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Building a business model for a new form of hospitality: the albergo diffuso

Silvia Fissi (Department of Business and Economics, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, Italy)
Alberto Romolini (Faculty of Economics, Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO, Roma, Italy)
Elena Gori (Department of Business and Economics, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, Italy)

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

ISSN: 0959-6119

Article publication date: 20 August 2019

Issue publication date: 13 January 2020

1099

Abstract

Purpose

In recent years, tourists have become more interested in discovery the authenticity of a destination. The albergo diffuso (AD) is a response to this new requirement of tourist experience. The AD indeed is based on an accommodation solution with rooms distributed in various buildings across a village. The purpose of this study is to analyze the AD business model supporting the development of this emerging business opportunity in the accommodation industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is conducted with a multiple case study approach, collecting data from different sources such as semi-structured interviews and archival research. The cases are all located in Italy where the AD was applied for the first time.

Findings

The AD business model is based on business idea, value creation and innovation. The business idea is based on the aim to contribute to the renaissance of a village with an emotional link between the entrepreneur and the village. Regarding the value creation, the AD is a form of accommodation that offers more than a hotel experience. The tourist can live like a resident and experiencing local traditions and culture. The innovation is indeed related to the services that are totally different from a traditional hotel.

Originality/value

Considering the previous studies, this research tries to fill the gap concerning the necessity to define the characteristics of the AD business model and to understand the key elements at the base of this hospitality approach.

Keywords

Citation

Fissi, S., Romolini, A. and Gori, E. (2020), "Building a business model for a new form of hospitality: the albergo diffuso", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 307-323. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-01-2019-0047

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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