#Employee Experience
#Purpose Driven
Auror- Reimagining Hospitality
Year
2025
Timeline
10 weeks
Team
Personal project
Responsibilities
Human-centred research, Service Journey Mapping, Systems Design, Workshop facilitation, Co-design and ideation, Concept Development, Rapid Prototyping and testing, Stakeholder alignment, Visual Storytelling, Strategic Communication
About
The hospitality industry, one of the oldest and most inherently people-centric sectors, has historically been grounded in the principles of human connection and service; from inns to taverns and even monasteries providing safe havens for pilgrims. This focus further evolved with the industrial era, as luxury hotels and modern service establishments emerged, coding it as a professional and customer- centric endeavour.
Despite these deeply ingrained humanistic ideals, the contemporary hospitality industry faces systemic workforce challenges that threaten its foundational principles. Rapid globalisation, operational standardisation, and increased cost pressures have contributed to high employee turnover, disengagement, and a growing disconnect between the workforce and organisational goals.
This paradox highlights the pressing need to reconcile the industry’s historical emphasis on people with the demands of a dynamic and rapidly evolving workforce.
This project seeks to address these challenges through the lens of service design innovation, crafting a scalable, adaptable framework that aligns individual aspirations with corporate objectives.
Leveraging Ritz- Carlton, as a case study- a globally renowned hotel brand and an industry benchmark for excellence in service and employee engagement- the project aims to employ a comprehensive methodology. It begins with analysing the workforce challenges to uncover systemic issues impacting employee satisfaction and retention.
Challenge
Designing exceptional guest experiences begins with designing for the people behind them. Yet in the high-pressure world of luxury hospitality, frontline employees often operate within invisible systems of stress, disengagement, and unclear growth — resulting in an internal service experience that fails to reflect the very ethos the brand promises its guests. The aim was not only to address specific pain points but to reimagine the service culture itself — embedding care, recognition, and interdepartmental cohesion across the employee journey.
To unpack these complexities, two complementary analytical approaches were applied: a business-driven affinitization process, and a human-centred Double Triangulation Square Model (figure 3 A). Together, these tools allowed to interpret the challenges through both an organisational lens and the lived experience of employees. While affinitization helped synthesise raw qualitative data into actionable insights, the Double Triangulation Square Model revealed how these issues interact systemically — mapping emotional and operational pain points that reinforce each other across the employee journey.
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At the heart of this framework are two foundational stressors: employee exhaustion and unclear career growth. Staff shared stories of long shifts with minimal breaks, emotional fatigue from continuous guest-facing interactions, and a persistent uncertainty around advancement opportunities.
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These primary pain points create a sense of stagnation and burnout, which in turn influence and are influenced by two secondary challenges: ineffective onboarding and intent to leave. Employees often begin their tenure with inadequate preparation and support, leaving them overwhelmed from the outset. Over time, the compounding stress of unclear expectations and limited progression leads many to seek employment elsewhere — fueling a cycle of disengagement, turnover, and constant retraining.
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The triangulation also challenges a common misconception in workforce strategy — that onboarding ends once an employee begins executing tasks. Instead, the service design approach positions onboarding as a continuous touchpoint, with embedded opportunities for learning, upskilling, and belonging. In doing so, it becomes a powerful tool not just for orientation, but for retention and internal growth. Ultimately, the challenge wasn’t focused on merely high attrition or disengaged staff — those were symptoms. The deeper issue is regarded as the fragmented internal service experience sustained by short-sighted onboarding and reactive operational practices.
* The storyboard on the left shows the journey of Sophia, a recent hospitality management graduate working as a concierge. However, on the right , we also see that this resonates with not just Sophia but over 2.1 million others in the United States who work long shifts with minimum wages.
"I’ve learned a lot on the job, but most of it comes from figuring things out myself or watching the more experienced guys. There’s no structured training,—just trial and error. I want to move up to a sous chef role someday. I love the work, but I don’t know how long I can keep going without real recognition or a clear path to move up. Right now, it just feels like a dead-end job."
- Line Cook (James R.)
"We still treating hiring like a revolving door—bringing people in, training them for operational needs, and watching them leave. If we invested in leadership pipelines, and skills-based development programs, we wouldn’t just retain employees longer; we’d actually build a stronger workforce from within. Right now, the biggest gap is the misalignment that’s driving our turnover rates."
- Training and Development Coordinator (Emma C.)
“Most of my team doesn’t see this as a long-term career because typically they don’t have enough reason to. There’s no structured training, no clear next step beyond just working more shifts, and often limited recognition. I believe, to retain employees, we need to show them there’s a future here—whether it’s through skill-building, promotions, or leadership training.”
- Restaurant Manager (Daniel T.)
“I want to grow in hospitality—maybe move into guest relations or even hotel management—but there’s no clear guidance on how to get there. I’ve taken on more responsibilities, but there’s no structured leadership training or career path outlined for us. I wish the company really invested in fast-track development programs.”
- Front Desk Associate (Sarah B.)
* The names used are fictitious to dissociate the findings from specific individuals, and to maintain privacy and anonymity.
* The force field analysis diagram presented visually maps out the driving forces (enablers) that enhance the employee experience and restraining forces (blockers) that hinder progress across the key stages mentioned along the y-axis. The plotted curve on the graph represents the implications of these enablers and blockers on employees at Ritz Carlton. The framework proves essential for understanding the tension between the positive and negative influences, allowing to develop targeted interventions that amplify enablers while mitigating blockers; to enhance employee experience and operational efficiency.
* (Figure 3 A): By redefining the ongoing, developmental process, the arrow in the above double triangulation square diagram suggests a fundamental shift in how hotels should approach employee integration and retention. Rather than constantly sifting through new hires due to high attrition, organisations should invest in a comprehensive onboarding and upskilling strategy that transforms new employees into long-term assets.
Approach
The project followed a structured service experience design methodology, integrating systems thinking, participatory research, and strategic visualisation to redesign the employee experience in luxury hospitality. Reiterating the idea, the approach was anchored in the belief that employee well-being, growth, and engagement are not side benefits — they must be treated as core service pillars that directly impact guest satisfaction and organisational performance.
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As discussed, the process began by distilling qualitative research — interviews, surveys, and observational data — through two key frameworks. The dual lens of the affinitization and double triangulation model provided both strategic clarity and emotional nuance, identifying onboarding as a critical point for intervention.
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Using the Value Proposition Canvas, employee pains and aspirations were mapped against internal service gaps. From this, a series of “How Might We” statements were developed to reframe systemic issues as design opportunities. These targeted onboarding experiences, recognition systems, and well-being structures — each positioned not as isolated fixes, but as scalable service layers that contribute to employee longevity and satisfaction.
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The ideation phase centered on co-creative design thinking, moving from expert-led insights to employee-driven solutions. Tools like Crazy 8s, Six Thinking Hats, and collaborative vision mapping were used to generate and refine ideas alongside frontline hospitality staff. This participatory approach led to high-impact concepts.
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To translate ideas into implementable solutions, a full suite of service design visuals was created. Service blueprints charted current and future-state workflows; experience maps traced emotional journeys; ecosystem maps visualized interdepartmental dynamics; and a business model canvas aligned interventions with financial and operational realities. These tools ensured strategic alignment, stakeholder clarity, and phased implementation; they were thought out, from early pilots to long-term scaling.
* Revised Circular Economy Framework applied to elevating the employee experience (source: Geissdoerfer, Savaget, Bocken & Hultink, (2017). The circular economy- A new sustainability paradigm?). By shifting from a linear workforce model (hire-train-burnout-replace) to a circular approach that prioritizes retention, skill evolution, and workforce well-being, organizations can enhance long-term stability while mitigating economic, social, and environmental costs associated with high turnover rates.
* Co-creative Design Research and Ideation Framework- Updated for the given project (source: Sanders, E.B. N. and Stappers, P.J., 2008. Co-creation and the new landscapes of design. Co design, 4(1), pp. 5-18.
* Desirability, Feasibility and Viability Matrix to conduct prioritisation of concepts.
* Sankey Visualisation used to depict utilisation of financial resources.
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* Service Visualisations- Proposed Organisational Blueprints and User Experience Flows (Click to open and expand)
Outcome
The final design deliverable includes a comprehensive future-state service blueprint outlining redesigned backstage interactions, and a set of pilot-ready experience prototypes. Each intervention was built to be embedded within existing rhythms and operational workflows, ensuring sustainability and minimizing disruption.
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The project is prepared to produce immediate cultural impact within pilot teams. It is designed to improve emotional connection of staff to their teams and increase clarity around their contributions.
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For managerial operations, it aims to notably shift the team dynamics during shift transitions and day-to-day functions, creating space for empathy, alignment, and psychological safety.
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More broadly, the work lays the foundation for a systemic shift in how internal service experiences are valued. It demonstrated how investing in employee experience through design is not a cost, but a catalyst — for staff retention, guest satisfaction, and long-term brand health.
* The above figure, presents a visual representation of the impact and time frame of the four suggested employee experience solutions across the key employee lifecycle phases in a luxury hotel set-up. The timeline indicates that immersive onboarding solutions have an early and more immediate impact, while career pathway simulations and micro-learning hubs drive ongoing skill development and career progression, fostering motivation and reducing turnover. The wellness and smart scheduling system emerges as the most sustained initiative, emphasising its growing role.
* Introducing, AUROR, an internal initiative for Ritz Carlton, designed to elevate employee engagement, leadership development, and workplace culture. Inspired by the principles of Service Alchemy, AUROR takes the everyday employee experience and refines it into something exceptional. Recognising that each employee’s career aspirations and learning needs are unique, AUROR offers customised mentorship programs, skill-building workshops, and hands-on learning experiences to empower employees in their professional journeys.
AUROR derives its name from "Aurora" (representing transformation, enlightenment, and new beginnings) and "Aurum" (Latin for gold, symbolizing excellence and intrinsic value). The name itself is a direct nod to The Ritz-Carlton’s Gold Standards of Service, the foundation upon which its legendary hospitality is built. Additionally, the benefits of AUROR extend beyond employee satisfaction—it creates a direct and measurable impact on business performance; redefining how companies attract, retain, and develop world-class talent..
Learning
This project affirmed that service experience design is as much about culture as it is about systems. By reframing internal processes as opportunities for care, reflection, and connection, I was able to surface interventions that felt deeply human while being operationally sound. The co-creative process revealed that designing with employees generates not only better ideas, but also greater ownership and long-term adoption. It challenged me to shift from traditional user research to participatory innovation, where frontline staff became collaborators in shaping their own experience.
I also learned the power of small, well-placed interventions; and how they can create cascading impact across engagement, retention, and operational efficiency over time. Most importantly, this work reinforced that the backstage is not secondary — it is the stage upon which every guest experience is built. Designing for employees is not just ethical — it's strategic.
The best work starts with the right people. To know more me and my work..