Purpose Guided by the TOE framework, this study systematically identifies the driving factors that influence the hotel digital intelligence capability and reveals how these driving factors work together to achieve this capability. Design/methodology/approach Using the NCA and fsQCA methods, this study selected six drivers: technological availability, technological adaptability, strategic resource flexibility, organizational coordination flexibility, policy attention, and peer competitive pressure to explore the diverse formation paths of hotel digital intelligence capability. Findings The research findings indicate that: (1) No single factor can constitute a necessary condition for hotel digital intelligence capability. (2) The study identified four types of configuration paths that promote hotel digital intelligence capability, namely “Ecological empowerment leap type,” “Policy-driven symbiosis type,” “Technology lock-in breakthrough type,” and “Edge effect accumulation type.” (3) The study also revealed four configuration paths that hinder hotel digital intelligence capability, namely “Digital intelligence transformation rigidity type,” “Technology shortfall constraint type,” “Strategic system deficiency type,” and “Infrastructure deficiency type.” Originality/value This study not only enriches our understanding of the path to developing hotel digital intelligence capability, but also provides managers with a clear roadmap for cultivating such capability, unlocking its profound value and unlimited potential in driving industrial upgrading.
Dong et al. (2026) studied this question.