This year’s meeting was held at the Spirits Museum in Stockholm and included presentations from several ongoing research projects – including studies on wine tourism, work environments in restaurant kitchens, and AI robots as colleagues.
The Swedish Hospitality Industry’s Research and Development Fund (BFUF) annual research meeting is a platform for knowledge exchange and networking, where researchers, industry representatives and BFUF’s board meet to discuss current research and future development opportunities within the hospitality sector. The aim is to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry, generate new ideas, and contribute to a sustainable and competitive hospitality industry.
At this year’s research meeting, Maria Åkesson and Poja Shams from the Service Research Center (CTF), together with Kristina Palm, Professor of Work Science at Karlstad Business School, participated.
– We presented our ongoing research project ‘AI Robots in the Hospitality Industry: A Future with New Colleagues,’ which examines how hotel and service staff are affected when AI robots are introduced into their work environment, says Maria Åkesson.
The core of the project is to understand how emotional labor changes when employees are given a robot as a colleague — how the relationship with customers is affected, what new demands arise, and what opportunities emerge.
– The goal is to produce knowledge that helps the industry implement robots in ways that strengthen both the work environment and the customer experience, says Poja Shams.
Participation in BFUF’s research meeting strengthens the School of Business and CTF by increasing visibility as research actors within the hospitality industry, creating new connections with companies and organizations in the sector, and providing direct insight into current needs and challenges.
– This makes our research more relevant, in demand, and applicable in practice, says Kristina Palm.
About BFUF
The Swedish Hospitality Industry’s Research and Development Fund (BFUF) promotes scientific research, innovation and development projects that benefit companies and employees in the Swedish hospitality industry and contribute to its positive development.
