Customer perceptions of co-creation and service innovation in smart hotels: the role of technology readiness

Purpose This study aims to explore the intrinsic influence mechanism of smart hotel customers from service recipients to service co-creators; the influence of the perceived benefits and perceived risks formed by customers in the experience of smart hotels on their value co-creation behavior; and the influence of customer involvement on value co-creation and service innovation, thereby influencing their revisit intention. Design/methodology/approach This study used online questionnaire survey of customers of Atour Hotels in China within the past year. These hotels are recognized as smart hotels; all respondents were required to provide a screenshot of their hotel reservation before completing the questionnaire. In total, 493 valid questionnaires were collected, and data analysis was performed using analysis of moment structures (AMOS) 26 and SmartPLS 4.0. Findings The results indicate that optimism has no positive effect on perceived benefits, while discomfort and insecurity have significant negative effects on perceived risks. The study also confirms that customers’ perceived benefits/risks influence customer involvement, value co-creation, service innovation and revisit intention. Originality/value This study proposes a model of customer involvement and value co-creation by integrating customers’ technology readiness with perceived value at the individual level. This extends the traditional value co-creation framework and explains the impact mechanism of customers’ technology readiness on hotel service innovation. This study highlights the transformation of customers from “service recipients” to “service co-creators” in the context of smart hotels.