Papers
5
Total Citations
230
H-Index
3
About
Yaou Hu is an emerging scholar whose research sits at the intersection of hospitality technology, human-robot interaction, and consumer psychology. With a focus on how customers perceive and respond to service robots in hospitality contexts, Hu has made meaningful contributions to our understanding of when and why technology-driven service succeeds or fails. His most influential work, "How Sincere is an Apology?" (2021, 140 citations), broke new ground by investigating how robot-generated apologies compare to human ones during service failures, revealing the critical role of perceived sincerity and individual need for human interaction in shaping recovery satisfaction. A subsequent study (67 citations) further explored how user values and prior experience mediate acceptance of robotic service innovations. More recently, Hu has turned his attention to pressing ethical and behavioral questions surrounding AI-powered robots, examining how information transparency and data privacy choices influence customer trust, perceived control, and behavioral intentions. His 2025 work on crossing the "innovation chasm" offers practical guidance to restaurant operators navigating robot deployment. Collectively, Hu's research portfolio, accumulating over 230 citations, positions him as a thoughtful voice addressing both the promise and complexity of service automation in hospitality.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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