Exploring the Drivers of Customer Experience Quality in Smart Hotels: A Content and fsqca Approach

The rise of smart hotels represents a key innovation transforming customer experience in the digital era. The study aims to explore the critical issue of customer experience quality (CEQ) in smart hotels by systematically analyzing the factors influencing CEQ and proposing strategic optimization configurations. Based on cue utilization theory and complexity theory, 5,852 online reviews from six representative smart hotels are analyzed by content analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Eight critical factors are identified: staff performance, price and value, location, smart service, safety and security, learning, servicescape, and food and beverage. The configurational analysis reveals four distinct pathways to high CEQ: (1) staff performance-servicescape-oriented type, (2) smart service-servicescape-oriented type, (3) staff performance-smart service-safety and security-oriented type, and (4) staff performance-smart service-servicescape-oriented type. These findings advance theoretical understanding of the human–technology interplay in smart hotels and offer practical guidance for enhancing CEQ and competitive advantage through strategic configurations.