Alexander Lennart Schmidt

Alexander Lennart Schmidt, a European citizen born in Germany, holds a PhD in disruptive business models from VU University, Amsterdam. With extensive experience at universities of applied sciences in Germany and the Netherlands, he currently serves as Professor (Lector) of Technological Innovation at Hotelschool The Hague. Alexander’s research focuses on the intersection of digital technologies—such as robotics, AI, and automation—and business model innovation, particularly within the hospitality industry. His work provides management tools aimed at thriving in an era of ongoing technological disruption.

“My research aims to shed light on how (digital) technologies induce change in industries. Often, those changes are driven by market players from outside established industry borders. That is why I engage in cross-industry research and partnerships. In my role as a lecturer, it is my goal to inspire our students based on recent empirical evidence. In our classrooms, students experience me as a learning facilitator ‘on eye level’ who enables individual development and learning.”

Alexander’s current research interests mainly include topics related to Technological Innovation in Hospitality.

Robotics in Hospitality

Technology-driven business model innovation in Hospitality

Educational Innovation

Schmidt, A. L., Koerten, K., Tuomi, A., El‐Manstrly, D., & Wiegerink, K. (2025). Human Versus Robot: Comparing Service Agents in Hospitality Settings—Insights From a Field Study. Strategic Change, jsc.2637. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2637

Schmidt, A., Govender, P., Oskam, J., Burbach, R., et al. (2024) From Feedback to Framework: Exploring a Student-Centric Development Process for Low-End Immersive AR/VR Learning Content in Hospitality Education, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 1-13.

Larivière, B., Verleye, K., De Keyser, A., Koerten, K., & Schmidt, A. L. (2025). The Service Robot Customer Experience (SR-CX): A Matter of AI Intelligences and Customer Service Goals. Journal of Service Research, 28(1), 35–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705241296051

Antonio, J. L., Schmidt, A. L., Kanbach, D. K., & Meyer, N. (2024). Enacting disruption: How entrepreneurial ventures innovate value propositions to increase the attractiveness of their technologies. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 30(4), 885-915. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Kiess, A., & Schmidt, A. L. (2024). Hospitality in the cyborg age: The power of brain-computer interfaces in a field-experiment. ENTER e-Tourism Conference (pp. 140-145). Springer Nature Switzerland Cham.

Petzold, N., Schmidt, A. L., & Scaringella, L. (2023). How to overcome the disruptor's dilemma: Exploring strategic alliance reconfiguration of new market entrants. Technovation, 126, 102812. Elsevier.

Schmidt, A. L. (2023). Changing the rules of the hotel business: The case of citizenM’s digital business model disruption. In Digital Transformation of the Hotel Industry: Theories, Practices, and Global Challenges (pp. 233-246). Springer International Publishing Cham.

Bermejo, B., Juiz, C., Cortes, D., Oskam, J., Moilanen, T., Loijas, J., Govender, P., Hussey, J., & Schmidt, A. L. (2023). AR/VR teaching-learning experiences in higher education institutions (HEI): A systematic literature review. Informatics, 10(2), 45. MDPI.

Schmidt, A. L., & van der Sijde, P. (2022). Disruption by design? Classification framework for the archetypes of disruptive business models. R&D Management, 37. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12530

Schmidt, A. L., Petzold, N., Lahme-Hütig, N., & Tiemann, F. (2021). Growing with others: A longitudinal study of an evolving multi-sided disruptive platform. Creativity and Innovation Management, 30(1), 12–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/caim.12401

Schmidt, A. L. (2021). Same Same, But Different: An Exploration of Alternative Business Model Disruptions Across German Industries. In D. R. A. Schallmo & J. Tidd (Eds.), Digitalization (pp. 127–143). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69380-0_8

Schmidt, A. L., & Scaringella, L. (2020). Uncovering disruptors’ business model innovation activities: Evidencing the relationships between dynamic capabilities and value proposition innovation. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 57, 101589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jengtecman.2020.101589