SPS Stories
Faculty Spotlight
Bringing the Hospitality Industry to NYU SPS
Fast Facts
- Explores the role of design, service technologies, and virtual reality on consumer behavior in the hospitality, tourism, and travel industries
- Leads the NYU SPS Experiential Learning Lab at the Hospitality Innovation Hub
- Currently collaborating with Tisch Center faculty and PwC on the digital transformation of the guest experience
<p>Vanja Bogicevic is a clinical assistant professor at the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/about/academic-divisions-and-departments/jonathan-m-tisch-center-of-hospitality.html" title="NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality">NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality</a>. In her research, she explores the role of design, service technologies, and virtual reality on consumer behavior in the hospitality, tourism, and travel industries. </p>
<p>Her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and in publications such as <i>Hotel News Now, Forbes, Skift</i>, and <i>Travel+Leisure</i>. She serves on the editorial board of Psychology & Marketing. At NYU SPS, Bogecevic leads the Experiential Learning Lab at the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/experience/how-youll-learn/the-hospitality-innovation-hub.html" title="Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub)">Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub)</a>, where she manages partnerships with technology developers of hospitality management software, including Stayntouch, a global leader in guest-centric cloud hotel property management systems (PMS).</p>
<p>Bogicevic’s commitment to experiential learning is evident in her practical applications of research. We were thrilled to speak with her about her Stayntouch collaboration, research, and more.</p>
Using StaynTouch in the Classroom
<p>Students in Bogicevic’s Lodging Industries and Structures course use Stayntouch’s PMS to simulate hotel front desk operations. In addition to supporting classroom instruction with experiential, skills-based learning, she and her students collaborate with Stayntouch on applied research projects, including the 2022 Hotelier Technology Sentiment Report, authored by alumni Chloe Carver and Cara Kun, and their latest project, US Traveler Sentiments on Attribute-Based Shopping, which she co-authored with alum Owen Wexman.</p>
<p>The project came out of a conversation that Dr. Bogicevic had with Stayntouch about the challenges of the current hotel booking process and whether the industry can adapt the model of price unbundling for hotel rooms. This idea, attribute-based shopping (ABS), is based on unbundling hotel guestroom pricing into a base room, plus additional attributes that guests can combine to achieve a highly personalized offering, allowing them to control their purchase and the total guest room rate.</p>
<p>Since such a method is still in its early infancy, she believed it was essential to examine the readiness of US travelers to adopt such a model, their challenges with the traditional hotel shopping method of selecting room types, and what benefits travelers anticipate from ABS.</p>
<p>Stayntouch sponsored data collection with a nationally representative sample of 1,002 adult US travelers and helped with the graphic design of the report. The findings were presented at the 2022 HITEC Orlando conference.</p>
<p>As Bogicevic looks to the future of this Stayntouch collaboration, she is excited to expose more students to the system. “I aim to integrate the Stayntouch PMS with technologies other companies provide, such as relationship management software, workforce, and scheduling software, guestroom entertainment, communications, and revenue management, to simulate a hotel’s digital tech stack,” she says.</p>
Research and Real World Readiness
<p>For Bogicevic, the practical application of research is essential to a classroom environment that prioritizes real-world readiness. </p>
It bridges professional hospitality practice and education. Practitioners discuss the industry's challenges and commission projects to faculty experts who invite students to address these real-world problems while being mentored by faculty researchers. Many of our students are interested in analytics and consulting careers. A project such as this empowers students to develop their critical thinking and analytic skills.”
<p>This is only the beginning of what Bogicevic hopes to achieve with her students. She is currently collaborating with other Tisch Center faculty and PwC on “the digital transformation of the guest experience, specifically focusing on business intelligence and back-of-house-facing technologies that support front-of-house experiences.”</p>
<p>She is also working on a different project with BCG that will explore the impact of inflation on hotels and one that is supported by the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association to explore the career development of LGBTQ+ travel and hospitality employees.</p>
<p>Are you ready to take your place at the center of the global hospitality industry? Consider pursuing a <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/bs-in-hospitality-travel-and-tourism-management.html" title="BS in Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Management">BS in Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Management</a> at the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/about/academic-divisions-and-departments/jonathan-m-tisch-center-of-hospitality.html" title="Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality">Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality</a> today.</p>
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