Trends in research on artificial intelligence and management control in the hotel sector: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

The goal of this study is to map the evolution of management control systems and artificial intelligence (AI) research in the hotel sector. It defines research gaps and thematic connections. A bibliometric analysis of articles indexed in Scopus between 2015 and 2025 is used in this article. Citation patterns, co-citation networks, keyword co-occurrence, and associated bibliometric indicators were investigated through analysis using VOSviewer and R. Results show that research on AI and management control in the hospitality industry has significantly increased. Nonetheless, there are still significant gaps in the scholarship. Limitations result from ignoring earlier work and concentrating only on Scopus-indexed articles published between 2015 and 2025. Web of Science could be added, and the sample updated to overcome these limitations. The findings point to new lines of inquiry for the hospitality sector's integration of AI and management control. This work represents the first bibliometric study at the intersection of management control and artificial intelligence in the hotel industry. It gives practitioners practical insights and establishes a conceptual framework for further research.