Purpose The hospitality industry is increasingly adopting service robots to enhance efficiency and guest experiences. However, prior research has primarily focused on technological, organizational and environmental factors while overlooking hotel managers’ personal competencies. This study addresses this gap by examining how self-efficacy (SE), job relevance (JR) and tech-savviness (TS) influence Malaysian hotel managers’ adoption intentions, providing a more comprehensive explanation of managerial technology adoption. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from 588 hotel managers across three major Malaysian tourism destinations were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to examine an integrated Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework incorporating personal context and the technology readiness index (TRI). Findings The results show that SE, JR, and TS significantly influence managers’ adoption intentions, alongside organizational and environmental drivers, while perceived complexity remains a barrier. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by its reliance on self-reported, cross-sectional data from managers in three- to five-star hotels in Malaysia, which constrains causal inference, generalizability, and representation of smaller properties. Although the integrated TOE framework, TRI, and self-determination theory model explained substantial variance, effect sizes were modest, suggesting that factors such as guest acceptance, vendor support, and return on investment warrant closer examination. Future research should employ longitudinal and cross-cultural designs, incorporate constructs such as trust and ethical concerns, and differentiate robot functions. Examining organizational dynamics and alignment with sustainable development goals (SDGs) will further enrich hospitality adoption scholarship and practice. Practical implications The findings indicate that hotels and policymakers should focus on empowering managerial decision-making, aligning robotic applications with specific job roles, and reducing system complexity through supportive leadership and policy incentives to enable sustainable robot adoption. Social implications Findings highlight that enhancing managerial capability and confidence can narrow digital divides, promote inclusive workforce upskilling, and ensure ethical, human-centered robot adoption. Embedding data-privacy and ethical safeguards in training and deployment strengthens public trust and organizational accountability. Service robots can also advance sustainability by improving resource efficiency and supporting responsible consumption, consistent with the United Nations SDG. Global examples such as Japan’s Henn-na Hotel, Hilton’s concierge robot, and Yotel Singapore’s automated housekeeping illustrate how hospitality firms can integrate robotics responsibly through human capability development and ethical alignment. Originality/value This study advances technology adoption research by extending the TOE framework with the TRI and personal context. It offers one of the earliest empirical examinations of Southeast Asia’s hospitality sector, demonstrating that managers’ individual competencies, rather than only technological or organizational conditions, shape adoption decisions.
Mari et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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