{"title":"From human to AI: Understanding the impact of voice AI on consumers’ food choices","authors":"Zixi (Lavi) Peng , Heyao Yu , Anna Mattila","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104537","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104537","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As voice AI is increasingly adopted in the food service industry, examining its effect on consumer behaviors is critical. This study examines the impact of ordering through voice AI versus human employees on consumers’ food choices. Across five online and lab experiments, consumers are more likely to select indulgent food options when interacting with voice AI (vs. human employees). This effect is driven by increased cognitive depletion, heightening reliance on affective processing. The findings also reveal that the presence of an avatar can mitigate the impact of voice AI on food choice. This research contributes to the growing literature on AI–human interaction, offering valuable implications for food marketers, consumers, and public health advocates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104537"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145689438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unintended prosocial consequences of robot prevalence: The mediating role of realistic threat","authors":"Sungwoo Choi , Jihwan Yeon","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104602","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104602","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the growing shift to service automation in the hospitality industry, robot prevalence is on the rise. Drawing on the intergroup threat theory and terror management theory, we argue that as service robots become more prevalent, consumers may become prosocial in response to a realistic threat. Additionally, we theorize that these effects will be salient among those who are employed, especially those who use artificial intelligence or robots at work. The results of four experimental studies support our hypotheses. Our findings provide practical insight into how companies can leverage such behavioral shifts among consumers to maximize the effectiveness of their prosocial initiatives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104602"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hao (Mira) Shi , Xiaolin (Crystal) Shi , Zimeng Guo , Fanrong Su
{"title":"Exploring the dynamics of newcomers’ relationships with their leaders: A longitudinal study on changes in leader–member exchange, trust, and deviant behaviors","authors":"Hao (Mira) Shi , Xiaolin (Crystal) Shi , Zimeng Guo , Fanrong Su","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104581","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104581","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Leaders play a pivotal role in onboarding, a critical socialization process for hospitality organizations to help newcomers integrate into their work environment. Grounded in social exchange theory, this study examines how changes in leader–member exchange (LMX) influence changes in trust, which in turn shape deviant behaviors among hospitality newcomers. Utilizing a longitudinal design, we collected data from 104 hotel newcomers and their supervisors at three one-month intervals. The findings indicate that LMX and trust are not stable phenomenon. Declines in LMX significantly predict increase in newcomers’ deviant behaviors. This decline in LMX also leads to a reduction in trust, which further contributes to the rise in deviant behaviors among newcomers. By capturing the dynamic nature of LMX during early organizational entry, this study highlights how newcomers’ psychological states and behaviors evolve over time and offers valuable insights into managing effective onboarding in hospitality organizations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104581"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146032747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Muhammad Asghar , Jie Shen , Nida Gull , Jawad Khan , Zhengde Xiong
{"title":"From green vision to action: How leadership fosters employee service performance-insight from multilevel study","authors":"Muhammad Asghar , Jie Shen , Nida Gull , Jawad Khan , Zhengde Xiong","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104526","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104526","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Regardless of the role of service-oriented leadership in co-creating green value for customers in the hospitality industry, this study aims to investigate how service-oriented leadership influences employees' service performance through green self-efficacy and shared vision, particularly in the hospitality sector. This study explores the multilevel moderating role of green shared vision in the relationship between green self-efficacy and employee service performance. We collected data from 545 hotel employees using time-lagged and multilevel structural equation modeling. The study results indicate that service-oriented leadership has a significant influence on employee service performance, which is mediated by green self-efficacy and a shared vision. Furthermore, the findings suggest that a shared green vision moderates the relationship between green self-efficacy and employee service performance, thereby enhancing employee service performance. The study provides theoretical insights, practical implications, and valuable recommendations for managers in the hospitality sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104526"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145694671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hotel managers' sleep quality, ethical leadership, and hotel employees' proactive behavior","authors":"Rui Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104555","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104555","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Currently, hotel employees, especially hotel managers, are confronting significant sleep issues, while the practices of ethical leadership by managers and proactive behavior by employees are critically important for hotel operations. The interrelationships among these three variables remain inadequately explored. This study investigates the impact of hotel managers' sleep quality on their ethical leadership through the mechanism of ego-depletion and further extends this effect to hotel employees' proactive behavior. Grounded in ego-depletion theory, this research analyzes a sample of 541 unit-days utilizing multilevel path analysis and the Monte Carlo simulation test. The results demonstrate a positive relationship between hotel managers' daily sleep quality and their daily ethical leadership, with daily ego-depletion serving a mediating role. A positive relationship is also established between hotel managers' daily ethical leadership and hotel employees' daily proactive behavior. Furthermore, hotel managers' daily sleep quality indirectly affects hotel employees' daily proactive behavior through the sequential mediation of daily ego-depletion and daily ethical leadership.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104555"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145995216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tasting the weather: Culinary atmospheres and emotional experience in hospitality","authors":"Mohammad Shahidul Islam","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104553","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104553","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates how the weather influences travelers’ food experiences in hospitality settings. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology and affective atmospheres theory, the research applies Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to interviews with fifteen international travelers. Findings reveal four experiential themes—Sunlight and Sweetness, Rain, Retreat and Ritual, Wind and Withdrawal, and Weather–Taste Memory Resonances—demonstrating that weather functions as a mood-shaping and appetite-guiding force. Two novel constructs emerge: weather-induced appetite disruption, which explains appetite loss under destabilizing conditions, and weather–taste memory fusion, which shows how food and weather coalesce into lasting multisensory imprints. The study reconceptualizes eating during travel as an embodied response to atmospheric environments, highlighting opportunities for hospitality design. Practical implications include mood-sensitive menus, sensory comforts, and weather-attuned atmospherics that enhance guest well-being and create memorable dining experiences. These insights extend theories of embodied consumption and open new directions for affectively responsive service design in hospitality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104553"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145903653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The green power of partnership: Exploring co-branding strategies to promote upcycled food in hospitality","authors":"YoonHyung Huh , Yang Xu , EunHa (Lena) Jeong","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104592","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104592","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The novel concept of upcycled food for human consumption, made from ingredients that would otherwise go to waste, faces challenges in consumer awareness and acceptance. This study addresses the challenge of accepting upcycled food related to quality perceptions and proposes co-branding as a strategy to promote consumer perception and acceptance. Specifically, it investigates the effects of two types of co-branding fit—product fit and green brand fit—on consumers’ quality perceptions and purchase intentions (Study 1). The moderating role of consumer familiarity with upcycled food is also explored. Study 2 further examines the underlying mechanism through serial mediation, focusing on the role of perceived credibility. Results show that green brand fit plays a more influential role in shaping consumer responses, although product fit contributes incremental effects. These effects are contingent on consumers’ familiarity with upcycled food. The moderated serial mediation analysis explains the psychological pathway driving these effects. This research contributes to the growing literature on sustainable food marketing and provides actionable insights for enhancing consumer acceptance of upcycled foods through strategic co-branding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104592"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An integrated model of cannabis-infused food and beverage consumption in the USA based on the protection motivation theory and the value-attitude-behavior model","authors":"Feng Lin , Kisang Ryu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapidly expanding cannabis café and restaurant industry in the USA remains under-researched. This study used text mining techniques on 5243 YouTube reviews to examine the overall sentiment toward cannabis-infused food and beverages (C-IF&B). The findings revealed a mix of positive and negative perceptions, which underscore the complexity of reviewer opinions. We integrated the protection motivation theory (PMT) and the value-attitude-behavior model to examine the formation of intentions to consume C-IF&B. The key attributes that are related to rewards, threats, and attitudes toward C-IF&B consumption were identified using term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF), and they were incorporated into the PMT. An analysis of the data from 331 USA adults then showed that other PMT constructs significantly influenced attitudes except for the likelihood of addiction, self-efficacy, and perceived legal consequences, which in turn predicted the intentions to consume C-IF&B. The aesthetic value of C-IF&B was additionally positively associated with attitudes. Practical implications are included for public administrators and industry practitioners.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104571"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing employees’ change readiness for artificial intelligence (AI) adoption: The role of AI transparency","authors":"Zichun Zhang , Meizhen Lin , Xing(Stella) Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104620","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104620","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Based on the heuristic-systematic model (HSM), this study examines how AI transparency enhances employees’ change readiness for AI adoption. Through three scenario-based experiments, this research demonstrates that AI transparency not only directly increases change readiness but also operates through two distinct psychological pathways: improving AI job role clarity and reducing discomfort. Importantly, these indirect effects are observed only under low levels of leaders’ AI symbolization. These findings offer theoretical contributions by elucidating the dual-process mechanisms underlying AI acceptance in human resource management, extend the application of HSM, and provide actionable guidance for leveraging transparency and leadership cues to improve implementation outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104620"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jeou-Shyan Horng , Yao-Chin Wang , Chih-Hsing Liu , Sheng-Fang Chou , Tai-Yi Yu , Yung-Chuan Huang , Da-Chian Hu
{"title":"Ethics meets service robots: A cross-cultural perspective on how dual luxury–task fit reshapes hotel service differentiation","authors":"Jeou-Shyan Horng , Yao-Chin Wang , Chih-Hsing Liu , Sheng-Fang Chou , Tai-Yi Yu , Yung-Chuan Huang , Da-Chian Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104532","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104532","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines how customers’ ethical perceptions of service robots influence hotel service differentiation through the dual mediating mechanisms of luxury-technology fit and task-technology fit. Drawing on the ethics position theory and dual-congruity perspectives, we conducted a cross-cultural investigation comparing hotel customers from Taiwan (<em>n</em> = 556) and the United States (<em>n</em> = 551) to clarify the cultural differences in the mechanisms from their ethical perceptions of service robots to their expected degree of hotel service differentiation. The results reveal that ethical perceptions have a positive influence on performance expectancy and perceived importance across cultures, albeit with varying intensities. While the relationship between ethical perceptions and performance expectancy remains consistent across both cultures, the impact on perceived importance is more substantial in the U.S. than in Taiwan, reflecting the individualistic nature of U.S. culture. Notably, task<img>technology fit emerged as a significant mediator between performance expectancy and service differentiation in cultural contexts, whereas luxury<img>technology fit did not demonstrate the expected mediating effect. The mediating role of task<img>technology fit between perceived importance and service differentiation was particularly pronounced in Taiwan, aligning with its cultural emphasis on practical harmony and contextual adaptation. These findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of technology-enabled service differentiation and provide practical insights for implementing service robots in culturally diverse hospitality contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48444,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 104532"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145694669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}