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Article History

Received: 7 May 2024

Accepted: 28 November 2024

First Online: 31 January 2025

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of College of Economics and Management, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and followed all relevant ethical guidelines applicable in China. Since the study involved a low-risk behavioral experiment without any sensitive or identifiable personal data, the school’s ethics committee confirmed that no additional national ethics review was necessary. Approval was granted on October 10, 2023, covering the experimental procedures and data handling practices.

: Informed consent was obtained orally from all participants, who were senior undergraduate students majoring in hotel management from Fuzhou, Quanzhou, and Xiamen in Fujian Province, China. This approach was adopted due to the practicality and efficiency within the university environment where face - to - face communication with the students was easily accessible during class hours. The oral consent process was recorded using audio - recording devices. Each session of obtaining consent was documented with the date, time, and name of the researcher conducting the process. Immediately after the oral consent was obtained, a written note was made by the researcher summarizing the key points of the consent discussion. A script was used during the oral consent process to ensure consistency across all participants. The script detailed the study’s purpose, which was to conduct a scenario - based experiment where participants would experience hotel services within a simulated environment and then provide evaluations based on their experiences. The procedures involved such as guiding the participants into the specifically designed experimental scenarios to interact with the virtual hotel services and filling out evaluation forms afterwards. And the intended outcomes included obtaining comprehensive and objective feedback on the various aspects of the hotel services presented in the scenarios to further analyze and improve the design of hotel service models. It also emphasized that all data collected would be used solely for academic research and publication purposes, with strict confidentiality maintained. Participants were clearly informed that their participation was voluntary and that they could withdraw at any time without any negative impact on their academic standing. A copy of this script is attached for review. Respect for Participants and Fair Treatment. The study was conducted with respect for all participants’ rights, ensuring they were treated fairly and equally throughout the experiment. There was no form of discrimination, and all participants were treated with respect and consideration. Transparency and Data Confidentiality. The research purpose, procedures, and expected outcomes were fully transparent to participants, ensuring their informed consent. All collected data were anonymized, securely stored, and used only for scientific analysis and publication, with no personal information disclosed.