Hostessing by robots? Hotel customers’ experiences of gendered robotic services

This study aims to explore the interplay between the adoption of service robots and the gender dynamics in hostessing that are central to hospitality services. While research exploring the use of AI and robotics in the hospitality industry has increased exponentially, limited attention has been given to how gender dynamics manifest in and influence robotic services in commercial hotel settings. Focusing on hotel customers’ perceptions and experiences in China, the study examines how affective customer experiences, the primary offering of hostessing work, are reconfigured in the age of service automation. A qualitative approach is adopted by the study, employing semi-structured interviews and participant observation for data collection. Findings revealed the ambiguity of gendering in hotel service robots, captured through three strands of narratives, which are robots as genderless, as gendered and as postgender. In robotic services, the gendered performance of hostessing appears to undergo a process of de-feminization, foregrounding unexpected qualities of non-human hospitality.