Purpose Given little light has been shed on the preference of Generation Z tourists or tourists from different cultural backgrounds toward service robot preference in hospitality contexts, this study aims to explore robot service preferences in the accommodation sector in the Chinese market, with a specific focus of Generation Z customers.

Design/methodology/approach This study followed an exploratory sequential research design including two qualitative methods (i.e. projective techniques and semistructured interviews) to reach its objectives.

Findings This study suggests that service robots are more preferred for routine tasks and gender differences exist in the preference of service robot’s anthropomorphism level. The preferences are driven by four factors based on different levels of hedonic and utilitarian values: experienced-hedonic value, utilitarian-hedonic value, task-relevant value and utilitarian value.

Research limitations/implications First, because of the exploratory nature of this study, the data interpretation is unavoidably subjective; therefore, the results can be confirmed by using a more rigorous research method. Second, this study only focuses on the preference of Generation Z customers in China in the hotel sector; as the cultural differences exist in different countries, this study’s findings cannot be readily generalized across populations and service contexts. Finally, this study fails to dig into the effect of gender differences on varying levels of anthropomorphic attributes.

Practical implications As hotels adopt service robots more widely, managers need to identify customers’ service preferences and prioritize tasks between robots and human resources for more efficient service. Particularly important is understanding the benefits and challenges of specific robot implementations rather than looking for a one-size-fits-all mode of operation.

Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to understand robot service preference with regard to specific tourist groups in illustrating their preference for service delivery. Drawing on self-determination theory, this study potentially provides a theoretical basis for hotel service process optimization.