V originále
In this paper, the use of virtual reality (VR) in the education of future hotel and tourism industry employees is explored. Through interdisciplinary co-operation of researchers and practitioners in the field of technology, hospitality, and pedagogy, a 3D training module simulating the environment of a hotel reception was developed. As a part of the project, the key elements of communication between/among hotel staff and various types of guests were identified, and variant scenarios of communication situations were built. The development of scenarios followed the principles of effective simulation, including realism (immersion), drama (involvement), and challenge (motivation). The methodology of training communication skills of students using VR was compiled against the backdrop of the leading sources existing in the literature and practice. The latter embraces the principle of the “action review cycle”, which contains (1) a description of expectations from the simulation, (2) a description of experience, and (3) an analysis of differences between expectations and actual experience. In this study, the basic action review cycle was extended by “reflection”, i.e. quality of communication and professional accuracy. The VR tool elaborated on this paper remains a pilot and so more research and testing are needed to make it marketable.