A group of four students from the Double Degree in Services and Tourism Engineering at the Rey Juan Carlos University have won the latest edition of the HOTUSA Talent Match 2019/2020: Carlos Rodríguez Castillo, Iván Salas Várez, Judit Mordillo Córdoba and Julia Martínez Arcilla with The Click project. The coordination of the project with HOTUSA has depended on Professor Laura Fuentes Moraleda of the Department of Business Economics.

The project called "The Click" was conceived with the aim of being a new hotel concept designed from sustainable "Passivhaus" technology and aimed at the business sector. The different features that make it up offer a new travel experience to people who need to travel for business reasons. During the preparation of the project, it has been attempted to provide the Eurostars brand and the Hotusa Group with a new renovated space adapted to the different emerging demands of the sector. The complex is made up of different fully-equipped apartment modules with maximum comfort for guests. It has been decided to apply "Passivhaus" technology to reduce energy costs and maintain interior comfort. Mainly thanks to the double-flow ventilation system, where the contaminated air in the rooms transmits its heat energy to the incoming fresh air, and helped by the different insulating materials in walls and windows, this energy is preserved and the noise level is reduced. external. Another of the great advantages, and that is made available to customers, is the use of coworking facilities, where through a reservation system for rooms and spaces, different business commitments can be accommodated without the need to travel outside the facilities.

Explanatory video of the project https://.youtube.com/watch?v=-fcF2VEwStE

During the 2019-20 edition, the students have worked on new hotel concepts and services, carrying out an analysis of the tourism sector and proposing innovative solutions that respond to and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the market.  

Grupo Hotusa has closed the 2019-20 academic year of Smart People that strengthens the link between university and business. In this new edition a notable increase in participation has been achieved with more of 350 students enrolled from 17 universities throughout Spain; 45 of them have been recognized as finalists for the quality of their projects.

In this fourth edition of the competition, the students have faced the challenge of developing new business models, hotel concepts or tourist services, previously carrying out an analysis of the tourism sector and proposing innovative solutions that respond to and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the market.

Of all the proposals presented by the participating groups, the best valued by the jury was that of the students of the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, who presented the project The click, a project based on a Passive House model, oriented energy saving thanks to the use of renewable energies. The work presents us with a passive aparthotel with minimal consumption and 100% sustainable, designed for the business client. In addition, Grupo Hotusa has also recognized with a second Aware award from the Center for Higher Studies of Galicia, CESUGA, an app that provides the traveler with experiences to enjoy their stay and get to know the city in which they are staying accompanied by people similar to their profile , taking business travel to another level. Finally, a special mention has been given to the Handshaking project developed by the representatives of the Altamira University School of Tourism. This is a project aimed at volunteer tourism, with the aim of offering the traveler enriching, authentic and immersive experiences, linked to the conservation of the area's environment and support for local communities.

In this edition, the projects had to register in four categories that responded to trends already consolidated in the market. The first category was linked to active and sustainable tourism, a second included experiential tourism, aimed at the development of unusual experiences. A third category referred to products aimed at the business and bleisure client, as well as coworking models. And finally, the fourth category included everything related to gamification.

A jury made up of representatives of the company has been in charge of assessing the projects, taking into account the contribution of innovation, feasibility and staging of the presentation made. 

The award-winning students will have the opportunity to carry out a professional internship at Grupo Hotusa, as well as enjoy stays at the establishments of the Eurostars Hotel Company chain. In addition, during the course of the project, all the candidates have been monitored and, depending on their aptitudes and abilities, they will be able to develop a training plan in the company.

Smart People proposes and develops, together with students and professors from university centers, research work related to the tourism sector. The universities that have reached the final in this edition have been the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC), the Sant Pol de Mar Hotel School (EUHT), the School of Management (IQS), the ESHOB School of Gastronomy, the University of Santiago de Compostela in Lugo (USC), the University of Santiago de Compostela in Santiago (USC), the University of Vigo (Uvigo), the Higher Hospitality Center of Galicia (CSHG), the Center for Higher University Studies of Galicia (CESUGA), the University of La Coruña (UDC), the Loyola Andalusia University, the European University of Madrid (UEM), the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), the Nebrija University, the Altamira School of Tourism and the Center for Higher University Studies of Galicia (CESUGA) .

Grupo Hotusa's Smart People seeks to develop the skills of future tourism professionals, offering recent graduates specialized itineraries in different areas such as finance, sales and business development, and even digital marketing. Since its inception, its volume of participation has notably increased, both by students and universities, creating collaboration synergies with the company.