Determinants of Chatbot Adoption in Hospitality HR : A Comparative Study of Digital Readiness and Technostress in Indonesia

Abstract

As the hospitality industry in Indonesia increasingly integrates AI-powered technologies to optimize operations, understanding employee acceptance becomes vital for workforce sustainability. This study investigates the determinants of chatbot adoption in hospitality Human Resources (HR), specifically focusing on internal performance management tasks. Utilizing the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research examines the impact of Digital Readiness and Technostress on Perceived Usefulness and Behavioral Intention to use chatbots. Data were collected through an online survey of 150 employees from 3-star to 5-star hotels in Jakarta and Bali who have experience using chatbots for performance-related tasks. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) via SmartPLS 4. The results reveal that Digital Readiness significantly and positively influences both Perceived Usefulness β= 0.114, p < 0.05) and Behavioral Intention (β= 0.172, p < 0.001). Conversely, while Technostress positively impacts Perceived Usefulness β= 0.644, p < 0.001), it has a significant negative effect on Behavioral Intention (β= -0.388, p < 0.001). This highlights a critical duality: employees may recognize a tool's utility but resist adoption due to psychological strain. Furthermore, Perceived Usefulness remains the strongest predictor of intention (β= 0.828, p < 0.001). The findings suggest that hotel managers must balance technical upskilling with stress-mitigation strategies to ensure successful digital transformation