What factors motivate customers to embrace a metaverse hotel?

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the influence of four motivational elements (i.e. utilitarian, hedonic, social and escapism motivations) on the propensity of customers to utilize a metaverse hotel, as well as whether age, gender and mobility disability play substantial moderating roles in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Data was gathered from 843 US residents who had experienced a hotel stay within the past two years. We tested the hypotheses using structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. Findings The findings indicated that, in both age and gender groups, hedonic, social and escapism motivations had significant effects on intentions to use a metaverse hotel, whereas utilitarian motivation did not. The influence of escapism motivation on customers’ usage intentions was significantly more pronounced for males than females, suggesting the moderating role of gender in this relationship. Hedonic and social motivations exerted significant effects on usage intentions in both mobility disability and non-disability groups. The relationship between escapism motivation and intentions to use was significant for the non-disability group only, suggesting the moderating role of disability in this association. Practical implications This research provides recommendations for hotel managers and technology providers aiming to enhance the adoption of metaverse hotels by customers and to augment the worth of this technology. Originality/value This research fills the voids in the current literature by formulating and empirically evaluating a research framework to gain deeper insights into the motivations that drive the acceptance of a metaverse hotel.