What the paper studied
This paper reviews nearly a decade of research on chatbots in hospitality and tourism, using bibliometric analysis to map the main themes, most-cited findings, and new directions in the field. It focuses on how chatbots affect both business operations and guest experiences, especially in terms of service quality, customer engagement, and trust. The analysis draws from a wide range of studies to synthesize what is known about where chatbots work best, where they fall short, and what practical lessons have emerged for hotels and travel platforms.
Key findings
- Chatbot adoption in hospitality is now more about service design and building trust than about the underlying technology. Guests are generally open to using chatbots, but their satisfaction depends on the bot’s perceived competence, transparency about its identity, and what happens when the bot cannot help.
- Three main research clusters stand out: service quality, customer engagement, and trust. Chatbots excel when used for narrowly defined, high-volume tasks such as answering FAQs, handling booking inquiries, and managing simple service requests. When chatbots are given too broad a role or unclear boundaries, guest frustration rises and overall service perception can suffer.
- Chatbots are especially effective at the start and end of the guest journey. Before arrival, they handle routine questions that would otherwise take up staff time. After the stay, they can collect feedback, provide loyalty information, and resolve simple post-stay issues. During the stay, however, human staff are still preferred for tasks requiring nuance or emotional intelligence.
- Trust is a critical factor. Guests who realize they were unknowingly interacting with a bot report lower trust in the brand, not just the tool. The research strongly supports being transparent about chatbot use and making it easy for guests to reach a human when needed.
Why it matters for hospitality
For hotels and travel operators, these findings highlight that successful chatbot deployment is less about having the latest technology and more about thoughtful service design and clear communication. Well-scoped chatbots can streamline routine operations, freeing up staff for more complex guest needs and improving overall service quality. However, mishandling chatbot transparency or overextending their role can damage guest trust, which is crucial in hospitality. The research also points to new opportunities for revenue generation through chatbots, especially when upgrade offers are delivered in a timely and contextually appropriate way.
Practical takeaways
- Define the chatbot’s role narrowly—focus on high-volume, routine tasks like booking support, FAQs, and simple service requests, and communicate these boundaries clearly to guests.
- Be transparent: always let guests know when they are interacting with a bot, and ensure there is an easy, visible way to reach a human staff member if needed.
- Use chatbots to handle pre-arrival questions and post-stay engagement, reducing front desk workload and improving efficiency.
- Consider piloting chatbot-driven upselling strategies, as early evidence suggests these can generate incremental revenue without the discomfort sometimes felt by human staff.
- When evaluating chatbot vendors, distinguish between basic keyword-matching bots (lower cost, limited capability) and conversational AI systems (higher cost, better comprehension, higher guest satisfaction). For high-volume properties, investing in more advanced systems may be justified by the performance gap.
- Always maintain a clear and reliable handoff process from chatbot to human agents for complex, sensitive, or emotionally charged guest issues.