Human-robot interaction in sustainable hospitality: how robot type shapes customer emotions, green perceptions, and...

The increasing adoption of service robots in hospitality has transformed service delivery and created new opportunities for enhancing operational efficiency and sustainable service practices. However, limited research has examined how different types of service robots influence customer emotions and how these emotional responses shape perceptions of sustainability and post-consumption behaviour. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) theory, this study investigates the relationships among robot type, emotional responses, perceived sustainability, customer satisfaction and revisit intention in hotel settings. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 238 hotel guests in Malaysia who had directly interacted with either high-interaction robots (e.g. front-desk or concierge robots) or low-interaction robots (e.g. delivery robots). Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that high-interaction robots significantly increase both positive and negative emotions. Positive emotions positively influence perceived sustainability and customer satisfaction, whereas negative emotions weaken these evaluations. Perceived sustainability significantly enhances customer satisfaction and revisit intention, while customer satisfaction emerges as the strongest predictor of revisit intention. Emotional responses also mediate the relationship between robot type and customer outcomes. This study extends HRI and sustainable hospitality literature by demonstrating that customer evaluations of robot-enabled services are shaped by emotional appraisal and sustainability perception rather than technological functionality alone. The findings provide practical insights for hospitality managers seeking to design emotionally engaging and sustainability-oriented robot-enabled service experiences.