More and more people will discover, some probably too late, that people love people. We are herd animals that are not made to sit in front of a screen for everything.
Think about it, you can travel the world, stay in automated hotels, and eat food without talking to anyone. – The researchers have come up with the first results on how people feel about the development.
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People like people
AI-powered chatbots are becoming increasingly common on hotel booking sites. They’ll help you search for rooms, compare prices and answer questions. But new research shows that the virtual assistants also make many travelers uncomfortable – and in some cases, scare them away before they even complete their booking.
The study, published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management, found that travelers often feel uneasy when hotels’ chatbots seem inaccurate, unreliable, too intrusive, or downright misleading.
The researchers believe that this feeling of “creepiness” can reduce trust, create frustration – and even cause customers to cancel their order altogether.
Inaccurate information creates the strongest reaction
The research was led by researchers at Texas A&M University, who surveyed 340 adults in the UK who had used chatbots in connection with online hotel bookings.
The researchers discovered that inaccurate information created the strongest negative reaction. When the chatbots gave incorrect room rates, misunderstood cancellation policies, or failed to answer questions satisfactorily, users became far more inclined to end the conversation.
According to the study, these unpleasant feelings reduced people’s willingness to continue chatting with the AI by almost 38 percent. The discomfort also nearly doubled the likelihood of users postponing or canceling the booking process altogether.
“Human-like robots can be disturbing”
The researchers explain that the problem becomes even more noticeable when chatbots try to sound very human. This is linked to a psychological phenomenon known as the “uncanny valley”, where technology that behaves almost like a human – but not quite perfectly – can feel disturbing rather than useful.
Naturally, humans expect a human-like chatbot to communicate fluently and precisely. When it doesn’t, the mismatch between expectation and reality creates a stronger emotional reaction than a simple technical error.
Lead researcher Babak Taheri says that users often feel threatened or manipulated when a chatbot behaves inconsistently or appears misleading.
Surprising solution: Honesty
However, the study also found that companies can reduce some of the discomfort through something surprisingly simple: honesty.
When the chatbots clearly presented themselves as AI at the start of the conversation, users became more forgiving of mistakes. Instead of assuming that the system was deliberately misleading them, people were more inclined to see the flaws as normal AI limitations.
For example, the researchers suggested that hotel websites should start conversations with a short message like, “Hi, I’m your AI assistant.”
“Transparency is not a perfect solution”
At the same time, transparency was not a perfect solution. Once users already knew they were talking to AI, they became more sensitive to anything that felt deceptive or unnatural. That means companies still need to improve their chatbots’ quality and accuracy – not just announce that AI is in use.
The researchers recommend that hotel and travel companies invest in better AI systems that can more reliably answer important questions about room availability, rates, refunds, and cancellations. They also suggest that customers should be given an easy opportunity to switch from chatbot to a real human when necessary.
Important lessons for companies
The study highlights an important lesson for businesses adopting AI-based customer service solutions: convenience age is not enough. Travelers also want transparency, accuracy, and trust—especially when they’re spending money on important travel plans.
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