Smart technologies are reshaping hospitality services, and smart hotels have become a prominent setting in which travelers interact with artificial intelligence, automation, and digitally mediated service systems. Although research has largely focused on younger digital natives, much less is known about how Generation X evaluates and adopts these technologies.

This study examines how perceived expectancy, effort expectancy, and perceived descriptive norms influence the intention of Generation X consumers in China to use smart hotel services and investigates the mediating role of innovativeness. Data were collected from 450 respondents in four major cities through an online survey. Reliability and validity assessments confirmed strong measurement properties, and regression and mediation analyses revealed significant effects across all hypothesized relationships. Perceived descriptive norms emerged as the strongest predictor of intention, followed by innovativeness and effort expectancy, highlighting the relevance of social environments and usability perceptions in shaping adoption decisions. Innovativeness partially mediated the influence of all three predictors, suggesting that cognitive beliefs and social cues translate into intention through individual tendencies to explore new technologies.