Service robots in constrained hospitality spaces: A social servicescape perspective

Drawing on the social servicescape framework, this research investigates how service robot type influences customer encounter satisfaction through empathy, and how this relationship is moderated by other customers’ emotional displays and human crowding. Three scenario-based experimental studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. The findings indicate that human-like (vs. machine-like) service robots evoke greater empathy, thereby enhancing service encounter satisfaction. However, this positive effect is mitigated when other customers express negative emotions and when human crowding is high. This research contributes to the literature on human-robot interaction and service robot anthropomorphism and extends the application of the social servicescape framework. These insights also provide practical guidance for service providers on implementing and managing service robots in real-world service environments.