Advancing CSR in Hospitality:
Key Achievements of the RIU x ESCP Professorship (2022-2024)

The RIU x ESCP Professorship continues to be a leading force in the development and implementation of innovative Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies in the hospitality sector. In 2024, the professorship continued to focus on three core areas: refining the RIU Method, executing international consultancy projects, and producing high-impact academic research. These efforts have strengthened the link between industry and academia, providing practical, evidence-based solutions to real-world challenges.

Standardizing and Innovating the RIU Method

One of the major milestones achieved was the standardization of the RIU Method, which now follows a structured framework with four phases and eight stages, aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The method ensures a consistent approach to CSR across RIU Hotels & Resorts properties while remaining adaptable to local realities.

During 2024 some key innovations took place:

• Development of a new diagnostic tool to better assess social and environmental conditions in different destinations.
• Project management training for RIU's CSR team, enhancing their operational effectiveness.

Strengthening the Industry-Academia Connection through International Consulting Projects

A significant component of the professorship’s work is the execution of International Consulting Projects (ICPs), offering MSc students hands-on experience in CSR project development.

Last year, three MSc students developed strategies for adapting the RIU Method to urban hotels (the “RIU Plaza”), tackling challenges such as air quality, social inequalities, and access to essential services.

• Senegal (2024): Testing and implementing new project management tools for social and environmental impact assessment in emerging destinations.

These projects have not only provided empirical data for academic research but also strengthened RIU’s approach to sustainable hospitality, ensuring long-term positive impacts in host communities.

ESCP Business School Professorship Research team and RIU CSR Department working hand in hand in Senegal

In early June 2024, the ESCP Professorship team, in collaboration with RIU Hotels & Resorts' CSR department, conducted fieldwork in Pointe Sarène, Senegal, where the RIU Baobab Hotel is located. The primary objective was to validate the preliminary findings from their desk research (out of the RIU Methos) and to design a social investment project aligned with the community's needs.

The team engaged in various activities to gain a comprehensive understanding of the local socio-economic conditions. They visited NGOs such as "Por una Sonrisa en África" and "Kassumay" in Mbour, conducted interviews with RIU Baobab staff, and held discussions with local leaders, including the chief of Pointe Sarène. Meetings were also held with representatives from the Spanish Cooperation and Embassy, the Ministries of Education and Health, the Malicounda Mayor's Office, SAPCO, and Urgences Saly.

These engagements provided valuable insights into the challenges related to child health and education in the area.

The fieldwork concluded with a participatory workshop where the team reflected on lessons learned and proposed concrete solutions, laying the groundwork for RIU's forthcoming social investment initiatives in Senegal.

You can read more about this trip here.

Academic Contributions and Research Impact

The professorship aims at playing a vital role in generating academic knowledge on CSR in hospitality, trying to contribute to the broader field through publications and conference engagements:

• Scientific publications: One published article and another under review, exploring CSR adaptation to local contexts and the role of knowledge hubs in sustainable hospitality.
• International conferences: Presentations at leading academic events, including:

  - “How to Design a Hotel Social Investment/CSR Strategy from the Grassroots: The Implementation of the RIU Method in Maldives”. Full paper was submitted to a double blind review and presented at the 49th EBES Conference (Athens, 2024).

  - “El "Método RIU como vector de aplicación de la estrategia de inversión social hotelera: ¿Cómo incidir en el desarrollo sostenible de las comunidades en destinos turísticos?”: Twentieth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability (University of Aveiro, Portugal, 24-26 January 2024) published in the conference proceedings under ISBN (DOI: 978-1-963049-28-2; p. 133)

These contributions have positioned the professorship as a reference in hotel CSR research, reinforcing its role in knowledge dissemination and policy development.

Looking Ahead

Through rigorous academic research, hands-on consulting projects, and global conference participation, the RIU x ESCP Professorship has successfully bridged the gap between CSR theory and practice in the hospitality sector during the first three years of the agreement. Now it is time to look ahead and move forward, to take this professorship between ESCP and RIU a step forward.

The following years we will continue:

• Expanding the application of the RIU Method to new regions and urban environments.
• Deepening academic research on CSR and sustainability in tourism, with a special focus on applied research that can be useful (“research as an asset”) for the hospitality firm.
• Strengthening strategic alliances for co-creating impactful CSR initiatives, in close cooperation with local communities.

By continuing to innovate and collaborate, the professorship wants to remain at the forefront of responsible, resilient and regenerative tourism, ensuring meaningful contributions to both the industry and academic discourse. Don't lose track of us!