Computer Simulation in Hospitality Teaching, Practice, and Research

Abstract

[Excerpt] This paper focuses on the use of computer simulation as a tool and how it can be applied in hospitality education, practice, and research. Simulation involves the modeling of an existing real system—for example, skiers' activities at a ski resort, diners' experiences in a full-service restaurant, and guests' transactions at a hotel's front desk. In this article we first discuss the main types of simulation—numerical simulation and discrete-event simulation. We then discuss the tools for building simulation models and offer a few words of caution regarding simulation. We close with our thoughts about the usefulness of computer-simulation modeling.