Innovating the city hospitality experience model

The purpose of this research project is to initiate a collaborative process for innovating the City Hospitality Experience Model. The current City Hospitality Experience Model (van Prooijen and Wiegerink, 2012) presents the main elements related to city hospitality experience and identifies the guest-host relationships. A new model seems required to better address societal developments, increasing complexity of city hospitality in an urban context and advancing academic literature on customer experience. Cities are in search for effective interventions that lead to a balanced experience of multi-stakeholders and foster positive community effects. Metatheoretical research and fundamental premises on customer experience provide a conceptual basis for revising the model. Scholars in hospitality, urban tourism and customer experience are invited to participate and contribute to innovate the city hospitality experience model.

The related themes and concepts are highly complex, demanding multiple or even fundamentally different viewpoints. This research project aims to reason towards a revised conceptual City Hospitality Experience Model, in line with the framework and premises from the work of Becker and Jaakkola (2020).

To provide the aimed value a balance needs to be found between stimulating continuous academic debate and creating practical tools. Scholars and practitioners are invited to challenge the rigour and the completeness of the conceptual model, further develop and suggest validation for the relationships in the model, and strengthen the explanatory power of the model in order to be effective for hospitality makers in optimizing City Hospitality Experience.

Thus, in this research project we foster a collaborative process with scholars and practitioners in the field of hospitality, urban tourism and customer experience, to further underpin and advance the City Hospitality Experience knowledge and model.

Where are we now, what is next and how can you participate?

We presented a research note at the Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME) Annual Research Conference (Edinburgh, May 2022) and at various industry network events (e.g. Reinvent Tourism, NBTC). All of which generated highly valuable feedback and suggestions. Currently, we are preparing for an academic publication, and will continue to involve academic and industry partners.

Have we sparked your interest? Great! Please contact us if you want to learn more or are interested to contribute.

References

Becker, L. & Jaakkola, E. (2020), Customer experience: fundamental premises and implications for research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48, 630-648.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00718-x

Prooijen, van M., Wiegerink, K. (2012), The City Hospitality Experience Model – Shaping a hospitable City, Short paper EuroCHRIE 2012.

Wiegerink, K., Huizing, J. & Oruc, Y. (2022). Research Note – Innovating the City Hospitality Experience Model. Council for Hospitality Management Education 30th Annual Research Conference.