Alternative Accommodations in Italy and beyond
A New Era of Hospitality: Alternative Accommodations
The rise of alternative accommodations—accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic—is reshaping the hospitality industry, and hotel giants are taking notice.
• Want to be part of this exciting transformation?
• Dream of running a B&B in a historic town or am Agriturismo with vineyard?
• Ready to become an entrepreneur in the alternative hospitality sector?
This minor offers you the chance to explore and experience the world of small-medium hospitality enterprises (SMHEs) in Italy. You'll learn how to develop and manage unique accommodation concepts, with a focus on alternative stays and F&B services.
With growing interest from Millennials and Gen Z in owning and managing businesses, this course responds to global trends and equips you with practical skills applicable across the service industry.
Few universities offer such a forward-thinking program—don’t miss your chance to be part of it!
(Video by Myrthe van der Zwaag, HMSL Student)
Minor content
The minor will mainly focus on the following typologies of accommodation:
• Agritourism
• B&B and Country Houses
• Scattered Hotel (a sustainable hospitality model that was conceived in Italy and aims at recovering and bringing new life into old hamlets through tourism and hospitality; the concept is known
as Albergo Diffuso)
• Hospitality in the Medieval hamlet or Borgo (an inclusive model that uses alternative accommodations (e.g., short-term rentals and B&Bs) and real estate projects to revitalise the economy of a rural village)
• Vineyard estates with accommodation
Other alternative hospitality models, such as luxury villas, short-term rentals, and glamping (incl. bubble rooms) will be explored.
The minor will cover the following two broad subjects:
1. The Management of Small-Medium Hospitality Enterprises (SMHEs).
2. Socio-Economic Issues and Sustainability in SMHEs.
Each subject will be explored through key themes, ranging from Activities and Services—such as F&B, educational programs, sports and outdoor experiences, wine tasting, and product sales—to the broader economic impact of alternative accommodations on the hospitality and tourism sectors.
*Caldana, a Tuscan village that came back to life thanks to tourism and to a new concept of hospitality.
Structure of the minor
Students will work in groups on real business cases.
The minor requires a study load of 420 hours (15 ECs).
Minor Learning Outcomes
1. Understand the requirements needed to run and manage a successful small hospitality business (falling in the category of alternative accommodation establishments).
2. Write a business plan and present it to investors or other stakeholders.
3. Analyse and apply the basic sustainable principles to the business concept design of a small hospitality business.
Academic Collaboration
The course includes seminars by lecturers from Fondazione Campus Lucca (when the field trip is held in Lucca) and industry experts. These sessions—offered online or in person—support key learning outcomes (LO1 and LO3).
Industry Connection
The minor maintains strong ties with the hospitality industry through:
• Guest Lectures: Delivered by academics and professionals sharing research, entrepreneurial journeys, and business cases.
• Practical Insights: Students gain real-world knowledge and inspiration for their course projects.
• International Network: A diverse pool of guest lecturers enriches the learning experience.
Field Trip to Italy (Compulsory)
Each semester, students take part in a one-week educational field trip to Lucca, Tuscany—or an alternative Italian destination.
Activities include:
• Regular classes (lectures, workshops, seminars)
• Visits to local alternative accommodation businesses
• Hands-on learning through direct observation and interaction
Students apply field experiences to their group projects, connecting theory with practice.
Logistics:
• Students arrange their own travel and accommodation (low-cost options and suggestions provided)
• Costs for private transport (bus), lunches and activities during the business visits, tutoring service will be shared at the start of the course, based on the number of participants
- At the end of week 8, the students will hand in a Business Plan for a hospitality SMHE.
The students will be working in smaller groups of max. five members. Formative and peer feedback will be provided to students throughout the module (LO 1, 2 & 3). - In week 9, the students will present their Business Plan to an audience of experts (lecturers) (LO 2).
- After each seminar (compulsory attendance), students will write individually a report about the seminar reflecting on the content and analysing the presented topic through personal research (LO 1 & 3).
For NHL Stenden Students: they must have completed the first two years of bachelor’s or associate degree program;
For Kies op Maat Students and for Exchange Students, they should have completed the first two years of study at their home Universities.
The content of the minor is transversal and, as such, it is applicable and suitable to a variety of study programmes besides hospitality management (e.g. leisure and tourism, business management, marketing, etc.).
The minor course has been created to develop and foster entrepreneurship skills in tertiary education students.
Language: English B2 writing and C1 speaking
As the minor has a broad geographical scope, in terms of content and real-world cases used in class, the knowledge of other languages can be beneficial in terms of information search and industry-university network creation (e.g., Erasmus+ funded projects).
