NAVIGATING SMART HOTEL IMPLEMENTATION IN BATAM ISLAND, INDONESIA: STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

The hospitality industry is undergoing a significant transformation driven by rapid technological advancements, resulting in the emergence of smart hotels as a new paradigm in accommodation services. These hotels integrate a range of cutting-edge technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and mobile applications, to enhance guest experiences through personalization and convenience, optimize operational efficiency, and promote sustainable and environmentally responsible practices. This shift is reshaping guest expectations and industry standards globally, creating opportunities for competitive advantage. Batam Island, Indonesia, as a rapidly developing tourist destination and a critical gateway for international visitors, presents a relevant and strategically significant setting to explore the adoption and implementation of smart hotel technologies. The island’s evolving tourism landscape, coupled with its socio-economic and infrastructural characteristics, underscores the importance of understanding how these innovations are integrated within emerging market settings. This study aims to investigate the implementation of smart hotels in Batam by focusing on the socio-technical challenges inherent in this process, including infrastructural constraints, cultural considerations, and stakeholder readiness. Although extensive research has explored smart hotel implementation in developed economies, emerging markets such as Indonesia remain underrepresented in the literature. In order to identify the main challenges and their roles in advancing the implementation of smart hotel technologies, this study will use a qualitative methodology to gather the lived experiences and perspectives of stakeholders, including internationally chain hotel managers of four and five star hotels that have implemented smart hotels and government officials with experience creating regulations on smart hotels. The findings are expected to provide critical insights into stakeholder engagement, infrastructural and cultural barriers, and strategic opportunities specific to Batam Island, offering valuable contributions for academic and industry practitioners seeking to advance smart hospitality practices in similar emerging contexts.