Facial recognition services (FRS) are renowned for their efficiency and convenience, yet consumer skepticism persists due to psychological security awareness about privacy and usability, which is affecting their desirability in the hospitality sector. This study draws on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to identify the determining factors and moderating effect of age that influence the adoption of hotel FRS. A combined approach using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) is employed to predict the willingness of 300 Generation Z tourists to use hotel FRS. Results of the PLS-SEM model revealed that perceived severity and perceived vulnerability demonstrated directly lower Generation Z’s acceptability for hotel FRS, while coping appraisals (self-efficacy) directly improve the acceptance of FRS by Z generation hotels. The findings of the ANN model indicated that self-efficacy is the most important predictor of willingness to use hotel FRS, followed by perceived severity and perceived vulnerability. Furthermore, the results of the multiple group analysis indicate that gender plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between response cost and willingness to use hotel FRS. This proposed framework contributes to understanding the psychological mechanisms of tourists using FRS in hotels.
