DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism 2026, 18(1):28-54 | DOI: 10.32725/det.2026.002

Motivational Drivers Behind Hotel Employees’ Intention to Stay in the Industry: An Expectancy Theory Perspective with Technology Support as a Moderator

Feri Ferdiana,e,*, Mohd Salehuddin Mohd Zaharib, Vanica Serlyc, Hijriyantomi Suyuthieae, Hendri Azwarae, Agariadne Dwinggo Samalad, Yudha Aditya Fiandrad
a Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Universitas Negeri Padang, Jl. Prof. Dr. Hamka Air Tawar, Padang 25131, Indonesia
b Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, UCSI University, 1 Jalan UCSI, UCSI Heights (Taman Connaught), Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
c Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Padang, Jl. Prof. Dr. Hamka Air Tawar, Padang 25131, Indonesia
d Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang, Jl. Prof. Dr. Hamka Air Tawar, Padang 25131, Indonesia
e Research Center for Sustainable Tourism Development, Universitas Negeri Padang, Jl. Prof. Dr. Hamka Air Tawar, Padang 25131, Indonesia
* corresponding author

Anchored in Expectancy Theory of Motivation, this study investigates how expectancy, instrumentality, and valence influence hotel employees’ intention to stay in the industry, while assessing the moderating role of technology support. The research was conducted among operational employees of four- and five-star hotels across fourteen provinces in Indonesia, yielding 388 valid responses through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire via online and analyzed via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings demonstrate that all three motivational components; expectancy, instrumentality, and valence exert significant positive effects on employees’ intention to remain, reaffirming the robustness of expectancy theory within contemporary hospitality settings. These results suggest that employees are more inclined to stay when they perceive a clear link between effort and performance, trust that performance will lead to valued rewards and assign meaningful value to those outcomes. However, technology negatively moderates the relationship between expectancy and intention to stay, as well as between valence and intention to stay, indicating that technology-intensive environments may weaken certain motivational perceptions. In contrast, no significant moderating effect was observed in the instrumentality retention relationship. Collectively, the findings contribute theoretically by contextualizing expectancy theory in technology-driven workplaces and offer practical insights for hotel managers seeking to design balanced, human-centered retention strategies.

Keywords: Hospitality; Technology; Expectancy Theory; Motivation; Intention to Stay Working

Received: September 1, 2025; Revised: March 18, 2026; Accepted: May 12, 2026; Published: May 16, 2026  Show citation

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Ferdian, F., Salehuddin Mohd Zahari, M., Serly, V., Suyuthiea, H., Azwara, H., Samala, A.D., & Fiandra, Y.A. (2026). Motivational Drivers Behind Hotel Employees’ Intention to Stay in the Industry: An Expectancy Theory Perspective with Technology Support as a Moderator. DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism, 18(1), 28-54. doi: 10.32725/det.2026.002
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