Craig Webster

About

Craig Webster is a pioneering scholar whose research sits at the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and the tourism and hospitality industries. Over the past decade, he has emerged as one of the foremost authorities on the adoption of robots, artificial intelligence, and service automation (RAISA) within travel, tourism, and hospitality contexts, helping to establish this as a legitimate and vibrant field of academic inquiry. Webster's most influential contributions include comprehensive literature reviews, cost-benefit analyses, and conceptual frameworks that have given researchers and industry professionals the tools to understand how and why companies integrate technologies such as chatbots, delivery robots, and self-service kiosks. His 2019 paper on adoption of robots and service automation has accumulated over 420 citations, while his systematic review of robotics in hospitality literature has garnered nearly 400. Collectively, his ten most-cited works alone represent over 2,300 citations, a testament to their foundational importance. Beyond journal articles, Webster co-authored the first book examining RAISA in tourism from a social science perspective, further cementing his role as a field-builder. His research spans consumer attitudes, willingness-to-pay, perceived appropriateness, and the broader economic implications of automation, making his body of work indispensable reading for anyone studying the future of hospitality technology.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Adoption of robots and service automation by tourism and hospitality companies

   420 citations · 2019
2. 2
   Progress on robotics in hospitality and tourism: a review of the literature

   395 citations · 2019
3. 3
   Adoption of Robots, Artificial Intelligence and Service Automation by Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Companies – A Cost-Benefit Analysis

   268 citations · 2017
4. 4
   Young Russian adults' attitudes towards the potential use of robots in hotels

   255 citations · 2018
5. 5
   Robots in tourism: A research agenda for tourism economics

   230 citations · 2019
6. 6
   Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and Service Automation in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality

   214 citations · 2019
7. 7
   Perceived Appropriateness and Intention to Use Service Robots in Tourism

   177 citations · 2018
8. 8
   Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and the Evolving Nature of Work

   151 citations · 2019
9. 9
   Conceptual Framework of the Use of Robots, Artificial Intelligence and Service Automation in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality Companies

   124 citations · 2019
10. 10
    Willingness-to-pay for robot-delivered tourism and hospitality services – an exploratory study

    123 citations · 2021

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links