Mobile technology adoption among hotels: Managerial issues and opportunities

• Published in: Tourism management perspectives 2021-04, Vol.38, p.100811, Article 100811
• Main Authors: Han, Spring H., Lee, Jungwoo, Edvardsson, Bo, Verma, Rohit
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: And infrastructure management; Business Administration; Customer experience; Customer management; Focus group; Företagsekonomi; Luxury hotels; Mobile technology; Operations management; Process design; Provider management; strategic goal
• ISSN: 2211-9736; 2211-9744; 2211-9744
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100811

Mobile technology in hotels is to provide innovative service solutions for both employees and customers, yet underexplored, and managerial and operational issues remain. This study aims at identifying those issues involved in adopting and implementing mobile technologies by a thematic analysis of focus group interviews of luxury hotel managers and executives. Eighteen managerial issues surfaced, leading to a mobile technology management framework consisting of six themes: strategic goal, customer management, operations management, process design, provider management, and infrastructure management. This mobile technology management framework provides guidelines for the successful adoption and implementation of mobile technologies in hotels. Implications are discussed with future research issues at the end. •This study identifies issues involved in adopting mobile technology in hotels.•Analyses of focus group interviews with hotel managers uncovered eighteen issues in adopting mobile technology.•Six themes emerged: strategic goal, process design, and management of customers, operations, providers, and infra.•The resulting mobile technology adoption framework may provide guidelines for adopting mobile services in hotels.