Faculty Stories
Faculty Spotlight
Pierre Gervois's Predictions for the Future of Travel
Fast Facts
- Teaches a design thinking and innovation course for MS in Travel and Tourism Management students
- Believes students should hone their skills in social media marketing, including sharpening their knowledge of Metaverse applications
- Researching the future applications of the Metaverse for tourism and travel industries alongside Dr. Elizabeth Hass
<p><span class="p-body">Pierre Gervois brings a diverse background as a crypto-artist, documentary producer, and travel and art magazine publisher to his role as an adjunct instructor at the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. </span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">This coming academic year, in addition to teaching public relations, communications, and advertising, he will lead a design thinking and innovation course for MS in Travel and Tourism Management students. The course will focus on applying creativity to develop novel and emerging technology solutions to tough business and industry challenges, including the creation and use of metaverse, NFT, and web3 applications in the hospitality industry.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Here, Gervois talks about trends in hospitality, his involvement in the new NYU SPS Metaverse Collaborative, and some intriguing topics he will cover in his fall classroom.</span></p>
Travel Trends to Look Out For
<p><span class="p-body">As the hospitality and tourism industries recover from the pandemic, Gervois emphasizes the importance of creativity and innovation. Securing new guests will mean going beyond the traditional public relations and marketing campaigns used in the past, and Gervois has his eye on three main trends that will shape the industry's success.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">The first is the innovation of guests' experience strategies. Hotels have relied too heavily on booking engines, web searches, and traditional social media advertising in the past. These strategies "might not be enough to entice the new generation of post-COVID travelers who are now looking for a truly customized experience," he states.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Another trend Gervois predicts is the rethinking of communication and public relations strategies. Authenticity is more critical than ever, and self-proclaimed lifestyle or travel gurus may no longer have as much influence on the industry. In 2022 he says to expect that "customers are looking for genuine human experiences in travel."</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">His third prediction is that embracing the Metaverse could be crucial for the industry to thrive. According to Gervois, "Hospitality and tourism industries will find new opportunities in web3 technologies, using NFTs and cryptocurrencies."</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">To meet the moment of this changing industry, students should hone their skills in social media marketing, including sharpening their knowledge of Metaverse applications.</span></p>
Up, Up, and Away
<p><span class="p-body">Gervois is poised and ready to bring his industry knowledge to the classroom this year with two new classroom topics: using the Metaverse in travel and tourism and promoting space travel. That's right, space travel. He says, "With the arrival of space travel and future orbital hotels, I'll work with my students on how to best promote the burgeoning out-of-this-world hospitality and tourism industry." The future of hospitality is already here, and Gervois' students will get to take part in shaping it.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">This year will also be a busy one for Gervois and his students, as they will be researching the role of arts and cultural assets integration in hospitality and destination marketing.</span></p>
Hotels are not an isolated island in their community but fully part of it and, as such, should reflect the history, culture, and values of their surroundings. The presence of art in hotels creates a better customer experience and can bring new guests who genuinely enjoy the presence of original artworks. As a crypto-artist myself, I'm naturally pleased to share my appreciation for the arts with my friends and colleagues in the hospitality industry and encourage hotels to start a dialogue with their local art communities to create a more meaningful guest experience and become fully part of the cultural scene of their neighborhoods."
<p><span class="p-body">Outside of the classroom, Gervois is researching the future applications of the Metaverse for tourism and travel industries alongside Dr. Elizabeth Hass on the NYU SPS <a href="/content/sps-nyu/experience/how-youll-learn/experience-emerging-tech.html" title="Emerging Technology Collaborative">Emerging Technology Collaborative</a>. This is where a group of faculty members and emerging technology experts are working together to put SPS at the forefront of emerging technology research at NYU and beyond.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Exciting things are on the horizon—and beyond—for Professor Gervois and his students. Do you want to be part of the action? Explore an <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-travel-and-tourism-management.html" title="MS in Travel and Tourism Management">MS in Travel and Tourism Management</a> today.</span></p>
