anderson Hodibert

Rosen Research Review

The research by Badu-Baiden, Chiu, Hagan, and Hodibert unpacks the emotional, social, and psychological puzzle behind consumer acceptance of drone food delivery in Ghana. Using complexity theory and fsQCA, the study shows multiple adoption paths. Motivation, emotion, perceived risk, and social influence shape intention and willingness to pay. Positive emotions and usefulness drive interest, while privacy concerns and negative feelings hinder it. Trust and cultural context matter deeply.

Boarding By Biometrics: How Smart Technology Is Reshaping Passenger Experience, Xiaoting Chi, Frank Badu-Baiden, Seongseop (Sam) Kim, Junwei Cao, Elena-Nicoleta Untaru, Heekyoung Jung, Heesup Han

Rosen Research Review

The research by Chi, Badu-Baiden, Kim, Cao, Untaru, Jung, and Han explores how biometric boarding transforms airline travel. Using technology acceptance, agenda setting, and behavioral reasoning theories, the study reveals how ease of use, usefulness, media exposure, and attitudes shape adoption. Findings stress convenience, engagement, and targeted communication, with age and gender influencing responses. For airport managers and designers, the research offers practical strategies for secure, efficient, and passenger-centered boarding systems.

The Pleasure Principle: Why Enjoyment May Be The Missing Link In Ai Adoption, Arthur Huang, Ahmet Bulent Ozturk, Tingting Zhang, Efren De La Mora Velasco, Adam Haney

Rosen Research Review

The research by Huang, Ozturk, Zhang, de la Mora Velasco, and Haney reveals a compelling insight: enjoyment—not just efficiency—is a key driver of whether guests will continue using AI in hospitality and tourism. By expanding the expectation-confirmation model, the study shows that perceived enjoyment, alongside performance and satisfaction, plays a pivotal role in shaping future use intentions. This shift toward hedonic value reframes how hoteliers and tourism professionals should design and promote AI services. The findings suggest that delight, fun, and emotional resonance are just as important as functionality when it comes to long-term engagement with AI-powered experiences.

Customer Perceptions Of Tipping In Minimal-Service Food Settings, Fabian R. Rodriguez Gomez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As digital payment systems and point-of-sale technologies become increasingly common, customers are encountering more frequent requests to tip in minimal-service food settings, such as coffee shops, pizza parlors, and quick-service restaurants. These changes have prompted discussions regarding the fairness of tipping, customer willingness to tip, and the growing phenomenon of tipping fatigue. The purpose of this study was to examine how employee effort, social pressure, and social obligation influence customer perceptions of tipping in minimal-service food settings.

A quantitative experimental research design was used with 328 participants recruited through the online platform Prolific. Participants were randomly assigned to scenarios manipulating …

Enhancing The Immersive Experience Through The Diversification Of Operational Costuming, Emma Nevitt

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis will be a comparative creative project that analyzes current operational wardrobe options within immersive lands, utilizing case studies and applied research, a neutral proposed immersive land will be created with operational costuming options that provides variety to the operational wardrobe that will enhance the immersive guest experience by creating a more compelling environment through wardrobe diversity. This will be achieved through a kit-of-parts approach where staffing will have a small variety of tops, bottoms, headwear, outerwear, and accessories to create a unique look to their own wardrobe while providing narrative insight. Each piece will be designed specifically for …

The Role Of Cultural Intelligence In Hotel Employee Engagement, Self-Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, Performance, And Intent To Stay, Meaad Eid F Almotairi

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This research examined how Cultural Intelligence enhanced hotel employees’ engagement, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, performance, and intent to stay. CQ was defined as an individual’s capability to understand, adapt to, and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. This thesis utilized a quantitative methodology based on the Job Demands–Resources (JDR) model and self-efficacy theory. The study focused on the hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia, where increasing diversity has created a need for stronger cross-cultural skills among employees. Data were collected from hotel employees and managers to examine the relationships between CQ and key employee outcomes. The findings indicated that Cultural Intelligence significantly …

Strategic Signaling Or Structural Friction?: How Ai Disclosure Moderates Resource-Performance Dynamics In Hotels And Restaurants, Jaewan Heo

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an increasingly important strategic issue in the hospitality industry. While prior research has primarily examined AI as an operational technology that improves efficiency and service delivery, less attention has been paid to how AI-related disclosures influence investor evaluations of firm resources. This dissertation investigates whether AI-related disclosures moderate the relationship between organizational resources and financial performance in publicly traded hospitality firms.

Drawing on signaling theory and the resource-based view, this study conceptualizes AI disclosures as strategic signals that shape investor perceptions of firm capabilities and future value creation. Firm-level financial data were obtained from Compustat …

Unlocking Human-Robot Dynamics In Restaurants: Exploring The Mechanisms Underlying The Impacts Of Service Robots’ Social Cues On Restaurant Customer Behaviors, Yusi Cheng

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The rise of service robots (SRs) is reshaping service delivery, particularly in the dining sector where guiding and delivering robots are increasingly prevalent. However, understanding how customers interact with SRs and respond to their social cues in the dining environment remains unclear and fragmented. This dissertation aims to bridge this gap by comprehensively understanding the social cues of SRs and their influences on customer behaviors. Specifically, the objectives are to (1) understand prominent social cues and customer responses; (2) identify key SR-related social cues; (3) explore customer-SR interaction outcomes; (4) explain why certain social cues elicit particular customer responses; (5) …

Lessons From Hospitality: Towards A Hybrid Model Of Senior Living Communities, Yunying Zhong, Tingting Zhang

Rosen Research Review

Old age gets most of us, and how we spend it should be meaningful. The hospitality sector could play a vital role in this regard. Senior living communities are big business in the U.S., but they face demands from residents, and the family and friends who visit them, for more than the traditional focus on healthcare. UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management researchers, Dr. YunYing Zhong, Dr. Tingting Zhang, and their co-author understand the connection between the senior living community and hospitality sectors; their research is giving impetus to a hybrid model that could benefit both.

The Camera Eats First: What Foodstagramming Reveals About Personal Behavior, Xiaoxiao Fu

Rosen Research Review

Some chefs may try to ban it, but 'foodstagramming'—diners taking photographs of food to post on social media—is a valuable tool that can boost both restaurants' and diners' public image. That's the conclusion of new research led by UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management's Associate Professor Xiaoxiao Fu. The study takes a psychological perspective and finds that foodstagramming helps both individuals' self-efficacy—the belief that if individuals act in specific ways they can achieve certain goals—and provides opportunities for restaurants to promote their businesses in new and exciting ways.

A Closer Look At Visitors' Immersion In China's Theme Parks, Xiaoxiao Fu, Carissa Baker

Rosen Research Review

Engaging life experiences can become deeply entrenched in the human memory, facilitating mind associations, stimulating the imagination, and inspiring rich storytelling. UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management's Associate Professor Xiaoxiao Fu and Assistant Professor Carissa Baker, along with their co-authors, recently collected the subjective accounts of 30 people who had visited renowned theme parks in China. By analyzing these first-person tales, the researchers were then able to pin-point patterns and processes that characterized the respondents' immersion in experiences at the Chinese theme parks.

Engaging Hotel Staff In Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative, Tingting Zhang, Diego Bufquin

Rosen Research Review

Human trafficking is a serious global issue, within which the hospitality industry is a point of focus for sex trafficking. Despite increases in government- and corporate-mandated anti-human trafficking training, the level of hotel employee engagement with anti-human trafficking initiatives remains poorly researched. In a collaborative effort, researchers at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, Associate Professor Tingting (Christina) Zhang and Associate Professor Diego Bufquin, have set about identifying the factors that influence employee engagement with anti-human trafficking initiatives in the hotel industry in order to establish a practical framework for implementing more effective measures.

A Hospitality-Inspired Approach To Understanding Patient Experience, Maksim Godovykh, Abraham Pizam

Rosen Research Review

Patient experience is the individual's perception of how a healthcare institution treats them on their journey through illness or injury. Research shows that patient-centered care not only improves the quality of healthcare services, but also the patient's wellbeing and health outcomes, and this has resulted in an increased focus on patient experience. Despite its established importance, accurate measurement of patient experience remains a challenge. Applying their experience and knowledge of the hospitality industry, Dr. Maksim Godovykh and Dr. Abraham Pizam at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management are developing a broader and more scientific approach to measuring patient experience.

Rethinking Events Over Thirty Years Of Research, Michael B. Duignan

Rosen Research Review

Events are often pitched as business opportunities for the tourism and hospitality sector, but look deeper, and a far more compelling narrative emerges. In examining thirty years of events-related research, Dr. Michael Duignan of UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management has uncovered a highly complex and emerging field of study with significant value for the sector. It is also attracting the eye of researchers from other disciplines looking for insights into why people are drawn to share experiences.

Retaining Staff: Is It A Matter Of Instilling Pride?, Murat Hancer, Suja Chaulagain

Rosen Research Review

Hotels struggle to attract staff; you can partly blame the public perception of hotel jobs for that. But, why is it difficult to retain staff once they start? Perhaps an answer lies in whether they feel pride in what they do. Professors Murat Hancer and Suja Chaulagain at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management led a team of researchers to unpack the notion of pride among hotel staff in the United States and Vietnam. What they learned has significant importance for a sector that crosses cultures.

Can Humor Help Sell A Tourist Destination Online?, Maksim Godovykh, Xiaoxiao Fu

Rosen Research Review

Destination marketers pack a lot into their websites, assuming potential visitors want detailed information. But perhaps they're missing a simple trick to attracting the attention of potential travelers and getting them to connect with what's on offer: a dash of humor. But humor is a doubleedged sword; experimenting with it can be potentially damaging. However, research by Dr. Maksim Godovykh and Dr. Xiaoxiao Fu at UCF's Rosen College of Hospitality Management has shown that even making light of a crisis can help boost attitudes and intentions.

More Than Income: How Americans Feel About Their Finances And How It Affects Their Travel Plans, Jorge Ridderstaat

Rosen Research Review

Associate Professor Jorge Ridderstaat of UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management has examined how Americans feel about their finances and how it affects their travel plans. This study provides new, multifaceted details on how U.S. consumer finances can affect their travel decisions, providing valuable behavioral insights for authorities and policymakers when managing tourist destinations effectively.

Ucf's Infectious Disease And Travel Health Initiative: Pioneering Resilience For A Healthier Tomorrow, Chait Renduchintala, Frank Badu-Baiden

Rosen Research Review

In a world grappling with the profound challenges posed by infectious diseases and global travel, the University of Central Florida (UCF) stands at the forefront of groundbreaking research and innovation. An exceptional new initiative—the Infectious Disease and Travel Health Initiative—is set to revolutionize how we approach health resilience, disease outbreak mitigation, traveler safety, and the continuity of essential services. Spearheaded by eminent researchers from UCF's College of Medicine, including Dr. Kenneth A. Alexander, Dr. Griff Parks, Dr. Eric Schrimshaw, and Dr. Taj Azarian, along with Dr. Robertico Croes, principal investigator from the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, this initiative …

Promoting Accessible Tourism At Mega-Events: Bridging The Disability-Attitude Gap, Michael B. Duignan, Alan Fyall

Rosen Research Review

UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management's Associate Professor Michael B. Duignan and Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, Alan Fyall collaborated with a team of fellow researchers to examine Tokyo 2020's potential to challenge ableist norms. Highlighting Japan's efforts to promote inclusive tourism for Persons with Disabilities (PwD), their collaborative study highlights the tourism sector's ongoing gaps. They argue that mega-events like the Olympics can be pivotal in driving inclusivity, addressing both physical and social barriers. Dive into this revealing examination of the interplay between tourism, events, and societal change.

2024 Bloom Forecast Dates, Gina Rippens

Rosen Library Exhibits

On display: February-May 2024
Featured items: Books from the Rosen Library Collection. Handmade Japanese doll. Cherry Blossom Bloom Map. 2024 Bloom Forecast.
Primary Curator: Gina Rippens

See more items from this exhibit

Sakura Hanami: Celebrating The Japanese Cherry Blossom, Exhibit Brochure, Gina Rippens

Rosen Library Exhibits

On display: February-May 2024
Featured items: Books from the Rosen Library Collection. Handmade Japanese doll. Cherry Blossom Bloom Map. 2024 Bloom Forecast.
Primary Curator: Gina Rippens

See more items from this exhibit