Robots or humans: Who is more effective in promoting hospitality services?

Although consumers’ evaluation and adoption of robotic services have been widely investigated, the effectiveness of robotic sales promotion in the hospitality industry remains unclear. Utilizing the benefit congruency framework, this study proposes that robotic (human) promotion is more suitable for utilitarian (hedonic) benefits. Based on an experiment with and field data provided by a Chinese restaurant chain, this study demonstrates that robots perform better than humans in monetary promotion (e.g., price discounts) that offers utilitarian benefits but not in nonmonetary promotion (e.g., extra dish) associated with hedonic benefits. Moreover, an anthropomorphic language style can reduce the performance difference between robots and humans in nonmonetary promotion. Accordingly, this study’s findings inform hospitality marketers that humans and robots should be in a cooperative rather than substitutive relationship in sales promotion. •Robots perform better than humans in monetary promotion that offers utilitarian benefits.•Humans perform better than robots in nonmonetary promotion that offers hedonic benefits.•Anthropomorphic language style reduces the performance difference between robots and humans in nonmonetary promotion.•Collaboration between human and nonhuman agents is encouraged in terms of hospitality sales promotion.