Lean implementation in Hospitality: challenges and future directions

Abstract

Due to the pervasive influence of the coronavirus pandemic, a disturbance has occurred in many industries, including the Hospitality industry. The use of methods and tools for continuous process improvement is a constant requirement and almost every company has progressed by implementing Lean as an efficiency-oriented management system. The scope of this research is to present the impact of Lean on the Hospitality industry and its transformation after the pandemic. The research includes the analysis of the reference literature searching the Scopus database related to the application of Lean in this area. The results indicate a stagnation in the publication of research papers over the years, which coincides with the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in the number of publications in 2022 speaks of the resurgence of interest in the application of Lean Hospitality and the improvements that this approach offers. There is a lack of research on its combination with other approaches, except for Lean Six Sigma. Also, the Kaizen approach proved to be the most frequently applied Lean tool in the Hospitality industry. These publications reviewing provides insight into the Lean Hospitality challenges and identifies possible directions for future research in this area.