Charting the Automation of Hospitality: An Interdisciplinary Literature Review Examining the Evolution of Frontline Service work in the Face of Algorithmic Management

Franchesca Spektor, Sarah E. Fox, Ezra Awumey, Ben Begleiter, Chinmay Kulkarni, Betsy Stringam, Christine A. Riordan, Hye Jin Rho, Hunter Akridge, Jodi Forlizzi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Recent investments in automation and AI are reshaping the hospitality sector. Driven by social and economic forces affecting service delivery, these new technologies have transformed the labor that acts as the backbone to the industry-namely frontline service work performed by housekeepers, front desk staff, line cooks and others. We describe the context for recent technological adoption, with particular emphasis on algorithmic management applications. Through this work, we identify gaps in existing literature and highlight areas in need of further research in the domains of worker-centered technology development. Our analysis highlights how technologies such as algorithmic management shape roles and tasks in the high-touch service sector. We outline how harms produced through automation are often due to a lack of attention to non-management stakeholders. We then describe an opportunity space for researchers and practitioners to elicit worker participation at all stages of technology adoption, and offer methods for centering workers, increasing transparency, and accounting for the context of use through holistic implementation and training strategies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number33
JournalProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
Volume7
Issue number1 CSCW
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 16 2023

Keywords

  • algorithmic management
  • future of work
  • hospitality
  • service labor

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Networks and Communications

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