On November 9, 2021, the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality hosted a celebratory reception during the 43rd Annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, at the New York Marriott Marquis, to mark the launch of its recently constructed Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub) and the Experiential Learning Lab within it.

The event was co-sponsored by Stayntouch, a global leader in guest-centric cloud hotel property management systems (PMS) and contactless technology that is providing this technology for use in the Lab. Tisch Center faculty members, students, alumni, and advisory board members, as well as industry professionals attending the Conference, joined in the festivities, in addition to the Tisch Center and Stayntouch team members who made the venture possible.

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“We are exceptionally proud to announce the launch of the Hospitality Innovation Hub Experiential Learning Lab and our partnership with Stayntouch,” said Nicolas Graf, Jonathan M. Tisch Chaired Professor and associate dean, Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. It will provide our students with a greater understanding of the guest experience and the ways in which this technology can ultimately lead to greater staff empowerment. With the HI Hub and its new lab, we have a unique opportunity to push the boundaries on how we educate and prepare the innovators and entrepreneurs who will shape the future of an evolving hospitality market.”

Enhanced by Stayntouch’s innovative technology, the HI Hub provides a state-of-the-art environment for hospitality students, start-ups, and industry partners to collaborate and learn about emerging challenges and technologies impacting the hospitality industry today and in the future. The HI Hub contains a number of core components, including:

An Experiential Learning Lab: A multipurpose classroom and co-working space where students can gain direct experience on the latest hotel technology by learning and experimenting on Stayntouch’s cloud PMS;

A Prototyping Space: This collaborative environment allows students and entrepreneurs to test ideas and emerging technologies in an advanced coding and virtual reality environment;

A Coworking Lounge for students, faculty members, and investors to network, co-work, and brainstorm new ideas; and

An Incubator Program that provides hospitality start-ups with three months of mentoring, co-working space, and access to industry leaders and investors.

As an inaugural partner of the NYU SPS Tisch Center’s HI Hub Experiential Learning Lab, Stayntouch provides its state-of-the art cloud PMS and guest-facing technology as the staple technology enabling HI Hub faculty members and students to gain hands-on experience with real-world technology that is helping to reshape the hospitality landscape.

Stayntouch’s partnership extends beyond the classroom experience to include research projects with faculty members on emerging trends, opportunities, and challenges in the hospitality industry, and future participation in the HI Hub’s startup incubator program. Stayntouch is also collaborating with the Tisch Center’s graduate students on a capstone project to help better understand hotelier sentiments as they relate to the role of technology in a rapidly changing travel landscape.

Commenting on the partnership, Tom Underwood, CEO of Stayntouch, said, “We are honored to be a part of this new NYU initiative and look forward to helping to develop the next generation of the hospitality workforce. Technology can help unburden hospitality一for guests, hoteliers, and hotel operators. Great hospitality thrives when hoteliers understand the relationship between technology and warm, engaging high-touch service. Our partnership with the HI Hub Experiential Learning Lab provides the unique opportunity to influence, and learn from, employees, entrepreneurs, and investors, and to help shape the future of the hospitality industry.

Vanja Bogicevic, PhD, the director of the HI Hub stated, “Stayntouch has been a critical partner in realizing the mission of the HI Hub as the ecosystem for applied learning, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement. By providing their advanced cloud PMS and kiosk solutions, they empower our students to test ideas and gain first-hand experience running a tech-forward hotel. We look forward to expanding the partnership between the Tisch Center and Stayntouch into 2022 with the capstone programs and the HI Hub’s Incubator, which will allow participants to take the concepts they learn in the HI Hub and transform them into tomorrow’s revolutionary startups.”

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