Hospitality Business Models Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Hotel Development Managers, Hospitality Asset Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-TH-065

Before you join: Participants should have working experience in hospitality, tourism, real estate, food service, investment, commercial planning or operations.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Hotels, resorts, serviced apartments, hostels, food-service outlets and mixed-use developments are being reshaped by changing ownership structures, digital distribution, flexible accommodation formats and investor expectations. A property can achieve strong guest satisfaction while failing commercially because its contract structure, channel costs, staffing model or capital plan is wrong. Managers need to assess which model fits a market, who carries each risk and how operating choices affect owner returns.

This course examines established and emerging hospitality business models, including owner-operated, leased, franchised, managed, asset-light, soft-brand, lifestyle, extended-stay, serviced-apartment, co-living, all-inclusive and branded-residence formats. Participants assess demand, define target segments, compare management agreements and franchise arrangements, design channel strategies, build unit economics and prepare operating assumptions. They use Business Model Canvas, USALI reporting logic, market feasibility methods, revenue-management measures and investment appraisal techniques.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with hotel, resort, urban accommodation and food-service cases. Participants work in groups to test assumptions, compare contract terms, interpret operating data and make model-selection decisions under changing demand and cost conditions. During the first week, each participant develops a market and business-model concept; the second week adds commercial, financial, operational and risk detail. They leave with a completed hospitality business-model proposal, supported by market evidence, a financial model, distribution plan, operating design and implementation roadmap.

The course suits professionals responsible for hotel development, asset management, operations, commercial strategy, investment analysis or tourism planning. It is particularly useful for those evaluating new properties, repositioning underperforming assets, selecting brands and operators, or introducing accommodation concepts in destinations with changing visitor demand.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess hospitality market demand using segmentation, feasibility and competitive-positioning methods
  • Compare ownership, lease, franchise and management-contract structures using risk-allocation criteria
  • Design a hospitality value proposition using Business Model Canvas and customer journey evidence
  • Build departmental revenue, cost and operating-profit assumptions using USALI reporting logic
  • Evaluate distribution economics using channel-cost, conversion and revenue-management measures
  • Prepare an investment case using cash-flow forecasts, NPV, IRR and sensitivity analysis
  • Develop an operating model covering staffing, service standards, technology and supplier arrangements
  • Present a complete hospitality business-model proposal with implementation milestones and risk controls

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Assess whether a hotel, resort or serviced-apartment concept fits local demand
  • Compare franchise, lease and management contracts with clearer commercial judgement
  • Build credible operating assumptions for owner, lender and operator discussions
  • Identify channel costs that reduce net room revenue and contribution margin
  • Present a structured business case for a new or repositioned hospitality asset

For your organisation

  • Improved selection of operating models for new hospitality developments
  • Clearer evaluation of brand, operator and distribution economics
  • Better alignment between owner returns and property operating decisions
  • Earlier identification of feasibility, contract and demand risks
  • More defensible investment proposals for hospitality assets and tourism projects

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can map a hospitality business model and identify its critical commercial assumptions.

  • Hospitality value chains mapped from asset owner to guest relationship
  • Demand generators, intermediaries and operators distinguished by revenue rights
  • PESTLE and Porter's Five Forces tested against a destination market
  • Customer jobs, pains and gains translated into stay propositions
  • Market signals separated from structural demand using source-data checks
  • Business-model assumptions logged with evidence, owners and review dates

Participants can assess demand potential and define commercially viable target segments.

  • Segmentation combines purpose, origin, spend, length and booking behaviour
  • TAM, SAM and SOM estimates built from demand and supply data
  • Seasonality curves compared using occupancy, arrivals and event calendars
  • Competitive sets selected by guest substitution rather than geographic proximity
  • Primary research questions structured for guests, corporates and intermediaries
  • Feasibility gaps identified between projected demand and available inventory

Participants can create a differentiated value proposition supported by guest journey evidence.

  • Value Proposition Canvas links target segments to service attributes
  • Guest journey maps reveal friction before, during and after stays
  • Service blueprints assign frontstage, backstage and support responsibilities
  • Moments of truth prioritised through importance-performance analysis
  • Brand promises converted into measurable service and design requirements
  • Accessibility requirements incorporated into physical, digital and service journeys

Participants can compare major hospitality ownership structures and their risk profiles.

  • Owner-operated structures concentrate control, capital exposure and operating responsibility
  • Lease arrangements allocate fixed obligations, renewal rights and downside risk
  • Management contracts separate property ownership from daily operating control
  • Franchise agreements exchange brand rights for fees and compliance duties
  • Asset-light strategies assessed through capital intensity and fee-income economics
  • Risk-allocation matrices compare owner, operator, lender and brand exposure

Participants can evaluate key commercial terms in management and franchise arrangements.

  • Base fees, incentive fees and owner priority returns modelled
  • Performance tests linked to GOP, RevPAR index and budget delivery
  • Central-service charges examined for scope, allocation basis and auditability
  • Term, renewal and termination clauses assessed against asset strategy
  • Brand standards translated into capital expenditure and operating commitments
  • Contract comparison sheet records control rights, fees and exit conditions

Participants can select a hospitality format and brand approach suited to market conditions.

  • Luxury, lifestyle, select-service and economy formats compared by economics
  • Soft brands evaluated for distribution reach and local identity retention
  • Independent positioning tested against brand awareness and reservation-system costs
  • Brand architecture prevents cannibalisation across multi-property portfolios
  • Format selection aligns room mix, amenities and staffing intensity
  • Positioning statements tested against competitor claims and guest evidence

Participants can assess emerging accommodation concepts for operational and commercial fit.

  • Extended-stay economics model longer length of stay and reduced turnover
  • Serviced apartments balance residential amenity, hotel service and regulation
  • Co-living concepts assess community programming, tenancy rules and occupancy
  • Branded residences separate unit sales, rental pools and hotel operations
  • Hybrid hostels combine private rooms, shared spaces and ancillary revenue
  • All-inclusive resorts price bundled consumption, capacity and supplier commitments

Participants can design revenue architecture and pricing rules for a hospitality concept.

  • Revenue streams classified as rooms, food, events, wellness and ancillary
  • BAR pricing ladders set fences by flexibility, timing and conditions
  • RevPAR, TRevPAR and GOPPAR interpreted for commercial decision-making
  • Displacement analysis compares group value against transient demand potential
  • Rate parity risks assessed across direct, OTA and wholesale channels
  • Ancillary pricing packages services without obscuring contribution margins

Participants can build a channel strategy based on net revenue and customer acquisition economics.

  • Channel mix compares direct, OTA, GDS, wholesale and corporate sources
  • Net RevPAR deducts commissions, transaction costs and loyalty liabilities
  • Direct-booking funnels track search, conversion, abandonment and repeat purchase
  • OTA visibility factors examined through content, availability, rate and reviews
  • Corporate account plans connect negotiated rates to production commitments
  • Channel contribution dashboards assign acquisition costs and cancellation exposure

Participants can define an operating model that supports the selected guest proposition.

  • Operating-model choices align service level, labour model and asset design
  • Departmental accountabilities structured through RACI and decision-rights mapping
  • Room-division workflows define arrival, housekeeping, maintenance and departure controls
  • Outsourcing decisions compare service quality, labour flexibility and control
  • Standard operating procedures link brand standards to measurable tasks
  • Service-recovery protocols protect loyalty after operational failures

Participants can plan staffing capacity and productivity measures for a hospitality operation.

  • Labour standards estimate hours per occupied room and cover
  • Staffing rosters match forecast occupancy, arrivals, events and service periods
  • Span-of-control ratios tested against supervision and service consistency
  • Cross-training matrices identify flexible coverage for demand volatility
  • Productivity dashboards track payroll percentage, hours and output measures
  • Workforce costs include benefits, agency premiums, overtime and turnover

Participants can evaluate food, beverage and ancillary models for contribution and brand fit.

  • Outlet concepts tested against capture rate, average check and seat turns
  • Menu engineering classifies items by popularity and contribution margin
  • Food-cost percentages reconciled with recipes, yields, waste and purchasing
  • Lease, concession and managed-outlet structures compared for risk allocation
  • Spa, events and wellness revenues assessed through capacity utilisation
  • Ancillary profit pools prioritised using contribution and capital requirements

Participants can build departmental operating assumptions using USALI reporting structure.

  • USALI departmental statements separate revenue, expenses and undistributed costs
  • Room profit assumptions connect occupancy, ADR, payroll and distribution costs
  • Fixed and variable costs classified for volume-sensitive profit forecasting
  • Contribution margins calculated by room night, cover and event delegate
  • Departmental budgets reconcile operational drivers with financial-accounting lines
  • Break-even occupancy identifies minimum demand under alternative cost structures

Participants can assess hospitality investments using cash-flow and return measures.

  • Development budgets separate land, construction, pre-opening and working capital
  • 13-week cash forecasts sequence receipts, payroll, suppliers and debt service
  • NPV and IRR compare investment alternatives using discount-rate assumptions
  • Sensitivity tables test occupancy, ADR, cost inflation and opening delays
  • Debt-service coverage ratios assess lender repayment capacity under downside cases
  • Capital expenditure plans distinguish maintenance, replacement and value-enhancement projects

Participants can evaluate technology choices by guest value, operating impact and data risk.

  • PMS, CRS, RMS and CRM roles mapped across guest-data flows
  • Build-buy-partner decisions assess integration, ownership, cost and support
  • Contactless journeys evaluated against adoption, accessibility and service recovery
  • Revenue-management systems use forecast, displacement and rate-recommendation logic
  • Data governance defines consent, access permissions, retention and incident response
  • Automation candidates prioritised through volume, variance and guest-impact analysis

Participants can incorporate environmental and social operating measures into business-model decisions.

  • Energy-use intensity measured per occupied room and square metre
  • Water baselines identify laundry, irrigation, kitchen and guestroom consumption
  • Waste audits separate prevention, reuse, recycling and disposal costs
  • Green procurement criteria assess lifecycle cost, sourcing and supplier evidence
  • Accessibility and local-employment commitments incorporated into operating requirements
  • Sustainability claims checked against evidence, measurement boundaries and governance

Participants can identify business-model risks and define practical response controls.

  • Risk registers score likelihood, impact, controls and accountable owners
  • Demand shocks model cancellation patterns, cash exposure and recovery actions
  • Business-continuity plans cover utilities, systems, staffing and supplier disruption
  • Health and safety controls align incident reporting with operational response
  • Insurance review identifies property, liability, interruption and cyber exposures
  • Scenario planning tests strategic choices under defined market uncertainties

Participants can prepare a phased plan for development, conversion or operational transition.

  • Stage-gate plans sequence feasibility, design, procurement, pre-opening and launch
  • Critical-path schedules identify dependencies between construction, systems and recruitment
  • Pre-opening budgets allocate sales, training, inventory and commissioning costs
  • Operator-transition plans define data transfer, staffing and supplier handovers
  • Opening readiness checklists test rooms, service, technology and compliance
  • First-year plans link ramp-up assumptions to commercial and operating milestones

Participants can diagnose an underperforming asset and recommend a justified repositioning path.

  • Asset diagnostic compares market position, condition, performance and contract constraints
  • Comp-set benchmarking identifies rate, occupancy and guest-review performance gaps
  • Repositioning options compare renovation, rebranding, conversion and operational reset
  • Value-add initiatives prioritised by capital need, payback and execution risk
  • Portfolio matrices classify assets by return potential and strategic fit
  • Owner-operator governance routines establish reporting, approvals and performance reviews

Participants can build, review and present a complete hospitality business-model proposal for a defined market opportunity.

  • Market evidence defines demand, segments, competitors and target positioning
  • Business Model Canvas specifies partners, activities, resources and revenue streams
  • Selected ownership structure allocates control, fees, capital and operating risk
  • Operating design sets service standards, staffing, systems and supplier model
  • Financial case presents USALI assumptions, cash flows, returns and sensitivities
  • Implementation roadmap assigns stage gates, milestones, risks and accountable owners
  • Peer review challenges evidence, commercial logic, feasibility and presentation clarity

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Hospitality Business Model Canvas
  2. Market feasibility and competitive-set analysis
  3. Ownership and contract comparison matrix
  4. USALI-based operating and cash-flow model
  5. Distribution and net-revenue channel plan
  6. Hospitality business-model implementation roadmap

Who should attend

  • Hotel Development Managers — assess viable concepts, brands and operating structures
  • Hospitality Asset Managers — improve returns through model, contract and operator decisions
  • Hotel General Managers — align operations with owner economics and market positioning
  • Investment Analysts — evaluate hospitality feasibility, cash flows and downside scenarios
  • Tourism Development Officials — assess accommodation proposals and destination-fit assumptions
  • Commercial and Revenue Managers — connect pricing, channels and demand forecasts to profitability

Skills and tools covered

Hospitality model designFeasibility analysisContract evaluationRevenue economicsInvestment appraisalOperating model planning

Tools and standards

Business Model Canvas, Value Proposition Canvas, USALI, Porter's Five Forces

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings to introduce models, measures and contract structures, followed by facilitated case analysis from hotels, resorts, urban accommodation and food-service operations. Participants compare alternative models, interpret operating statements, test commercial assumptions and make decisions through group exercises and simulations. Application planning begins in the first week, using a chosen property, concept or market opportunity. Instructor feedback helps participants strengthen their evidence, financial assumptions, risk controls and presentation logic before the capstone review.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have working experience in hospitality, tourism, real estate, food service, investment, commercial planning or operations. They should be comfortable reading basic revenue, occupancy, cost and profit figures and discussing a property or tourism-market case. Familiarity with hotel departments, room inventory, distribution channels or development projects is useful but not essential. The course does not require prior financial-modelling expertise, knowledge of a specific property-management system, legal training or experience negotiating management agreements.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need practical familiarity with hospitality, tourism, property, commercial planning or operations and should be able to read basic business figures. Prior financial-modelling experience is not required; the course builds calculations from operating assumptions.

Bring a laptop for financial and planning work, plus any non-confidential information about a property, concept, market or business challenge you wish to examine. Templates and case materials are provided during the course.

It suits development managers, asset managers, general managers, investment analysts, commercial leaders and tourism-development professionals. It is designed for people making or informing commercial decisions rather than frontline service training.

Hotel operations training concentrates on running departments, while revenue-management training concentrates on demand and price decisions. This course connects market opportunity, ownership structure, contract terms, operating design, distribution economics and investment returns.

Participants can use the templates to assess a proposed property, review a brand or operator offer, test a repositioning decision or improve a current asset's commercial model. The capstone can be based on a real workplace opportunity where suitable information is available.

The first week establishes market analysis, guest proposition, contract structures, formats and revenue architecture. The second week develops operations, financial appraisal, technology, sustainability, risk, implementation and the final business-model presentation across approximately 6.5 contact hours each day.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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