Our Research Projects

Beyond Sustainability in Hospitality: A Practical Framework for Regenerative Hospitality

How can hotels go beyond sustainability and actively regenerate the environment and communities they serve? This project explores a practical framework designed to assist Swiss hospitality businesses in implementing effective sustainable and restorative solutions that benefit both their business and the community where they operate. 

Professional Social Media for Job Search and Hiring

Professional social media are pervasive in today's job market, but are we using them well? This project explores how platforms like LinkedIn help job seekers find the right job and how employers can leverage them to spot the right talent.

Driving Sustainability and Innovation in the Foodservice Industry

What happens when Swiss foodservice reimagines itself for a sustainable future? This project uncovers the bold shifts, hidden challenges, and real-world innovations driving the industry's green transformation—impacting chefs, owners, policymakers, and the plates we all share.

How Economic and Demographic Trends Influence the International Tourism

This project explores how long-term global trends, including population aging, catch-up growth, migration, and environmental changes, are influencing international tourism patterns and shaping the tourism industry in Switzerland.

How Tourism Pressures the Galapagos: A study of Carrying Capacities and Local Impacts

This project investigates tourism carrying capacities in the Galápagos Islands by analyzing environmental, social, and psychological impacts. It aims to support sustainable tourism strategies that respect both local communities and ecosystems.

The Professional Identity Journey of Michelin-Starred Chefs: Balancing Tradition and Creativity

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a successful Michelin-starred chef? This project seeks to unravel the keys to success by delving into the experiences of top chefs and examining the journey that leads to their accomplishments.

Gen Z Trends and Perspectives on Sustainable Mobility

This project aims to analyse the professional and private mobility patterns and perspectives of the Generation Z (1995-2010) on the sustainability aspects of mobility within the DACH Region (Austria, Germany, Lichtenstein, Switzerland).

How Cultural Intelligence Can Improve Guest Experience in the Hospitality Industry?

This research project examines how cultural intelligence is currently applied in the Swiss hospitality industry, with a focus on identifying key challenges and opportunities linked to cultural norms, values, and behaviours of guest from China, India, or the Gulf States. The goal is to better understand intercultural interactions and improve the guest experience in Swiss hotels.

How to Become a Smart Destination and Boost Tourism Through Data and Innovation

The Smart Destination initiative in Vaud empowers regional tourism SMEs through data-driven innovation and a digital platform. As part of the Flagship Resilient Tourism program supported by Innosuisse, the project delivers a prototype dashboard that enables visitor data analytics, real-time tourist flow insights, and optimized operations. This scalable smart tourism model enhances destination management, fosters resilience, and strengthens sustainable tourism development in the region.

SDG-Focused Sustainable Hospitality Training for Hotel Staff

This project aims to develop an applied hospitality training program dedicated to hotel operational personnel to enhance environmental and cultural awareness of the SDGs in the Swiss hospitality sector.

Green Tourism in Switzerland: Who Are the Sustainable Tourists and What Drives Their Behavior?

The project aims to understand how Swiss tourists adopt sustainable behaviors, classify them into typical groups, analyze their profile and importance, and then help professionals better target and enhance their sustainable offers according to these groups.

Implementing Revenue Management Strategies for Ski Lifts

Application of Revenue Management Strategy to Ski lifts.

Optimizing Hotel Service Offers with Machine Learning Techniques

Identify the optimal service mix for SME hotels using data-driven methods to boost revenue and profit.

AI-Generated Text in Higher Education: Impact, Equity, and Challenges

This project investigates the phenomenon of AI-generated text in higher education institutions (HEIs) to create recommendations (particularly faculty and students) on the benefits and dangers of using AI in their work

SEM24

The SEM24 project aims to improve the match between candidates using interdisciplinary knowledge in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Human Resources Management (HRM).

How audience heterogeneity impacts the fate of organizations: the case of the beer boom and the development of the beer industry in Switzerland

The impact of audience heterogeneity on entrepreneurial outcomes and organizational dynamics

Resilient Tourism

This project was designed to make a systemic impact on the travel industrial digital transfromation at Swiss level

The detrimental impact of service digitization on frontline staff’s productivity, well-being, and customer experience

Examine how technology-enabled service failures during service encounters can affect the performance and well-being of frontline staff.

Sociocultural impacts of tourism degrowth during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Galapagos Islands

Analysing sociocultural impacts of the COVID pandemic in the Galapagos tourism sector.

The Swiss Hospitality Macroeconomics Forecasting Index

The project develops a hotels’ demand forecasting model.

Economic Effects of Covid-19 and Macroeconomic Policies for Recovery

The project analyzes the economic effects of Covid-19 and analyzes the effects of the different policy interventions.

Economic Effects of Covid-19 and Macroeconomic Policies for Recovery

The project studies the effects of exchange rate fluctuations on the performance of the Swiss hospitality industry.

Destination Image and Travel Intentions for Switzerland

Imagery Diagnosis Model afford decision makers to find the best photos for marketing purposes.

Building Trust During Covid-19 Recovery

The current research, within the foundations of dual coding theory and source credibility theories, studied the effectiveness of cleanliness communication formats (textual, visual, and label) and the impact of an expert- (vs. self-) inspected label on a number of consumer outcomes.

Authenticity as a resource for entrepreneurship and tourism: the case of the beer boom in Switzerland

Beer entrepreneurship and tourism

Corporate experience and organizational learning in sustainability reporting

This research project examines the dynamic effect of corporate sustainability reporting across firms in multiple industries and documents how the measurement and reporting process helps managers learn about the sustainability aspects of the business and promotes improvement in sustainability activities and outcomes.

Human-Robot Interaction in a service delivery context

Interaction with service robots: Focus on ethical considerations

Avatar remote control

The objective of this study was to improve the customer experience by focusing on the impact of avatar concierge solution on the quality of service perceived.

Green Tourists: Attitudinal and Behavioral Sustainable Tourist Segments for Switzerland

The project focuses on understanding tourists' perceptions and motivations towards sustainable tourism to help hospitality companies target customers effectively.

Corporate Decision making under high uncertainty

This project analysed the impact of the coronavirus in the economy with an emphasis on the hospitality industry.

Pandemic and Beyond - Developing innovative approaches against COVID-19 for tourism sector using a Mean-End Chain theory approach

This project seeks to investigate the shifts in travel motivations that have occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and to assess the practical implications of these changes.

Exploring travel motivation post COVID-19 using a Mean-End-Chain theory approach

This project seeks to examine how cultural background (i.e., Switzerland and South Korea) influences travel motivation during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Hotel Intelligent System using Machine Learning and Cognitive Tools (Hotelnet)

This project aims to propose a new approach for daily hotel demand forecasting by using clusters of stay dates generated from historical booking data.

Doing well by doing good: Ecosystem strategies for hybrid organizations

We intend to develop a theoretical model of how firms orchestrate the conflicting profit and societal objectives collectively with other companies, identify the mechanisms that allow this coordination to be successful, and study the complete evolution of the company, capturing the different approaches chosen in orchestrating the conflicting objectives.

Winds of change: The critical function of role identity management in strategic change

This research project enhances our understanding of why strategic changes oftentimes fail, specifically, we provide insights into the micro-foundations of strategic change, and how role identity adaptation is critical to a successful strategic change.

Digital Supported Regenerative Hospitality in Rural Lebanon

The project was designed to explore the regenerative hospitality practices of rural Lebanon

Digitally Enabled Regenerative Hospitality Ecosystems

The project generated an understaidng og Regenerative Hospitality scope and best practices at international level.

Corporate Decision making under high uncertainty

This project analysed the impact of the coronavirus in the economy with an emphasis on the hospitality industry.

Local Community Empowerment Through Smart Host-Guest Relationship

This project generated a better understanding of the digitally mediated relationship between host and guest in rural Lebanon

Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Media Communication

This project generated an understanding of CSR managerial practices in hsopitality along with CSR digital communication.

Effective online networking practices in the context of Swiss SMEs

Effective online networking practices in the context of Swiss SMEs

Effects of Circular Economy Practices in the Hospitality Industry

Our research empirically examines the effects of hotels’ specific CE practices on guests’ general attitude towards those hotels as well as their willingness to pay a price premium (WTP).

VirtualSomm - A sommelier in your pocket and the true cost of wine

Assess the overall sustainability of the wine industry

Addressing the challenge of food waste reduction in the post-pandemic scenario: A study in hospitality education

Assess food waste from a technological perspective

Current Innovation Trends in Sales, Marketing & Revenue Management of branded hotels in the United States (HSMAI)

Assess innovation capabilities of the US hospitality industry

COVID-19 : Gérer la crise et préparer le futur de l’industrie viticole suisse

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact Swiss wine consumers?

Effects of relative media sentiment, information demand, and conspicuous desire on Chinese tourists demand to travel to Switzerland

This projects examines the impacts of media sentiment on tourism demand.

COVID-19 crisis resiliency across ownership structures in Swiss listed companies

Investigation of family firms' outperformance during COVID.

Local Community Empowerment Through Smart Host-Guest Relationship

This project generated a better understanding of the digitally mediated relationship between host and guest in rural Lebanon

How Business Model Innovation Helps Food and Beverage SMEs Overcome Crises such as COVID-19

The purpose of this project is to shed light on how SMEs can use temporary business model innovations to navigate and recover from crises.

Gender diversity all over the firm: the consequences of financial reporting feminization on financial reporting outcomes

Analysis of the impact of the interplay of gender diversity at the auditor and auditee levels.

L’avenir des hôtels d’affaires suisses en milieu urbain

This project responded to the need of hoteliers in the French part of Switzerland to use their spaces properly during the pandemic

Utiliser les nudges afin de modifier durablement les comportements de mobilité douce au travail

The main objective of this project was to identify the factors that promote the adoption of soft mobility offers at work.

Price Transparency in the European Hotel Industry

The primary objective of this research project was to develop the first transaction-based hotel index for the European hotel market and make it available to all market participants.

Hospitality’s response to Covid-19: Welcome back to the new ‘abnormal’!

This project measured the effectiveness of the messages communicated on Facebook and official websites of Swiss 4 and 5-star hotels over 14 months of the Covid-19 pandemic (June 2020 to August 2021)

Bringing hospitality inside seniors’ smart homes

The objective of this study was to have a larger vision of the situation of elderly people in order to improve their quality of life by focusing on the impact of connected technologies on the quality of service perceived.

Développement durable dans l’hôtellerie Transfrontalière

Applied research project aimed at developing an action plan for sustainable development in the French-Swiss cross-border hotel industry.

Gestion du risque climatique dans la viticulture par la diversification des cépages

Can winemakers diversify by planting different grape varieties, thereby reducing the qualitative and quantitative uncertainty of their harvest?

Exploring the Devastating Social Impact of Japan’s Release of Nuclear Polluted Water

Exploring the social and economic implications of Japan's decision to release nuclear water.

Les impacts du programme Business Team Academy: Effets sur l’emploi et la carrière des diplômé·e·s et retombées pour les organisations

The aim of this project is to evaluate the impact of an experiential management learning programm to identify its benefits for graduates and the organizations that employ them.

Données satellitaires, intelligence artificielle et régressions hédoniques au service de la modélisation des liens entre météo, qualité et prix des vins

This project aims to (i) develop a model for estimating the quality of individual wines using artificial intelligence, and (ii) determine the 'fair price' of fine wines when they are released on the market.

Accroître les comportements écoresponsables en milieu hôtelier: Communications normative et engageante.

Normative and committing communication strategies are effective in triggering sustainable behavior among hotel guests.

Asset-light strategies in the hospitality industry: A light-hearted or a right choice?

The project constructs asset-light indicators and explores their effect on the financial performance of hospitality companies.

Toward successful implementation of novel forms of innovation in the hospitality industry

The project enhances understanding of global hospitality businesses' adoption of innovative practices by surveying managers, interviewing executives, and promoting the integration of innovation strategy into their overall business strategy.

The impact of hotel online-customer ratings on lodging performance across industry segments.

We examined the impact of hotel online ratings and sales performance to contribute to theory of marketing and provide concrete guidelines to hotel managers.

Financing solutions for the small and medium hotel businesses in Switzerland: The study of a possible initial public offering on the SWX Local Caps.

Assess the opportunity of financing small and medium sized hotel through SWX market.

The Swiss Tourist Satisfaction and Happiness Index

This project developed a set of indices to measure tourists' satisfaction and happiness in Switzerland.

Construction et circulation des compétences interculturelles dans les relations de service front desk: le cas de l’hôtellerie

Understanding intercultural competences in hospitality setting.

Optimising Channel Selection for SME Hotels- Investigating Customer Preferences and Hotelier Channel Management

Make your hotel online presence attractive to gain competitive advantages.

Influence des réseaux sociaux (Web 2.0) sur le comportement d’achat des jeunes « millennials » dans la restauration en France et en Suisse

Le projet vise à offrir aux restaurateurs un outil de décision pour le choix de leurs stratégies de distribution et communication adaptées au comportement d’achat de la génération « Millenial » en Suisse et en France, une génération grande utilisatrice des réseaux sociaux.

Selection practices in the Swiss Hotel Industry

The project aims at identifying, analyzing and improving selection practices in the Swiss Hotel Industry, in a context of high staff turnover and low retention rates, as well as skill-gap.

Virtual reality as a talent recruitment tool

The project aims at identifying and analyzing the opportunities and threats regarding the development of recruitment and selection tools based on virtual reality, both from the candidates and the recruiters' perspectives.

Ecofass-Vin, Développement, perfectionnement et industrialisation d'un système de distribution innovant pour les boissons carbonatées et fortement carbonatées, incluant la quantification et la diminution de l'impact écologique de la distribution de vins régionaux

The project's purpose is the joint development of an innovative, efficient and environmentally friendly storage and distribution solution of local wines which brings together 5 partners (3 Swiss, 2 French), covering the entire value chain and skills necessary for the development and then deployment of the solution.

Impact d’une formation aux techniques d’influence sur le comportement et les gains des employés de restauration

The project aims to test the effectivenes of a training intervention for waiters to enhance guest's tipping behavior

Virtual Agents

This project aims to examine the impact of online real-time interactivity on the desire of users to visit and to purchase products/services from the company in the future.

Humanization CRM

The influence of a virtual agent on web-users’ desire to visit the company: The case of restaurant’s website.