City Hospitality
City Hospitality investigates how hospitality can evolve towards inclusive, welcoming cities and destinations that benefit everyone.
Cities are experienced through their welcome. City hospitality refers to the way a city receives and supports its users— whether as resident, visitor, entrepreneur, student or employee — which shapes how a place feels and whether people feel connected. City hospitality extends far beyond tourism; it is a holistic approach to creating inclusive, welcoming and livable communities for all city users, including nature.
The Urban Hospitality Ecosystem
Every city functions within a broader hospitality ecosystem, where hotels, restaurants, cultural institutions, mobility providers, neighbourhood groups, DMOs and residents all shape the urban experience, together co-creating the atmosphere, interactions and touchpoints that determine how hospitable a city truly feels. As a key touchpoint for visitors, hotels act not only as accommodation providers but also as employers and neighbourhood anchors, potentially adding significant value to community wellbeing. Residents also hold a central position: their daily lives are influenced by tourism decisions, and their experiences serve an essential indicator of a healthy and balanced hospitality ecosystem. Strengthening their role in governance and ensuring transparent communication supports community wellbeing and trust.
Across the world, cities are shifting away from growth-driven tourism models towards more balanced, sustainable and people-centred destinations. As highlighted by the European Network for Sustainable Urban Tourism (ENSUT), the future of urban tourism requires regeneration — improving the quality of places and quality of life for everyone using the city. This transition relies on a purpose-driven vision, resident engagement, inclusive processes and shared responsibility in decision-making.
Our Research Focus: Regenerative City Hospitality
Our mission is to inspire and support this shift. City Hospitality research at Hotelschool The Hague focuses on enabling a regenerative hospitality culture, where experiences strengthen the wellbeing of people, places and communities. We view hospitality as a shared vision and responsibility across the dynamic ecosystem — with hotels, residents, entrepreneurs, policymakers and visitors each playing a meaningful role.
Our research is anchored in the City Hospitality Experience (CHX) model, which clarifies how city experiences emerge and how balanced, multi-stakeholder value can be created. The model provides a foundation for future academic and practical work and offers a structured framework for understanding and improving the growing complexity of urban hospitality.
We proudly collaborate with partners such as EMEA CHRIE, CELTH, EHL, NBTC and ENSUT. We endorse RRBM responsible research principles, sound and impactful research with multi-stakeholder involvement.
Our research contributes to UNSDG11, resilient cities and communities.
