Infusion of Smartphone Technologies in Hospitality Service Experience

This study explored the infusion of smartphone technologies into hospitality service experience from a phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with smartphone users who had firsthand hospitality service experience. Data analysis revealed four unique patterns within smartphone-equipped customers’ service experiences: the extended control facilitated by smartphone technologies, the functional gap between mediated and interpersonal services, the infusion of solitude into a communal experience, and the interactions among different service processes. Based on these results, this study developed a conceptual framework of the infusion of smartphone technologies in hospitality service experience. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings were also discussed