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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), 30-38, DOI: 10.18060/26827                                                                                                  
               Copyright © 2022 Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 

  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

Events and Tourism Review                                     
 
December 2022                                                                                                                                          Volume 5 No. 2      
   
 
Generation Y and Z Perceptions of Hospitality Self-Service Technology 

 

 

 
Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 
 
 
Metropolitan State University-Denver  
 
 
Correspondence: gogbeide@msudenver.edu (G. Ogbeide) 

 

 
 
 
 
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Recommended Citation 
Ogbeide, G. (2022). Generation Y and Z Perceptions of Hospitality Self-Service Technology. 
Events and Tourism Review, 5(2), 30-38.  

 
 

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Ogbeide, G. (2022) / Events and Tourism Review, 5(2), 30-38. 
31 

Events and Tourism Review Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), 30-38, DOI: 10.18060/26827                                                                                                  
               Copyright © 2022 Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

 
 

 
 

Abstract 
 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Generation Y and Z regarding self-
service technology and personal service in the hospitality industry. Technologically-savvy 
collegiate students in the Midwestern part of the USA served as the target population for this 
study. The results of this study indicate that the participants believe that personal service is more 
important than the use of self-service technology in the hospitality industry. However, Generation 
Y and Z prefer the convenience and promptness of self-service technology. Practical implications 
of this study and recommendations for further studies were addressed. 

 
Keywords: Generation Y; Generation Z; Personal Service; Self-Service Technology; Hospitality; 
Customer Experience 

 

 
 

 
Introduction 
 

This current period in human history is known as the Information Age (Binh, 2016), 
characterized by a shift in focus from industrialization to computerization. “This evolution of 
services is somewhat similar to the past experience in the agricultural and manufacturing industry 
where human labor has been relentlessly replaced by automation” (Ong, 2010, p. 8). With the 
advent of information technology, some have lost their jobs due to the digital trend of self-service 
technology (Chen, 2011). The increasing use of self-service technology is changing the essence of 
service experience and service failure recovery (Bitner, Brown, & Meuter, 2000; Collier, Breazeale, 
& White, 2017). This modification of decreased social interaction is noteworthy and may impact 
guest satisfaction in the hospitality industry. Even with extensive research surrounding the impact of 
technology on customer retention and guest satisfaction (Beatson, Coote & Rudd, 2006), Generation 
Y and Z’s perceptions of hospitality self-service technology cannot be undermined. This study 
intends to investigate Generation Y and Z’s importance and preference for using self-service 
technologies to personal service in the hospitality industry.  
 
Literature Review 
 
Self-Service Technology 

A previous study indicated that technological advancement and high labor costs drove 
service providers to investigate and develop the self-service delivery option (Shamdasani, 
Mukherjee, & Malhotra, 2008). Self-service technology is becoming popular because of its benefit 
to both hoteliers and customers (Kucukusta, Heung & Hui, 2012). Self-service technology is based 
on “technological interfaces that enable customers to produce a service independent of direct service 
employee involvement” (Meuter et al., 2000, p. 50). Many organizations use these technology-based 
self-services to increase service productivity while reducing service delivery costs (Meuter & 
Bitner, 1998; Shamdasani, Mukherjee, & Malhotra, 2008). During self-service, customers often take 
on a partial employee role, and employees offer little to no support to complete the transactions 

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Ogbeide, G. (2022) / Events and Tourism Review, 5(2), 30-38. 
32 

Events and Tourism Review Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), 30-38, DOI: 10.18060/26827                                                                                                  
               Copyright © 2022 Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

(Meuter et al., 2005; Zhu et al., 2007; Ding et al., 2011). Thus, using these technologies might affect 
service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty (Chen, 2011).  

The disadvantages of self-service technology include social stress and the wariness of 
technology. Some customers feel anxious about using self-service technology (Lovelock & Wirtz, 
2007). Nevertheless, self-service technology holds a valuable place in modern businesses, serving 
convenience needs for customers and cost-saving needs pursued by business owners (Oh et al., 
2013; Collier & Barnes, 2015). 
 
Personal Service  

Researchers emphasize that the interaction between the service employee and the customer 
allows individualized attention to the customer’s needs and preferences, provides important 
relational benefits to customers, fosters trust, and creates social bonds between the employee and the 
customer (Forrester, 2018). Customers welcome the extra level of help from personal service, which 
ultimately enhances evaluations of the service experience (Collier, Breazeale, & White, 2017). The 
humanization of customer service processes is vital. Despite this, customers use self-service 
technologies more frequently, resulting in fewer possibilities for true human interaction and 
sociability (Forrester, 2018). One of the managerial implications of the above phenomenon is 
determining the right balance for utilizing self-service technology and personal service in the 
hospitality industry. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of 
Generation Y and Z regarding self-service technology and personal service in the hospitality 
industry. Thus, the following hypotheses were proposed: 

 
H1: There is no difference in the level of importance between personal service and the use of 

self-service technology in the hospitality industry. 
H2: There is no preference between personal service and the use of self-service technology in 

the hospitality industry. 
H3: Generation Y and Z students prefer the convenience of the use of self-service technology to 

personal service. 
H4: Generation Y and Z students prefer the promptness of the use of self-service technology to 

personal service. 

Methodology 
 
Population and Sample Selection 

Collegiate students in the Midwestern part of the USA who were technologically savvy and familiar with self-
service technologies served as the target population for this study. The sample selection for this study was a random 
sample of Generation Y and Z students.  
 
Validity and Reliability 

The instrument for this study was adapted from the literature review and consisted of three parts. Part I was 
used to measure consumer perceptions and preferences for personal service in the hospitality industry. Part II measured 
consumer perceptions and preferences for self-service technology in the hospitality industry. Part III of the instrument 
included questions about the demographic characteristics of the participants. Part I and Part II of the instrument were 
based on a five-point Likert scale. A panel of experts established the instrument's validity, and its reliability was 0.80, 
which indicates good internal consistency among the data collected (Ary et al., 2002; Ogbeide, 2006). 

 
 

 

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Ogbeide, G. (2022) / Events and Tourism Review, 5(2), 30-38. 
33 

Events and Tourism Review Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), 30-38, DOI: 10.18060/26827                                                                                                  
               Copyright © 2022 Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

Data Collection and Analysis 
Data collection was via an online survey link (Qualtrics). Collected data was analyzed using the Statistical 

Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.   
  
Results and Discussions  
 

A total of 209 respondents provided usable data as the sample for this study. About 72 percent of the 
respondents were female, 27 percent were male, and one percent of the respondents' gender was unknown. The age of 
the respondents ranged between 18-38 years old. Tables 1, 2, and 3 show the mean and standard deviation of the 
"Reservation, Check-in, and Check-out Services Importance," "Reservation and Room Services Preference," and 
"Perception of Personal Service and Self-service Technology Processes," respectively. 
 
Table 1. Reservation, Check-in, and Check-out Services Importance 
Service Process of Service Mean Std. 

Deviation 
Personal 
Service 

It is important to me that I am provided check-in 
services by a person during my visit to a hotel 

3.89 1.11 

Self-service 
Technology 

It is important to me that there are self-service 
technology (self-service kiosk) in a hotel for check-in 
services 

3.08 1.15 

Personal 
Service 

It is important to me that I am provided check-out 
services by a person during my visit to a hotel  

3.32 1.38 

Self-service 
Technology 

It is important to me that there are self-service 
technology (self-service kiosk) in a hotel for check-out 
services 

3.26 1.17 

Personal 
Service 

It is important to me that I am provided reservation 
services by a person during my visit to a hotel 

3.16 1.23 

Self-service 
Technology 

It is important to me that there are self-service 
technology (self-service kiosk) in a hotel for 
reservation services.  

3.36 1.18 

N = 209 
 
Table 2. Reservation and Room Services Preference 
Service Process of Service Mean Std. 

Deviation 
Personal 
Service 

I prefer to reserve my hotel room through mail 1.43 0.84 
I prefer to reserve my hotel room through fax 1.30 0.69 

Self-service 
Technology 

I prefer reserving my room at a hotel through a website 
without the involvement of human interaction 

4.26 0.94 

Personal 
Service 

I prefer talking to a person on the phone for my hotel 
room reservation  

2.84 1.33 

Self-service 
Technology 

I prefer reserving my hotel room through a phone call 
with automated services.  

2.09 1.24 

Personal 
Service 

I prefer ordering room service by talking with a person 
through a phone call 

3.37 1.20 

Self-service 
Technology 

I prefer ordering room service through the self-service 
technology present in my hotel room 

3.73 1.10 

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Ogbeide, G. (2022) / Events and Tourism Review, 5(2), 30-38. 
34 

Events and Tourism Review Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), 30-38, DOI: 10.18060/26827                                                                                                  
               Copyright © 2022 Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

N = 209 
 
Table 3. Perception of Personal Service and Self-service Technology Processes 
Service Process of Service Mean Std. 

Deviation 
Personal 
Service 

I believe that personal service is easier than the use of 
self-service technology in hotel  

3.16 1.02 

Self-service 
Technology 

I believe the use of self-service technology in hotel 
services is easier than personal service 

3.19 1.10 

Personal 
Service 

I believe that personal service is faster than the use of 
self-service technology in hotel  

2.85 1.00 

Self-service 
Technology 

I believe the use of self-service technology in hotel 
services is faster than personal service 

3.44 1.08 

Personal 
Service 

The use of personal services can be frustrating 3.35 .980 

Self-service 
Technology 

The use of self-service technology can be frustrating 3.56 .999 

Personal 
Service 

Personal service is better than automated self-service 
technology in a hotel 

3.31 1.04 

Self-service 
Technology 

Automated self-service technology is better than 
personal services in a hotel  

2.89 1.01 

N = 209 
 

To examine the first hypothesis (H1): A paired-sample t-test was conducted to compare the 
level of importance of personal service and the use of self-service technology in the hospitality 
industry. The analysis of the test indicated a significant difference in the level of importance 
between personal service (m = 3.46, SD = 1.03) and the use of self-service technology (m =3.23, SD 
= 1.02) in the hospitality industry; t (208) = 2.14, P = 0.03. These results suggest that personal 
service is more important than the use of self-service technology in the hospitality industry (see 
Table 4).  
 
 
Table 4: Level of Importance and Preference of Self-service Technology and Personal Service 
 
Paired Samples Statistics 

 

m 

 

N 

 

SD 

 

SEM 

 

Importance SST 3.23 209 1.02 0.07 
PS 3.46 209 1.03 0.07 

Preference SST 3.29 209 0.72 0.05 
PS 2.57 209 0.62 0.04 

 

 
Paired Samples Correlations 

 

N 

 

Correlation 

 

P 

 

Importance SST 
& 
PS 

209 -0.09 0.19 

Preference SST 
& 
PS 

209 -0.17 0.01 

 

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Ogbeide, G. (2022) / Events and Tourism Review, 5(2), 30-38. 
35 

Events and Tourism Review Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), 30-38, DOI: 10.18060/26827                                                                                                  
               Copyright © 2022 Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

Paired Samples Test 
 Paired Difference 

m SD SEM 95% 
CIDL 

95% 
CIDU 

t df P 
 

Importance SST & PS 0.22 1.52 0.10 0.18 0.43 2.14 208 0.03 

Preference SST & PS -0.73 1.03 0.71 0.87 -0.57 -10.24 208 <0.00 

SST: Self-service Technology, PS: Personal Service, SD: Standard Deviation, SEM: Standard 
Error Mean, CIDL: Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower, CIDU: Confidence Interval 
of the Difference Upper, m: Mean, P: Probability 

 
A paired-sample t-test was also used to examine the second hypothesis (H2): There is no 

preference between personal service and the use of self-service technology in the hospitality 
industry. The analysis of the test indicated a significant difference regarding preference between 
personal service (m = 2.57, SD = 0.62) and the use of self-service technology (m =3.29, SD = 0.72) 
in the hospitality industry; t (208) = -10.24, P = <0.001. These results suggest that Generation Y and 
Z prefer the use of self-service technology more than personal service in the hospitality industry (see 
Table 4).  

To examine the third hypothesis (H3), a paired-sample t-test was also conducted to compare 
and contrast the difference between the convenience attribute of personal service and the use of self-
service technology in the hospitality industry. The analysis of the test indicated a significant 
difference regarding the level of convenience between personal service (m = 3.46, SD = 1.06) and 
the use of self-service technology (m =4.44, SD = 0.74) in the hospitality industry; t (208) = 11.18, 
P = <0.001. These results suggest that Generation Y and Z prefer the convenience of using self-
service technology more than personal service in the hospitality industry. 
  To examine the fourth hypothesis (H4), a paired-sample t-test was also conducted to 
compare and contrast the difference between the promptness attribute of personal service and the 
use of self-service technology in the hospitality industry. The analysis of the test indicated a 
significant difference regarding the level of promptness between personal service (m = 3.41, SD = 
0.95) and the use of self-service technology (m =3.98, SD = 0.87) in the hospitality industry; t (208) 
= 6.52, P = <0.001. These results suggest that Generation Y and Z prefer the promptness in the use 
of self-service technology more than personal service in the hospitality industry (see Table 5).  
 
Table 5: Preferred Attributes of Self-service Technology  
 
Paired Samples Statistics 

 m N SD 
Std. Error 

Mean 
Service 
Convenience 

SST 4.44 209 0.74 0.05 
PS 3.46 209 1.06 0.07 

Service 
Promptness 

SST 3.98 209 0.87 0.06 
PS 3.41 209 0.95 0.07 

 

 
Paired Samples Correlations 
 N Correlation P 
Service 
Convenience 

SST 
& 
PS 

209 0.05 0.47 

Service 
Promptness 

SST 
& 
PS 

209 0.02 0.76 

 

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Ogbeide, G. (2022) / Events and Tourism Review, 5(2), 30-38. 
36 

Events and Tourism Review Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), 30-38, DOI: 10.18060/26827                                                                                                  
               Copyright © 2022 Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

Paired Samples Test 
 Paired Difference 

m SD SEM 95% 
CIDL 

95% 
CIDU 

t df P 

Service 
Convenience 

SST & PS 0.98 1.26 0.09 0.80 1.15 11.19 208 0.00 

Service 
Promptness 

SST & PS 0.57 1.27 0.09 0.40 0.75 6.52 208 0.00 

SST: Self-service Technology, PS: Personal Service, SD: Standard Deviation, SEM: Standard 
Error Mean, CIDL: Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower, CIDU: Confidence Interval of 
the Difference Upper, m: Mean, P: Probability 

 
 
Conclusions, Implications, and Limitations 
 

The results of this study illustrated that even though Generation Y and Z indicated that 
personal service is more important than the use of self-service technology in the hospitality industry, 
they still prefer the convenience and promptness of self-service technology. The practical 
implications of this finding for hospitality professionals and managers include the significance of 
convenience and promptness to future tourists (Generation Y and Z). Hence, extra care should be 
given to ensure guests are provided with excellent hospitality service characterized by convenience 
and promptness.  

The results of this study also suggest that self-service technology is not just a fad. Still, it is 
gaining more acceptance, especially by Generation Y and Z. Hence, hospitality professionals should 
be prepared to offer the benefits of self-service technology without losing the critical importance of 
personal service hospitality. Bearing the above in mind, hospitality professionals and management 
should endeavor to find an appropriate balance between the use of self-service technology and 
personal service suitable enough to enhance customer experience.  

The authors hope this research inspires other researchers to continue investigating the 
significance of personal service in the hospitality industry. It is critical to determine if and when 
customers will be less interested in personal service with the advent and use of self-service 
technology. One of the limitations of this study is that it focused only on Generation Y and Z within 
a small geographical area in the Midwestern part of the USA. Another study focusing on a larger 
population and more generations would yield room for generalizable research.  
 
 
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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), 30-38, DOI: 10.18060/26827                                                                                                  
               Copyright © 2022 Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

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Ogbeide, G. (2022) / Events and Tourism Review, 5(2), 30-38. 
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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), 30-38, DOI: 10.18060/26827                                                                                                  
               Copyright © 2022 Godwin-Charles Ogbeide 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

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	Abstract

