European Hospitality Systems
Field Research Across Paris, Nice, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona
This project is a comparative field study examining hospitality systems across France, Monaco, and Spain, conducted through on-site observation, institutional visits, and cultural immersion. The work explores how hospitality operates as both an economic engine and a cultural language, shaped by history, geography, governance, and local values.
The study was completed through a structured academic program with Georgia State University’s Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration, combining classroom frameworks with real-world exposure to luxury hotels, tourism boards, culinary institutions, and destination management organizations. Rather than treating hospitality as a uniform global product, the project analyzes how service philosophy, guest experience, and operational priorities shift across regions while maintaining shared standards of excellence.
Field research focused on five key cities, each offering a distinct hospitality model:
Paris, where heritage luxury, culinary tradition, and institutional prestige define service culture.
Nice, where resort hospitality balances tourism scale with regional identity.
Monte Carlo, where exclusivity, discretion, and wealth management influence every layer of guest experience.
Versailles, where hospitality intersects with history, ceremony, and preservation.
Barcelona, where contemporary design, urban tourism, and sustainability shape modern hospitality strategy.
Nice, where resort hospitality balances tourism scale with regional identity.
Monte Carlo, where exclusivity, discretion, and wealth management influence every layer of guest experience.
Versailles, where hospitality intersects with history, ceremony, and preservation.
Barcelona, where contemporary design, urban tourism, and sustainability shape modern hospitality strategy.
Across these locations, the study examined hotels, tourism offices, cultural institutions, food markets, wineries, and event venues to understand how hospitality ecosystems are built, branded, and sustained. Particular attention was paid to service choreography, spatial design, staff training, and the relationship between hospitality and place.
This project informs my broader work in experience design and hospitality strategy by grounding creative and conceptual frameworks in observed systems. It reinforces the importance of cultural fluency, operational discipline, and contextual sensitivity when designing experiences intended to feel intentional, human, and enduring.