From check-in to check-out: how AI-powered decisions streamline business processes in luxury hotels in West Africa

Purpose Grounded in the Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, this study investigates how AI adoption enhances business process efficiency in five-star hotels in Ghana and Nigeria, emphasizing the mediating role of decision-making quality and the moderating influence of technological readiness. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 31 hotels using a structured survey with 401 valid responses. The PROCESS module in SmartPLS was applied to test direct, mediation, moderation, and moderated-mediation relationships. Findings The results confirm that AI adoption significantly influences business process efficiency and decision-making quality. Decision-making mediated the nexus between AI adoption and business process efficiency. Moreover, technological readiness moderated the effect of AI adoption and decision-making quality. Lastly, the indirect effect of AI adoption on business process efficiency through decision-making quality was moderated by technological readiness. Practical implications Managers should align AI deployment with decision-making processes and invest in readiness capabilities. Policymakers should support AI readiness to boost competitiveness in emerging-market hospitality sectors. Originality/value By integrating RBV and DCT, the study demonstrates that AI functions as a strategic, reconfigurable capability that enhances managerial cognition and operational responsiveness. These theories are appropriate because they explain how digital resources, such as AI, create efficiency advantages when supported by complementary organizational readiness.