Hospitality Futures Week
Learn. Create. Connect. Shape the Future of Hospitality.
An international Blended Intensive Programme bringing together students, academics and hospitality industry leaders to explore the challenges that will shape the future of the sector.
During an intensive one-week international learning experience, students work in multidisciplinary teams, engage directly with hospitality practice, develop innovative solutions to real industry challenges, and progressively refine their ideas with academics and senior industry professionals.
About the BIP
One challenge. Many perspectives. Real impact.
Hospitality Futures Week is an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme designed to connect international education, research and industry around the future of hospitality.
Students from participating universities work in international teams on contemporary challenges facing the hospitality sector. Through masterclasses, experiential learning, innovation labs, mentoring, academic feedback and interaction with industry leaders, participants move progressively from understanding a challenge to developing and presenting an actionable solution.
The programme culminates in the Hospitality Leadership Summit, where student teams present their proposals to scholars, executives and hospitality professionals.
The experience combines a virtual preparatory component with an intensive five-day physical mobility programme.
Why Hospitality Futures Week?
Hospitality is undergoing profound transformation. Technology, artificial intelligence, sustainability, changing traveller expectations, new business models and evolving workforce dynamics are redefining both the industry and the capabilities its future professionals will need.
- Hospitality Futures Week gives students the opportunity to examine these transformations not only in the classroom, but through direct engagement with companies, researchers and hospitality leaders.
The BIP is built around a simple progression:
Learn → Observe → Create → Improve → Present
- Students first build knowledge, then experience hospitality in practice, develop solutions collaboratively, refine them with academic experts and finally present their work to industry decision-makers.
Student Journey
From Learning to Impact
The physical programme follows a five-day progression.
Understanding the Future of Hospitality
Students build a common knowledge base around the major transformations affecting hospitality and begin working in international teams.
Activities include masterclasses, interactive sessions, team formation, mentoring and initial ideation.
- Main outcome: Teams identify relevant challenges and define the first direction of their project.
Hospitality in Practice
Students move from the classroom into the industry.
A hotel immersion experience provides direct exposure to operations, guest experience, technology, sustainability, human resources and other dimensions of hospitality management. Teams then transform these observations into ideas through an innovation lab and mentoring activities.
- Main outcome: A deeper understanding of the industry challenge and a stronger project concept.
Improve with Scholars
Teams develop their preliminary solution and present it to participating scholars and researchers.
Academic experts challenge assumptions, introduce research evidence and provide structured feedback that helps students improve the robustness of their proposal.
- Main outcome: Evidence-based feedback and a substantially refined project.
From Ideas to Actionable Solutions
Students strengthen the feasibility, scalability and potential impact of their proposals.
Mentoring sessions, project clinics and pitch coaching help teams transform promising ideas into professional solutions suitable for an executive audience.
- Main outcome: A polished value proposition and an executive-ready presentation.
Impact with Industry Leaders
Students participate in the Hospitality Leadership Summit, gaining exposure to executive perspectives on the future of the sector.
The week culminates in the Student Innovation Showcase, where teams present their solutions to industry leaders and receive professional feedback.
- Main outcome: Industry exposure, professional connections and experience communicating ideas to senior decision-makers.
Understanding the Future of Hospitality
Students build a common knowledge base around the major transformations affecting hospitality and begin working in international teams.
Activities include masterclasses, interactive sessions, team formation, mentoring and initial ideation.
- Main outcome: Teams identify relevant challenges and define the first direction of their project.
Hospitality in Practice
Students move from the classroom into the industry.
A hotel immersion experience provides direct exposure to operations, guest experience, technology, sustainability, human resources and other dimensions of hospitality management. Teams then transform these observations into ideas through an innovation lab and mentoring activities.
- Main outcome: A deeper understanding of the industry challenge and a stronger project concept.
Improve with Scholars
Teams develop their preliminary solution and present it to participating scholars and researchers.
Academic experts challenge assumptions, introduce research evidence and provide structured feedback that helps students improve the robustness of their proposal.
- Main outcome: Evidence-based feedback and a substantially refined project.
From Ideas to Actionable Solutions
Students strengthen the feasibility, scalability and potential impact of their proposals.
Mentoring sessions, project clinics and pitch coaching help teams transform promising ideas into professional solutions suitable for an executive audience.
- Main outcome: A polished value proposition and an executive-ready presentation.
Impact with Industry Leaders
Students participate in the Hospitality Leadership Summit, gaining exposure to executive perspectives on the future of the sector.
The week culminates in the Student Innovation Showcase, where teams present their solutions to industry leaders and receive professional feedback.
- Main outcome: Industry exposure, professional connections and experience communicating ideas to senior decision-makers.
Learning Approach
Hospitality Futures Week uses an experiential, challenge-based and collaborative learning model.
Rather than working primarily through lectures, students learn through a combination of academic knowledge, industry observation, collaborative problem solving and iterative feedback.
The methodology combines:
• masterclasses and future-oriented discussions;
• international and interdisciplinary teamwork;
• real hospitality challenges;
• hotel and industry immersion;
• innovation laboratories;
• academic mentoring and research-informed feedback;
• interaction with hospitality professionals;
• project development and pitch coaching;
• final presentation to industry leaders.
This combination enables students to move continuously between knowledge, practice and application.
Learning Outcomes
By completing the programme, students will be able to:
Understand transformation in hospitality.
Identify and critically analyse major technological, societal, economic and sustainability-related forces reshaping the hospitality industry.
Work effectively in international teams.
Collaborate across national, cultural and disciplinary backgrounds to address complex challenges.
Apply evidence to real-world problems.
Integrate academic knowledge, research evidence and industry insights in the development of solutions.
Develop innovative and feasible proposals.
Translate emerging ideas into solutions that consider implementation, scalability, value creation and impact.
Communicate to professional audiences.
Present and defend a proposal clearly and persuasively before academics and senior industry professionals.
Develop international professional networks.
Build relationships with students, scholars and hospitality professionals from different countries.
Understand transformation in hospitality.
Identify and critically analyse major technological, societal, economic and sustainability-related forces reshaping the hospitality industry.
Work effectively in international teams.
Collaborate across national, cultural and disciplinary backgrounds to address complex challenges.
Apply evidence to real-world problems.
Integrate academic knowledge, research evidence and industry insights in the development of solutions.
Develop innovative and feasible proposals.
Translate emerging ideas into solutions that consider implementation, scalability, value creation and impact.
Communicate to professional audiences.
Present and defend a proposal clearly and persuasively before academics and senior industry professionals.
Develop international professional networks.
Build relationships with students, scholars and hospitality professionals from different countries.
The Virtual Component
The BIP begins before students travel to the host institution.
The virtual component prepares participants academically and organisationally for the intensive physical week and enables international collaboration to begin in advance.
Students participate in online orientation and introductory activities, receive background material on the programme and hospitality challenges, and meet the members of their international teams.
Working through digital collaboration platforms, teams undertake preliminary research, exchange perspectives and begin exploring their assigned or selected challenge.
The virtual phase therefore ensures that students arrive at the physical programme with:
a shared understanding of the BIP,
initial knowledge of the hospitality challenge, and
an established international team ready to work together.
The virtual and physical components form a single integrated learning journey rather than two independent activities.
A Unique Three-Level Ecosystem
Hospitality Futures Week has been designed around three interconnected communities.
As the week progresses, these communities progressively converge.
Students first develop their ideas independently, then test them with scholars, and finally present refined solutions to industry leaders.
Students
Discover & Build
Students explore emerging challenges, develop new capabilities and create innovative solutions.
Scholars
Deepen & Connect
Academics and doctoral researchers introduce research evidence, challenge assumptions and mentor emerging talent.
Industry Leaders
Shape & Transform
Executives and practitioners evaluate emerging ideas, share strategic perspectives and help connect promising solutions with real-world opportunities.
Students
Discover & Build
Students explore emerging challenges, develop new capabilities and create innovative solutions.
Scholars
Deepen & Connect
Academics and doctoral researchers introduce research evidence, challenge assumptions and mentor emerging talent.
Industry Leaders
Shape & Transform
Executives and practitioners evaluate emerging ideas, share strategic perspectives and help connect promising solutions with real-world opportunities.
knowledge-to-impact pathway
Education → Research → Practice
or, in the language already embedded in your programme:
Discover & Build → Deepen & Connect → Shape & Transform.
Who Can Participate?
Hospitality Futures Week is intended primarily for students in areas such as:
Hospitality Management, Tourism Management, International Business, Business Administration, Management, Marketing, Innovation and related disciplines.
Because the programme benefits from disciplinary diversity, students from related fields may also be considered where their background contributes to the challenges addressed during the week.
Teaching language: English.
Students should therefore have sufficient English proficiency to participate actively in teamwork, workshops and presentations.
Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme
Hospitality Futures Week is organised as an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP).
The programme combines:
- Virtual collaborative learning before the mobility period;
- short-term physical mobility at the host university;
- international teamwork involving students and faculty from participating institutions;
- and the academic recognition associated with the programme.
Practical Information
Programme format: Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme
Physical programme: 5 days
Virtual component: Online preparation before the mobility week
Language: English
ECTS: 3 ECTs
Participation fee: To be confirmed
Application deadline: To be confirmed
Maximum students per partner university: To be confirmed
Academic level: To be confirmed
Accommodation: Information and recommended options will be provided to participating universities and students.
Host institution:
Universidad Nebrija
Travel Information
The Princesa campus can be reached by metro, bus, taxi and suburban rail connections. Public transport provides convenient access from the airport and Madrid’s principal railway stations.
Taxi
Taxis and ride-sharing services are readily available at the airport and offer a convenient but more expensive option to reach the city center and the Argüelles area.
Metro
L8 / L6
The airport is connected to the city center via Metro Line 8. The line goes as far as Nuevos Ministerios from where you can take line 6 to Argüelles.
Bus
Bus line 200
From Airport to Avenida América.
Airport Express Bus
Exprés Aeropuerto offers a direct connection between the airport and several central locations in Madrid, including Atocha Railway Station, which is well-connected to Argüelles via metro lines.
Taxi
Taxis and ride-sharing services are readily available at the airport and offer a convenient but more expensive option to reach the city center and the Argüelles area.
Metro
L8 / L6
The airport is connected to the city center via Metro Line 8. The line goes as far as Nuevos Ministerios from where you can take line 6 to Argüelles.
Bus
Bus line 200
From Airport to Avenida América.
Airport Express Bus
Exprés Aeropuerto offers a direct connection between the airport and several central locations in Madrid, including Atocha Railway Station, which is well-connected to Argüelles via metro lines.