Sinergie | 2026
Authors: Trunfio M.; Leoni L.; Pasquinelli C.; Presenza A.
DOI: 10.7433/s129.2026.11
Journal: Sinergie
Year: 2026
Publisher: Fondazione Cueim
Document Type: Article
Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access
Cited by: 0
Framing of the research: This paper aims to contribute to hospitality management research by advancing knowledge on exploiting digital technologies (DTs) to enhance internal knowledge management processes (KMPs) in luxury hotels. It provides an in-depth exploration of how and to what extent DTs support KMPs (i.e., acquisition, creation, storage, sharing, and application), assisting the hotel's decision-making and actions. Methodology: The structured-deductive approach was adopted, starting with theory and progressing to an empirical exploration of two luxury hotels in Milan (Italy). A case study was developed, and eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with top and middle managers. These activities enabled the collection of managers' insights and experiences, including ideas, opinions, and emotions, which were juxtaposed and compared. Findings: Findings deepen understanding of how DTs integrate and enhance KMPs, support critical reflection on the enablers and barriers to DTs' use and exploitation in internal KMPs, and offer fresh insights into the relationships between KMPs-DTs integration and organisational change in luxury hospitality. Practical implications: In luxury hotels, leaders play a key role in guiding a structured digital transformation journey, leveraging reskilling and upskilling in digital competencies and engaging human resources in organisational and managerial change. A culture of innovation is a combined effect of DTs and the involvement of all human resources. This requires fostering a collaborative culture, establishing cross-departmental coordination mechanisms, and implementing targeted training and continuous support to reduce resistance and strengthen staff engagement, thereby embedding DTs into daily operations rather than treating them as stand-alone tools. Originality of the paper: The under-investigated research topic of the internal micro-perspective of top and middle managers interpreting DTs for KMPs has been adopted. The research identifies areas for theory building in hospitality at the intersection between digital transformation, KM, and human resource management. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Fondazione CUEIM. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode).
digital technology; hotel managers; knowledge management processes; luxury hotel