Issue: № 4, 2026
Doi: https://doi.org/10.37634/efp.2026.4.18
The paper examines the strategic role of hotel enterprises as institutional actors within the humanitarian response system during large-scale crises and armed conflicts. In conditions of mass forced displacement, traditional systems of social support and accommodation often face significant capacity limitations. In this context, hospitality infrastructure can perform an important stabilizing function, acting not only as a commercial sector of the economy but also as a flexible institutional resource capable of supporting humanitarian operations. The author substantiates that hotel infrastructure possesses significant spatial, organizational, and service potential that can be mobilized to provide temporary accommodation, social assistance, and integration support for displaced persons. The paper systematizes managerial mechanisms for integrating hotel enterprises into humanitarian response frameworks and analyzes international experience and best practices. Particular attention is given to cooperation between public authorities, international organizations, and private hotel businesses within public–private partnerships. On this basis, the paper proposes a conceptual model described as the “hotel as a humanitarian hub”. The model outlines key functional roles of hotels in crisis conditions, including temporary accommodation for displaced persons, provision of basic social services, support for employment of refugees and internally displaced persons, and the creation of safe social environments. The paper also examines the economic dimension of such engagement, including compensation mechanisms, state subsidies, humanitarian funding, and contractual cooperation with public institutions. The proposed model is tested through the analysis of the experience of hotel enterprises in Ukraine and European countries that hosted Ukrainian displaced persons during 2022–2024. The results demonstrate that strategic integration of hotel infrastructure into humanitarian response systems is mutually beneficial: governments gain additional accommodation capacity, while hotels obtain new revenue sources, operational stability, and positive social positioning. The findings may be used by government authorities, hotel associations, and international organizations when developing policies aimed at strengthening humanitarian response systems and the resilience of the hospitality industry.
Keywords : hotel structures, humanitarian crisis, social stability, management mechanisms, economic efficiency, forced displacement, public-private partnership, hotel as humanitarian hub, hospitality industry
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