Are customers ready to be smart? Designing smart hotel experiences

Purpose – Even if it is often accepted that smart hotels are built on networks of technological devices, there is currently no consensus among researchers as to what level of technology is required to define a smart hotel. Based on the above-mentioned assumption that smart hotels are built on a network of technological devices, this paper aims to understand how smart hotels can be conceptualised based on customer preferences. Methodology/Design/Approach – To achieve this goal, the paper conceptualises smart hotels as a service network in which the customer comes into contact with a variety of technological and traditional touchpoints on site. This conceptualisation allows the researcher to observe customer preferences at different touchpoints and identify the technologies that are central to the development of the customer experience. Findings – The results show that the ideal customer journey includes both traditional and technological touchpoints and that artificial intelligence is of central importance for the development of the smart hotel concept. Originality of the research – The methodological approach taken in this paper enables researchers and practitioners to easily visualise and identify important patterns in the customer journey, facilitating the task of identifying the most relevant touchpoints in complex service networks, such as smart hotels.