An extended technology acceptance model in behavioral intention toward hotel tablet apps with moderating effects of gender and age

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether a customer’s perceptions of hotel tablet apps serve as determinants of customers’ behavioral intention in terms of the app’s ease of use, usefulness, credibility and subjective norm. It also explored age and gender as moderators of the relationships between these determinants and customers’ behavioral intention as well as customers’ likelihood of using specific app functions across age and gender. Design/methodology/approach A research model, grounded in the technology acceptance model (TAM), used data collected from 751 hotel customers in the USA. The model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results showed that three of the four proposed determinants positively influenced customers’ behavioral intention toward hotel tablet apps. Neither gender nor age played significant moderating roles in the relationships between the four determinants and the behavioral intention. The study also revealed age- and gender-related differences in preferences for specific hotel tablet app functions. Practical implications This study helps operators successfully plan for investing in and implementing hotel apps. It assists operators in developing effective marketing strategies by understanding factors influencing customers’ app adoption and between group differences in their preferences on app functions. Originality/value This is the first tablet app adoption study that extends TAM to the hotel industry. Thus, it extends the literature on technology adoption by exploring both existing and new variables and testing them in a new context.