Hanneke Assen has recently been inaugurated as Professor of International Hospitality Education at Hotel Management School Leeuwarden, part of NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. In her work, she explores what hospitality means in an increasingly international and complex world, and how education can prepare students to build meaningful relationships alongside professional expertise.
In her inaugural address, Hanneke emphasised that hospitality goes far beyond offering a warm welcome. She described it as a powerful educational and research framework that connects people, perspectives and practices. Drawing on her early experiences growing up in her parents’ café-restaurant, she highlighted hospitality as a way of truly seeing people and creating genuine connections.
The professorship focuses on innovative educational approaches such as Design-Based Education, close collaboration with industry partners and cross-border learning. Through this, students develop flexible, reflective and future-oriented mindsets that prepare them for the global hospitality sector and beyond.
Hospitality education, as Hanneke demonstrates, also has broader societal value. It contributes to the development of empathy, intercultural competence and collaboration skills that are essential in today’s society.
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