Ft. Assistant Professor of Hospitality and Tourism at LSU New Orleans, Dr. Ian Li
Years of experience can teach hospitality professionals how the industry works, how guests respond to service, and how to navigate the unexpected. But experience also tends to shape the assumptions people bring to their work.
Dr. Ian Li, Assistant Professor of Hospitality and Tourism at LSU New Orleans, encourages hospitality professionals to use their knowledge as an advantage while remaining open to new perspectives.
“My two cents would be to use your experience as an advantage, but be ready to challenge your assumptions,” Li said. “Years of work experience are an important asset for advancing your career because you have seen how the industry actually operates and have real situations to connect with what you learn.”
His own career has taken him across many sides of the hospitality industry, from hotel operations to research and teaching. Those circumstances impact how he approaches hospitality education and his work with students in the Master of Science in Hospitality & Tourism Management program.
What Happens Behind the Scenes of an Experience?
Li’s career in hospitality began with a curiosity about what happens behind the scenes.
“I have always enjoyed traveling, and ever since I was young, I have been curious about how things work behind the scenes,” he recalled. “Whenever I stayed at a hotel or flew on an airplane, I would wonder: How is my room ready when I arrive? Why does food taste and look different on an airplane?”
His interest in the guest experience and the systems behind it eventually led him to hospitality and tourism. During his undergraduate years, Li volunteered at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. Seeing people from around the world gather in one place showed him how tourism could connect people across cultures, create shared experiences, and generate opportunities for communities and businesses.
That interest later planted the seed for his research career in consumer behavior. He became fascinated by why people make certain choices, how they evaluate their experiences, and what makes them want to return. In 2010, Li’s hospitality journey brought him to the United States as an exchange scholar in the International Disney College Program. He returned in 2012 to pursue a master’s degree in hospitality business at Michigan State University.
After earning his master’s degree, Li worked at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel, part of Marriott International. Working in hotel operations showed him the importance of consistency, teamwork, attention to different customers’ needs, and delivering excellent service every day.
He began to recognize that teaching and research were what he wanted to pursue. In 2016, he returned to school to earn his Ph.D. at Ohio State University.
“At first, I was primarily drawn to [the hospitality industry’s] excitement, global reach, and career opportunities. Over the years, however, I have developed a deeper appreciation for its complexity and its importance to society. Rapid technological advances have transformed how hospitality businesses operate and interact with guests, while the global pandemic demonstrated just how vulnerable the industry can be. At the same time, the pandemic reminded us how deeply people value travel, connection, and shared experiences.”
I now see hospitality and tourism as both fragile and remarkably resilient. The industry will continue to evolve, but our desire to travel, connect with others, and feel welcomed means that hospitality will remain an indispensable part of human life.
The Lesson Behind a Strawberry Shortcake Sundae
Li’s time with the Walt Disney Company also shaped how he thinks about hospitality.
He was impressed by Disney’s organizational culture, its thoughtful use of technology, its attention to detail, and its ability to create lasting memories for guests. One standout moment helped him understand what those elements could mean for guests.
While working at an ice cream shop in Fantasyland, two guests came to his window and told him it was the final day of their vacation. Before leaving, they wanted to return one more time for a strawberry shortcake sundae.
“Their comment made my day, but it also gave me an epiphany about hospitality,” Li reflected. “When we create a truly meaningful experience through service, guests will remember it, return to it, and form a connection with the people and places that created it. That is what I bring into the classroom today,” he said. “I want students to understand both the operational discipline required to deliver excellent service and the human connections that make hospitality meaningful.”
How to Lead When Business and People Collide
Strong hospitality leadership requires an understanding that business goals and the needs of employees and guests can sometimes come into conflict. Leaders may need to control labor costs, enforce a policy, or make an unpopular operational decision. These are important decisions, but how those decisions are made matters.
“A strong leader should be able to read the situation, understand the people involved, and adjust their approach accordingly,” Li said.
Sometimes employees need clear direction. Other times, they need support, flexibility, or more autonomy. Li sees situational leadership as particularly relevant in hospitality and tourism because customers and employees bring different needs and expectations to the workplace.
“We talk a lot about personalizing service for customers, but I think good leaders should also personalize how they manage, support, and develop their employees,” he said. “You still have to achieve business goals, but you should not lose sight of the people who are helping you achieve them.”
The same principle applies to creating an inclusive guest and employee experience. Li highlighted the gap that can exist between an organization’s stated values and what employees and guests actually experience on the front line.
Organizations can strengthen that connection by listening to employees and guests, involving them in decisions, and responding to their feedback.
When people are treated as active partners rather than passive recipients, inclusion becomes part of the organization’s daily culture rather than merely a statement of its intentions.
Hospitality is All About the Human Connection
Technology has long influenced hospitality and tourism, from transportation and operating systems to reservations and entertainment. Li sees artificial intelligence (AI) as the next major development shaping the industry.
He also recognizes the concern that AI could replace some traditional jobs, including accounting and routine operational roles.
“Hospitality is essentially a people industry, and people will always be part of it; unless, of course, the business concept is designed to operate without human interaction,” Li said.
Rather than viewing AI only through the lens of job replacement, Li sees an opportunity to redirect human effort toward work where people create the most value.
“AI should allow hospitality organizations to redirect human effort toward areas where people create the most value such as building relationships, solving complex guest problems, and providing genuine hospitality.”
“There is no panacea when it comes to skills for the hospitality and tourism industry,” Li asserted. “It really depends on where technology is taking us and what the market is telling us.”
He pointed to the ability to anticipate, adapt to, and manage change as an important skill for hospitality professionals. Staying open-minded and continuing to learn can help professionals respond as technology, customer expectations, and the workforce change.
Putting Experience to Work in Graduate Education
Dr. Li also challenges a common assumption about hospitality: that the industry does not require much education or specialized knowledge.
“Once you move into management, you are dealing with finance, revenue management, human resource management, marketing, technology, service systems, and leadership,” Li said. “That is a very different job.”
Li has seen hotel and restaurant managers return to school after recognizing that their operational experience had taken them far, but they needed additional business knowledge to take the next step.
“I would say hospitality may be relatively easy to enter, but it is certainly not an easy industry to master,” he noted. “Graduate school can provide hospitality professionals with a different perspective and help them connect theories and research with real-life experiences. It can encourage them to step outside of what they already know and think more strategically and systematically about improvements, services, employees, and customers.”
Grow Your Knowledge Base with the Online MS in Hospitality & Tourism Management
For hospitality professionals ready to build on their industry expertise while developing a wider understanding of the field, LSU New Orleans offers an online MS in Hospitality and Tourism Management. The program gives students an opportunity to continue their education while staying connected to the industry they already know.
Li does not suggest leaving your hospitality experience behind. “I think the greatest value comes when professionals are willing to bring their experience into the classroom, but also remain open to questioning whether there may be a better way of doing things,” he said.
Ultimately, Dr. Li sees hospitality as more than an exchange between a business and a customer. “As the Latin root of the word, hospes, suggests, hospitality is fundamentally about the relationship between host and guest.”
That idea connects many of the lessons he brings into the classroom: operational discipline, technology, business knowledge, and strong management all matter. But those things ultimately affect people.
Students in the online LSU New Orleans MS in Hospitality & Tourism Management can explore these concepts while examining new perspectives and building on what they already bring to the field.
If you’re an experienced professional considering graduate education, Dr. Li offers a simple place to start: bring what you know, but remain willing to question it.
Explore the online Master of Science in Hospitality & Tourism Management from LSU New Orleans, and apply today!
