The FBA Seminar Series 055: “The rise of visible embodied service robots: Some practical insights for the hospitality and tourism industry”was hosted by Prof. Yuansi HOU,  Associate Professor of the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management on May 19, 2023 and Prof. Lisa Chun Ying WAN, Acting Director for the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, was invited to deliver the seminar.

Prof. Lisa C. Wan is an Associate Professor of School of Hotel and Tourism Management and Department of Marketing at CUHK Business School. She is also a Co-Director of the Centre for Hospitality and Real Estate Research. In the seminar, Prof. Lisa C. Wan stated that since hospitality and tourism settings are characterized by elaborative interpersonal interactions, previous literature has consistently found that service robots with humanoid (vs. non-humanoid) appearance have more advantages in service interactions. However, Prof. Lisa C. Wan suggested that this is not always the case, then she shared some of her research findings about consumer reactions to humanoid robots. The teachers and students were actively asking questions, and the atmosphere of the seminar was enthusiastic.

Source: FBA Newsletter Issue 71