Hospitality professionals are not always convinced of the relevance of research to their work, and until recently there has often been a disconnect between theory and practice. However, many issues, both strategic and operational, are not easily solved in an isolated manner by each company. The variables are too complex and the issues are out of the control of each specific company. Collaborative research that includes both researchers and professionals has a huge potential to find applied solutions for each hospitality company while building common knowledge on issues that affect the industry as a whole.
Some of these issues include:
- What are the value drivers in the hospitality industry?
- What is the effect of and how to tackle the impact of community websites and blogs on brand image?
- How is the hospitality industry going to manage the shrinking of the workforce?
- How could business and environment be balanced?
Hospitality companies often do not hesitate to seek one-time solutions provided by consultants. The aim of Lausanne Hospitality Research is to develop more long-term, collaborative research, bringing together academics and professionals and moving from "academic research" to "practitioner research". It also aims to convince the industry that research is essential today in adding value to the hospitality and services sector, as it has proved to be in so many other economic sectors.
