Research Information System
7.th Conference on Managing Tourism Across Continents (MTCON)), Antalya, Turkey, 29 April - 02 May 2026, pp.1-2, (Summary Text)
Abstract
Purpose: In the tourism and hospitality sector, the use of service robots is increasing day by day in parallel with technological developments. In developing cities, customer reaction and experience with service robots, a technological product, is a subject of interest. The aim of this study is to examine the direct and mediating effect of the Technology Acceptance Model on the relationship between HGRIE (Hotel–Restaurant/Guest–Robot Interaction Experience) and behavioral intention in restaurant.
Study design/methodology/approach: The research was conducted with customers who received service robot service at a restaurant in Erzincan, Turkey. This study is important in terms of revealing findings regarding technology acceptance and service robot experience in developing cities. The research sample consists of customers who visit the only restaurant in the city that uses a delivery robot. A quantitative method was adopted in the research. Convenience sampling was preferred in sample selection. The dataset was created from 391 people who agreed to complete the survey form.
Results: The research results show that the hotel-restaurant/guest-robot interaction experience (HGRIE) variable produces significant and strong effects on both technology acceptance (TAM) and behavioral intention (BI). HGRIE has a direct and significant effect on BI. Furthermore, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) functions as a mediating variable in the relationship between HGRIE and Behavioral Intention (BI).
Originality/value: TAM is a model that has yielded very strong results regarding how technological developments are accepted by people, examined from many angles. In this study, the relatively new HGRIE (Hotel-Restaurant/Guest-Robot Interaction Experience) model has added innovation to the literature by presenting the perspective of restaurant customers, alongside hotel-focused studies. Furthermore, it was concluded that the service robot's role in customer interaction experience directly and indirectly influences behavioral intention along with technology acceptance. This finding, supported by the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior, contributed to positive behavioral outcomes.
Keywords Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), HGRIE, Behavioral intention, the Theory of Reasoned Action, the Theory of Planned Behavior