Virtual reality in the hotel industry: assessing the acceptance of immersive hotel presentation

Abstract

In the hotel industry, it is crucial to reduce the inherent information asymmetry with regard to the goods offered. This asymmetry can be minimised through the use of smartphone-based virtual reality applications (SBVRs), which allow virtual simulation of real experiences and thus enable more efficient information retrieval. The aim of the study is to determine for the first time the user acceptance of these immersive hotel presentations for assessing the performance of a travel accommodation. For this purpose, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to explain the acceptance behaviour for this new technology. A virtual reality application was specially developed, in which the participants could explore a hotel virtually. A total of 569 participants took part in the study. The structural equation model and the hypotheses were tested using a Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis. The results illustrate that the immersive product experience leads to more efficient information gathering. The perceived usefulness significantly affects the attitude towards using the technology as well as the intention to use it. In contrast to the traditional TAM, the perceived ease of use of SBVRs has no effect on the perceived usefulness or attitude towards using the technology.