REDEFINING THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR WITH THE GIVAH PROJECT

In recent years, the hospitality sector has undergone a profound transformation in the way it conceives the user experience. Spaces are no longer just functional settings, but authentic narrative elements that influence the perception, emotions, and decision-making of customers and users. At Hotel Alimara, we rethink traditional design processes that are disconnected from the actual use of spaces in order to optimize them and improve the experience of our guests.

GIVAH: rethinking how hospitality spaces are designed and experienced

It is in this context that GIVAH was born, an industrial research project committed to changing the rules of the game, joined by the Alimara University Hotel and CETT. Its objective is to develop and validate a new technological environment capable of transforming how spaces, products, and services in the hospitality sector are designed, tested, and optimized, incorporating the real user experience from the outset.

Through the combination of Generative Artificial Intelligence, immersive technologies (XR), and spatial computing, GIVAH proposes a more collaborative, dynamic, and people-centered working model. An environment where manufacturers, designers, space managers, and end users can co-create, visualize, and validate proposals in advance, reducing risks and improving the quality of decisions.

The project, promoted by AMBIT Living Spaces Cluster together with an ecosystem of companies and entities in the fields of habitat, design, audiovisuals, and hospitality management, transfers applied research to real-life scenarios. Trade fairs and operational spaces in the hotel and restaurant industry become living laboratories where solutions with immediate and transferable impact on the market can be tested.

From linear processes to co-created experiences validated in real time

Traditionally, hospitality space design has followed a linear path: first the concept is defined, then it is designed, and finally it is implemented. Real-world validation often comes late, when the scope for change is limited and costs are high. GIVAH proposes breaking with this pattern and moving toward a much more flexible, iterative, and participatory model.

The project develops a hybrid technological framework that allows design proposals to be generated and tested in immersive virtual environments, enriched with real data from the space. Thanks to domain-specific generative AI and agentic systems, it is possible to create, modify, and evaluate spatial configurations, products, and services without the need for physical prototypes or costly interventions.

One of GIVAH's key differentiators is its ability to bring all key players together in a single digital environment. Designers, manufacturers, managers, and users can interact simultaneously, view changes in real time, and make shared decisions from the earliest stages of the project. This not only speeds up processes, but also improves alignment between expectations, operational feasibility, and the final experience.

The system is validated through case studies in real hospitality environments, where technical performance, usability, and impact on professional workflows are analyzed. The result is a set of replicable tools, methodologies, and workflows designed to facilitate technology adoption by companies in the sector.

Project impact and transferable results for companies

The results of the GIVAH project will be mainly focused on the digitization and optimization of the processes involved in the value chain of design, implementation, management, and promotion of experiences in the hospitality sector. Specifically:

• Manufacturers and distributors of hospitality equipment: GIVAH will facilitate the evolution from rigid physical products to more flexible, configurable, and interactive solutions, adapted to different contexts of use. This will reduce design costs and streamline customization processes.

• Design, architecture, and interior design studios: The project will open the door to new generative workflows that enhance co-creation and early concept validation with developers, operators, and manufacturers, improving decision-making in the early stages.

• Hospitality space managers and developers: Advanced tools will be made available to simulate and test the functional, operational, and emotional viability of spaces prior to execution, minimizing risks and optimizing investments.

Boosting digital leadership in the hospitality sector

Beyond technological innovation, GIVAH represents a decisive step toward digital leadership in the hospitality sector. The project acts as a catalyst for companies—especially SMEs—to incorporate advanced technologies such as Generative AI, Extended Reality, and spatial computing into their daily operations, without the need for large initial investments or highly specialized knowledge.

GIVAH is fully aligned with European and national digitization strategies, contributing to the real adoption of digital technologies in traditionally analog sectors. Through applied experimentation, participating companies develop new digital skills, explore more flexible business models, and move towards a more experiential, personalized, and sustainable economy.

Innovative Business Groups Program (AEI) of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Tourism: AEI-010500-2025-60.