The widespread implementation of guest-facing technologies (GFT) requires an urgent understanding of how psychological barriers, such as technology anxiety, shape the guest experience. Drawing upon cognitive dissonance theory, this study aims to investigate the effects of technology anxiety on hotel GFT experiences and examine the dynamic role of facilitating conditions in mitigating these effects. It also explores how these relationships evolved after a major disruptive event.
An online survey with US hotel customers was conducted. Data were collected from two cross-sectional samples during two distinct time periods, before and after the pandemic, to examine the changes it resulted in. The proposed model was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis to assess differences across time periods.
Technology anxiety negatively affects hotel guests’ GFT experiences in both periods. Notably, facilitating conditions significantly moderated this relationship only in the post-pandemic period, reflecting their increased importance amid the ubiquitous implementation of GFT. GFT experience evaluations positively influenced customer satisfaction, which in turn drove behavioral intentions, with no significant pre- to post-pandemic differences in these relationships.
Extending cognitive dissonance theory to the hospitality technology domain, this research offers a repeated cross-sectional perspective that underscores how the pandemic amplified the role of facilitating conditions in reducing technology anxiety. This study offers service providers practical implications to enhance guest experiences in an increasingly technology-driven landscape.
