Industry Research and Thought Leadership

The School of Hospitality Management maintains high-quality research and training facilities for students.

Food Decisions Research Laboratory

The Food Decisions Research Laboratory investigates psycho-economical influences on food service decisions.

HM People Project

The HM People Project advances organizations’ success through new insights and knowledge derived from research in people-intensive service and hospitality enterprises.

Hospitality Real Estate Strategy Group

The Hospitality Real Estate Strategy Group focuses on teaching, research and outreach related to real estate and strategy in the hospitality industry. The center also produces the Penn State Index of U.S. Hotel Values, an index that projects hotel values for the overall U.S. and for the specific hotel property types of Luxury, Upper Upscale, Upscale, Upper Midscale, Midscale and Economy hotels.

Services Research Network

This Services Research Network was formed to create and disseminate knowledge about the best practices in services marketing and management.

Webinar Series: Research 2 Practice

Café Laura

Cafe Laura is an educational partnership between Penn State Housing and Food Service and the School of Hospitality Management. Inherent to the development of students as professionals in the foodservice segment of the hospitality industry is their successful completion of food service simulation courses designed to prepare them for management positions. Each time Cafe Laura opens its doors, it is a unique blend of instructional foodservice laboratory and contemporary dining facility open to the public on a daily basis.