Hôtellerie & Tourisme Executive Program

Leading the Strategy of a Hospitality or Tourism Organization in an Uncertain World

In a sector facing crises, changing customer behaviors, environmental transitions, heightened expectations, and societal shifts, professionals must learn to lead in a context of uncertainty.

Program 

Morning session: Diagnosing and Leading

• Understand today's business environment in the face of multiple challenges and disruptions.
• Identify the key issues and trends shaping the hospitality and tourism industry.
• Analyze customer behavior changes, evolving expectations, and business model transformations.
• Applied case study: strategic audit of a company operating within the sector.

Afternoon session : Transformation and Alignment

• Understand the challenges of regulation, learning, and organizational transformation.
• Define strategic priorities for your organization.
• Build the tourism and hospitality organization of tomorrow: agile, responsible, inclusive, and resilient.

Deliverable : Strategic diagnostic framework and an action plan tailored to your organization's context.

Your instructor:

Maria-Giuseppina Bruna 
Director of Research, Commercialization, and Impact, IPAG Business School.
Founding Director of the IPAG “Inclusive Enterprise” Chair. Professor with HDR (Haute Recherche en Sciences) accreditation in management
Expert in organizational foresight, CSR/ESG, and impact.

Digitalization & AI

From Curiosity to Action: Identify, Test, and Deploy AI in Your Organization in Just One Day

Hospitality and tourism professionals are facing growing pressure to improve productivity, often with lean teams and a high volume of repetitive tasks. The challenge is not to replace people, but to identify where AI can free up operational time and enable teams to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional guest experiences and building strong customer relationships.

Program

Morning session : Turning Insights into Business Opportunities

• Demystifying AI: understanding its real-world value and practical applications.
• The 4 AI categories transforming hospitality and tourism: automation, customer analytics, generative AI, and chatbots.
• Identifying operational pain points across customer service, back-office operations, reservations, marketing, HR, and reporting.
• Workshop: mapping AI opportunities within your organization.
   

Afternoon session : From Insight to Action with a Responsible Roadmap

• Overview of accessible and relevant AI tools for everyday business use (ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Notion AI, Perplexity).
• Best practices for ethical and responsible AI adoption.
• Hands-on case study focused on improving a key business area: reservations, communication, HR, or marketing.
• Developing an actionable roadmap ready to be presented internally.

Deliverable: 

• Personalized AI opportunity map
• One to Two quick wins ready for implementation the following week
• Action plan for a key business function
• Practical AI toolkit (Claude, ChatGPT, Notion AI, Canva, and more)

Your instructor:

Tessa Renaudon
Strategic consultant specializing in AI-enhanced productivity. 
Former Google consultant (5+ years), former Key Account Manager at 360Learning. 
Practical, down-to-earth, and directly applicable approach.

Intercultural management in hospitality and tourism

Effectively manage teams and customers from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Hospitality and tourism are inherently international industries. Professionals work with multicultural teams, welcome guests from around the world, and must adapt their communication styles to meet a wide range of expectations and cultural norms.

Program

Morning session : Culture & communication 

• Definition of culture and its professional implications.
• Cultural mechanisms: perceptions, behaviors, and representations.
• Cultural differences and models of interpretation.
• Practical case studies: ethnocentrism, stereotypes, and cultural comparisons.
• Analysis of intercultural communication situations.

Afternoon session : Leadership & performance

• Leadership and organization in a multicultural context.
• Motivation, performance, and individual expectations across cultures.
• Managing diversity on a daily basis.
• Study of mini-case studies drawn from professional situations.
• Development of best managerial practices tailored to the sector.

Deliverable : Intercultural analysis framework and practical recommendations for more effectively managing international teams, clients, and partners

Your instructor:

Claude Alavoine 
Professor of Negotiation and International Management, IPAG Business School 
Expert in intercultural and strategic relations
Author of negotiation simulations and intercultural experiential tools

Managing International Profiles

Ensuring the successful onboarding, integration, and performance of international talent and Gen Z employees.

Professionals in the tourism and hospitality industries regularly welcome interns, work-study students, seasonal workers, and employees from different cultures, backgrounds, and generations.

Their integration is a key factor in performance, but it requires a clear framework, tailored communication, and a nuanced understanding of intercultural and generational expectations. Gen Z, now a significant presence among interns, work-study students, and young employees, requires a rethinking of management styles, support, motivation, and retention strategies.

Key Topics :

Understanding Profiles

• The characteristics expected of an international intern, work-study student, or employee.
• The specific expectations of younger generations, particularly Gen Z: a need for meaning, regular feedback, work-life balance, recognition, and supervised autonomy.
• Cultural sensitivity, flexibility, language skills, and adaptability.
• Mini-case studies in multicultural and intergenerational teams

Structuring the Onboarding Process

• Legal framework and contextual constraints.
• Practical exercise: analyzing gaps between profiles,
  expectations, needs, and performance.
• Key considerations for managers, legal, cultural, and generational issues.
• Best practices for facilitating the onboarding, support, and retention of international talent and Gen Z talent

Deliverable : A questioning methodology and key considerations for structuring the onboarding, support, and integration of international, multicultural, and intergenerational talent, with a particular focus on young talent and Gen Z.

Your instructor :

Claude Alavoine 
Professor of Negotiation and International Management, IPAG Business School 
Expert in intercultural and strategic relations
Author of negotiation simulations and intercultural experiential tools

CSR, Diversity, and Inclusion

Turning responsible commitments into drivers of performance.

In the hospitality and tourism industries, CSR is no longer just a public relations initiative. It influences employer branding, employee retention, community relations, regulatory compliance, and sustainable performance.

Program

Morning session : Understanding the issues

• Definitions: CSR, diversity, inclusion, equity.
• Specifics of the hospitality and tourism sector.
• Social, environmental, and local challenges.
• Case Study: Identifying CSR action priorities within your organization

Afternoon session : Taking action

• Inclusive management and quality of life at work
• Materiality Matrix: Identifying stakeholder expectations
• Responsible Communication: Promoting your organization without greenwashing
• Case Study: Developing a CSR/Inclusion action plan

Deliverable: A CSR/Diversity/Inclusion roadmap tailored to your organization and guidelines for responsible communication

Your instructor :

Marie José Scotto
Professor of Human Resources Management, IPAG Business School. 
Director of the HR Master’s program at the Nice and Paris campuses. 
Areas of expertise: HR, management, organizational theories.