Facial recognition check-in services at hotels

Despite the popularity of facial recognition check-in services at hotels, few academic studies have examined these services. This research empirically examines hotel guests’ adoption of facial recognition check-in services from the perspectives of security, privacy, and trust. In addition to testing the effects of security, privacy, and trust in the context of innovative technology adoption, this research considers situations in which security and privacy have mixed effects. On-site investigations at hotels were conducted, and 391 hotel guests were surveyed. Given that prior experience is closely connected with current adoption of a system, this study examined three scenarios of prior adoption experience (positive, negative, and no prior experience) to determine their influence on customers’ perceived security, privacy, and trust as well as current adoption of a facial recognition system at a hotel. We found and statistically confirmed that privacy has a greater impact on customers’ trust than security. In addition, the results indicate various significant relations among prior experience, security, privacy, trust, and customer adoption behaviors. The rich findings generate many theoretical and practical implications.