Teaching in the Virtual Worlds: Integrating Immersive and AI Technologies in Hospitality Education

Kouroupi, Nansy (2026): Teaching in the Virtual Worlds: Integrating Immersive and AI Technologies in Hospitality Education. Published in:

Abstract

Immersive and AI technologies are reshaping how hospitality competence is taught, rehearsed and assessed, but their value depends less on novelty than on design discipline and governance. This chapter presents a conceptually grounded narrative review of extended reality (VR, AR and social VR) and AI-enabled systems (conversational agents and learning analytics), interpreted through experiential and socio-constructivist lenses and the Cognitive Affective Model of Immersive Learning. Synthesising evidence across four application clusters, it shows where these tools strengthen operational fluency, service recovery, safety and hygiene, communication and data-informed judgement, and where they raise vulnerabilities around generative AI, assessment integrity, privacy and data governance, cost and equity. Drawing on hospitality-industry cases and international policy guidance, it provides evidence-strength signposting and a five-pillar implementation architecture with a constraint-led risk register to support accountable adoption.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Hospitality Education; Immersive Learning; Metaverse; AI-Driven Simulations; Virtual Avatars; Pedagogical Innovation; Digital Transformation; Experiential Teaching
• Subjects: A - General Economics and Teaching > A1 - General Economics > A19 - Other; A - General Economics and Teaching > A2 - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics; A - General Economics and Teaching > A2 - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics > A20 - General; A - General Economics and Teaching > A2 - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics > A22 - Undergraduate; A - General Economics and Teaching > A2 - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics > A23 - Graduate; A - General Economics and Teaching > A2 - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics > A29 - Other; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education and Research Institutions; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education and Research Institutions > I23 - Higher Education ; Research Institutions; M - Business Administration and Business Economics ; Marketing ; Accounting ; Personnel Economics > M1 - Business Administration > M19 - Other; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences ; Diffusion Processes; Z - Other Special Topics > Z0 - General; Z - Other Special Topics > Z0 - General > Z00 - General

References

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