From Technology Acceptance to Platform Attachment: Hospitality Training in Metaverse

Evolving from augmented and virtual reality environments, the metaverse offers unique immersion, presence, interaction, and persistence, setting it apart from other online platforms. This study employs an experimental design to test a model examining how technology acceptance and platform attachment, driven by situatedness in the metaverse, impact learning in hospitality education. We propose a framework combining technology acceptance with place attachment theory to explore the metaverse's role in hospitality training. Statistical analysis reveals a significant positive correlation between technology acceptance and platform attachment (beta = 0.399, p < .001), which in turn positively influences mental model change (beta = 0.758, p < .001). These findings highlight the metaverse's transformative potential in hospitality education by influencing cognitive frameworks, specifically mental model changes, and enhancing task performance during virtual training. The study also identifies the mediating role of platform attachment in shaping user experiences, providing a theoretical basis for understanding the metaverse's impact and practical insights for improving hospitality training.