What they want and what they get: the expectations and experiences of customers when encountering smart services in hotels

Purpose This study integrates expectation confirmation theory (ECT) and the assimilation–contrast model (ACM) to provide a new theoretical and practical understanding of how customers evaluate smart service experiences in hotels. This study aims to explain how and why customers experience satisfaction or dissatisfaction based on discrepancies between their expectations and actual experiences. Design/methodology/approach Using a grounded theory approach, this study analyzes both user-generated content and semi-structured interviews with 20 hotel customers who have experienced smart services to explore their psychological process in smart services. Findings The proposed framework explores the interplay between customers’ expectation levels, emotional responses and cognitive experiences, with a particular focus on zones of tolerance. This study finds that both the degree of discrepancy and zones of tolerance influence how customers evaluate the service experiences. Minor gaps within the zone of tolerance lead to assimilation effects, whereas significant discrepancies outside this zone trigger contrast effects, often causing dissatisfaction. The findings highlight the contextual nature of expectation levels and zones of tolerance, offering new insights into the dynamic evaluation process across multi-stage customer journeys. Originality/value This research uniquely examines expectation–experience discrepancies in hotel smart services, integrating ECT and ACM to bridge theoretical and practical insights. It advances the understanding of post-usage satisfaction and the impact of smart service implementation on customer intentions and future behavior. In addition, it offers actionable recommendations for hotel managers to address expectation gaps and enhance post-usage satisfaction.