Prof. Dr. Thorsten Merkle

Work at ZHAW

Position

• Head of Expert Group Hospitality and Service Management
• International Relations IFM

Education and Continuing education

Education

• flight instructor FI(A)
  Flugschule Grenchen
  08 / 2022 - 12 / 2022
• commercial pilot CPL(A)
  alpaviation
  03 / 2019 - 07 / 2021
• PhD / Business and Management
  University of Gloucesterhire
  10 / 2011 - 03 / 2017
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education
  University of Derby
  08 / 2013 - 10 / 2014
• MBA / international Management
  Europäische Fernhochschule Hamburg
  03 / 2008 - 09 / 2009
• Diplom Betriebswirt (FH)
  Hochschule Heilbronn
  10 / 1998 - 03 / 2002

Network

Membership of networks

• FCSI (Food Service Consultants Society International): Consultant
• Institute of Hospitality: Member
• International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE): Member
• Higher Education Academy (HEA): Fellow
• Washington State University: Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living: Faculty Fellow
• Founding Chairperson: CHRIE Special Interest Group: The Business of Ageing in Hospitality

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8945-1438

Media presence

• Washington Post: At airports, secret bars promise an escape. If you can find them.
• Magazin ARTISET

Projects

• Hospital Food Service Development / Project leader / ongoing
• An integrated, data-driven Smart Real Estate life cycle benchmark as a foundation for innovative delivery models in the real estate sector / Team member / ongoing
• Technologization and Digitalization in Swiss Residential and Nursing Homes / Team member / ongoing
• Evaluation and Analysis of Strategic Management Indicators for Healthcare Properties / Team member / completed
• Catering concept Zollikerberg / Project leader / completed
• Food Waste Measure in Airline Catering / Deputy project leader / completed
• Zipp & Scan / Deputy project leader / completed
• Digitalisation and technologisation in care homes / Team member / completed
• Nudging for Sustainability – pilot project / Deputy project leader / completed
• Improving the well-being of residents in care homes by making catering services more flexible with the help of technology / Team member / completed
• DIGINUT – Comprehensive Digitalisation of Patient Nutrition Uptake in Health Care / Co-project leader / completed
• DC4HC – Digital Competence for Healthcare / Project leader / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Gerber, N., Merkle, T. and Schefer, N. (2025) 'Wanted: New approaches for food service provision in care homes of the future', Journal of Ageing and Longevity, 5(4), p. 50. doi: 10.3390/jal5040050.
• Merkle, T. and Das, S. (2025) 'Passenger delight in liminal spaces : uncovering the dynamics of airport airside F&B', ICHRIE Research Reports, 10(6), p. 5. doi: 10.61701/382227.968.
• Merkle, T., Seenivasan, S. and Das, S. (2025) 'Effect of street-pricing deregulation in U.S. airports on customer satisfaction', ICHRIE Research Reports, 10(3), p. 1. doi: 10.61701/957987.659.
• Ratten, V., Lux, A. and Merkle, T. (2025) 'Tips from management editors : managing your academic reputation, post-publication promotion and building your network', Journal of Management & Organization, 31(1), pp. 1–6. doi: 10.1017/jmo.2024.54.
• Jeanfavre, E. and Merkle, T. (2024) 'Nachhaltiges Management von Hotelinfrastrukturen : Untersuchung der Zieldivergenz zwischen Eigentümern und Betreibern', Swiss Real Estate Journal, (29), pp. 59–66.

Books, peer-reviewed

Ratten, V., Merkle, T. and Tavare, F. (eds) (2026) International encyclopedia of business management. Academic Press.

Book chapters, peer-reviewed

• Merkle, T. (2026) 'The evolution of tourism, hospitality, and service management', in International Encyclopedia of Business Management. Elsevier, pp. 339–344. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-443-13701-3.00602-2.
• Gerber, N. and Merkle, T. (2026) 'Non-medical support services in healthcare organizations', in International Encyclopedia of Business Management. Elsevier, pp. 455–459. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-443-13701-3.00245-0.
• Merkle, T. (2026) 'Overtourism', in International Encyclopedia of Business Management. Elsevier, pp. 650–654. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-443-13701-3.00488-6.
• Schneider Stingelin, C. et al. (2026) 'Intercultural communication in digital transformation in elderly care', in Crichton, J. and Martin, G. (eds) Handbook of Intercultural Communication in Health Care. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, pp. 248–270. doi: 10.1515/9781501507601-013.
• Merkle, T., Knaus, D. and Siegrist, C. (2024) 'Closing the service innovation gap in hospitality management : the case of a fast-food chain in Switzerland', in Sigala, M. et al. (eds) Case Based Research in Tourism, Travel, and Hospitality. Singapore: Springer, pp. 179–192. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-1891-7_10.
• Merkle, T., Knaus, D. L. and Siegrist, C. (2023) 'An exploration of the service innovation gap in Swiss tourism', in Ratten, V. (ed.) Entrepreneurship Business Debates. Singapore: Springer, pp. 87–96. doi: 10.1007/978-981-99-1071-7_6.
• Hörburger, N. and Merkle, T. (2023) 'The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism in alpine areas of Switzerland', in Ratten, V. (ed.) Heritage Entrepreneurship: Cultural and Creative Pursuits in Business Management. Singapore: Springer, pp. 119–135. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-5149-7_6.
• Golding, P. and Merkle, T. (2022) 'Matching business travel with wine tourism : the case of the canton of Grisons, Switzerland', in Dixit, S. K. (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Wine Tourism. Routledge, pp. 395–408. doi: 10.4324/9781003143628-35.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2020) 'Entrepreneurship within airside food and beverage outlet patronage : the creation of ecosystems using outlet context and passenger's emotions', in Entrepreneurship as empowerment : knowledge spillovers and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Bingley: Emerald, pp. 127–150. doi: 10.1108/978-1-83982-550-720201010.
• Knaus, D. L. and Merkle, T. (2020) 'Open innovation in sports management : the case of the FIFA museum in Zurich, Switzerland', in Sport entrepreneurship : an economic, social and sustainability perspective subject. Bingley: Emerald, pp. 43–53. doi: 10.1108/978-1-83982-836-220201008.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2019) 'Digital application : evidence from Zurich airport', in Tajeddini, K., Ratten, V., and Merkle, T. (eds) Tourism, Hospitality and Digital Transformation. London: Routledge, pp. 147–164. doi: 10.4324/9780429054396-9.

Written conference contributions, peer-reviewed

• Merkle, T., Pfenninger, M. and Klama, I. (2026) 'The value creation canvas : a novel business model framework for regenerative and commonpreneurial initiatives in food systems', in International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) Global Conference, Las Vegas, USA, 15-17 July 2026.
• Schefer, N. and Merkle, T. (2026) 'The Step Productivity Index (SPI) : a human-centred metric for advancing operational excellence and equality in restaurants', in CHME Annual Conference, Surrey, United Kingdom, 9-12 June 2026.
• Tschurtschenthaler, F. and Merkle, T. (2026) 'ESG-Nachhaltigkeitsreporting für das Facility Management in Gesundheitsinstitutionen', in Wiesweg, N. (ed.) Proceedings der Make Some Noise in Real Estate meets FMPlus 2026. Münster: FH Münster, pp. 175–204. doi: 10.25974/fhms-19957.
• Gonzalez Martinez, A. et al. (2026) 'Simulation-based decision support in real estate and facility management : a multi-level integrative framework for workplace, hospitality, real estate, and smart building management', in Wiesweg, N. (ed.) Proceedings der Make Some Noise in Real Estate meets FMPlus 2026. Münster: FH Münster, pp. 38–61. doi: 10.25974/fhms-19955.
• Diez, K. et al. (2026) 'Zipp & Scan – eine innovative Lösung zur Optimierung des Effektenhandlings im Krankenhaus', in Journal für Facility Management. Technische Universität Wien, pp. 8–24. doi: 10.34749/jfm.2026.4833.
• Schneider Stingelin, C. et al. (2025) 'Alters- und Pflegeheim : explorative Studie zur Kommunikation für die Einführung und Begleitung neuer Technologien', in SGKM-Jahrestagung, Chur, Schweiz, 21.-23. Mai 2025.
• Schneider Stingelin, C. et al. (2025) 'Residential and nursing homes : an exploratory study on the introduction and accompaniment of new technologies', in 7th Digital Health Lab Day, Winterthur, Switzerland, 3 September 2025.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2025) 'Zipp & Scan : revolutionizing patient belongings management in same-day surgery – a pilot study from Switzerland', in APacCHRIE 2025 Conference, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 27-30 May 2025.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2025) 'The business of ageing in hospitality', in APacCHRIE 2025 Conference, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 27-30 May 2025.
• Merkle, T., Das, S. and Seenivasan, S. (2025) 'Passenger delight in liminal spaces : unveiling the dynamics of airport airside F&B', in APacCHRIE 2025 Conference, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 27-30 May 2025.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2025) 'Technische Innovationen im Alters-und Pflegheim und der Umgang mit heterogenen Stakeholdern', in Spotlight FMplus, Zürich, Schweiz, 30.-31. Januar 2025. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-32203.
• Merkle, T. and Pfenninger, M. (2024) 'Using AI in business model development at Masters' level – findings from a preliminary study in Switzerland', in International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) Global Conference, Montreal, Canada, 24-26 July 2024. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-31181.
• Merkle, T. and Bratschi, T. (2023) 'Developing an innovative curriculum for a BSc hospitality program in Switzerland', in Annual International CHRIE Summer Conference, Phoenix, USA, 19-21 July 2023.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2023) 'Implementation of service robots in Swiss hospitals and hotels : an investigation of the barriers to use', in 40th Annual European Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE) Conference, Vienna, Austria, 3-6 October 2023. Winterthur: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-28843.
• Merkle, T. and Wrase, I. (2023) 'Digitizing healthcare patient nutrition intake in Swiss hospitals', in Annual International CHRIE Summer Conference, Phoenix, USA, 19-21 July 2023.
• Gerber, N. and Merkle, T. (2023) 'Improving residents' wellbeing in senior citizen homes with more individualized food services', in IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. IOP Publishing, p. 12016. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1176/1/012016.
• Merkle, T., Knaus, D. and Siegrist, C. (2022) 'Addressing the service innovation gap : the case of a fast food chain', in 39th Annual European Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE) Conference, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, 24-27 October 2022. Winterthur: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-26008.
• Merkle, T., Knaus, D. and Siegrist, C. (2022) 'An exploration of the service innovation gap in Swiss tourism', in 2022 Annual International CHRIE Summer Conference, Washington, D.C., USA, 3-6 August 2022.

Other publications

• Gerber, N. et al. (2026) 'Brücken bauen zwischen Forschung und Praxis – mitreden, mitdenken, mitgestalten : Transfer zwischen Hochschule und der täglichen Arbeit im Gesundheitswesen', Clinicum, 2026(4), pp. 74–75. Available at: https://www.clinicum.ch/images/getFile?t=ausgabe_artikel&f=dokument&id=3518.
• Schefer, N. and Merkle, T. (2026) Smart Kitchen im Spannungsfeld von Daten, Akzeptanz & Prozessintegration. Wädenswil: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-36172.
• Diez, K. et al. (2025) 'Zipp & Scan-Prozess am Kantonsspital Baden zur Optimierung des Effektenhandlings von Same-Day-Surgery-Patient:innen', in Spotlight FMplus, Zürich, Schweiz, 30.-31. Januar 2025.
• Merkle, T. and Schneider Stingelin, C. (2025) 'Service-Outsourcing im Alters- und Pflegeheim – Zukunft oder Zumutung?', Clinicum, 2025(5), pp. 80–81. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-34590.
• Gerber, N. et al. (2025) 'Digitalität in Alters- und Pflegeheimen : den Stier bei den Hörnern packen oder wie das Kaninchen vor der Schlange erstarren? Wir haben die Wahl!', Gerontologieblog.ch. Available at: https://www.gerontologieblog.ch/digitalitaet-in-alters-und-pflegeheimen-den-stier-bei-den-hoernern-packen-oder-wie-das-kaninchen-vor-der-schlange-erstarren-wir-haben-die-wahl/.
• Merkle, T. and Plüss, T. (2024) Organisationsformen des Facility Management in Schweizer Akutspitälern. Wädenswil: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-29640.
• Merkle, T. and Plüss, T. (2024) 'Organisationsformen des Facility Managements in Akutspitälern', Clinicum, 2024(3), pp. 67–69. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-31486.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2024) Innovationsforschung im Bereich Gästeservice / Hotellerie in Spitälern. Wädenswil: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-29836.
• Gerber, N., Merkle, T. and Jeanfavre, E. (2023) Erhöhung des Wohlergehens von Bewohnenden in Alters- und Pflegeheimen durch Flexibilisierung der Verpflegungsleistungen mithilfe von Technologie : Schlussbericht der Vorstudie als Basis für weitere Forschungstätigkeiten. Wädenswil: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-26854.
• Merkle, T. (2022) 'Tourism innovation in Spain and Portugal', Thunderbird International Business Review, 64(6), pp. 709–710. doi: 10.1002/tie.22310.
• Klauser, V., Pfenninger, M. and Merkle, T. (2022) DIGINUT : Digitalisierung und Nutzen von Patientenernährungsdaten. Wädenswil: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-25314.

Oral conference contributions and abstracts

• Merkle, T. et al. (2026) 'From senior living to the business of ageing : repositioning hospitality research, education, and value creation across the life course', in International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) Global Conference, Las Vegas, USA, 15-17 July 2026.
• Angela, M. et al. (2026) 'Airport F&B manifesto 2035 : a movement to redefine airport dining', in 15th Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Conference and Awards, Bengaluru, India, 7-8 July 2026.
• Merkle, T., Schneider Stingelin, C. and Hall, S. (2026) 'Aktuelle Erkenntnisse zu Technologisierung und Digitalisierung in Schweizer Alters- und Pflegeheimen', in 11. Fachkonferenz – Das Pflegeheim der Zukunft, Blezinger Healthcare, Langenthal, Schweiz, 25.-26. Juni 2026.
• Merkle, T. and Angela, M. (2026) 'The future of travel', in Menus of Change Leadership Summit, New York, USA, 2-4 June 2026.
• González Martínez, A. et al. (2026) 'Simulation-based decision support in real estate and facility management : a multi-level integrative framework for workplace, hospitality, real estate, and smart building management', in Make Some Noise in Real Estate meets FMplus, Münster, Deutschland, 6. - 7. Mai 2026.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2026) 'Food Service im Wandel : wie Genuss, Technologie und Nachhaltigkeit zusammenfinden', in Food Service Perspektiven – Innovation trifft Genuss, Wädenswil, Schweiz, 6. Februar 2026.
• Wang, L. et al. (2025) 'The Business of Ageing in Hospitality (BAH) ICHRIE Special Interest Group (SIG) inaugural meeting', in 42nd Annual European Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE) Conference, The Hague, The Netherlands, 11-13 November 2025.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2025) 'Für wen und wann ist Outsourcing sinnvoll?', in 10. Fachkonferenz – Das Pflegeheim der Zukunft, Blezinger Healthcare, Schwyz, Schweiz, 26.-27. Juni 2025.
• Merkle, T., Das, S. and Weddig, A. (2025) 'The next evolution of CX delighters in an airport', in Passenger Terminal Expo & Conference, Madrid, Spain, 8-10 April 2025.
• Schneider Stingelin, C. et al. (2025) 'Digitalisierung und Technologisierung im Alters- und Pflegeheim', in Neue Technologien für ein besseres Altern, Winterthur, Schweiz, 1. April 2025.
• Wang, X. L. et al. (2024) 'Silver Economy and Hospitality 4 Good', in 41st Annual European Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (EuroCHRIE) Conference, Doha, Qatar, 4-7 November 2024.
• Merkle, T. (2024) 'Stellenwert Hotellerie', in 4. Schweizer Hotellerie-Symposium im Gesundheitswesen, Suhr, Schweiz, 22. Oktober 2024.
• Merkle, T. et al. (2024) 'Creating an ICHRIE Special Interest Group (SIG) for the field of "Hospitality Management in Senior Living and Care"', in International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) Global Conference, Montreal, Canada, 24-26 July 2024.
• Gerber, N. and Merkle, T. (2023) 'Individualisierte Verpflegung – ein Megatrend', in 8. Fachkonferenz – Das Pflegeheim der Zukunft, Blezinger Healthcare, Luzern, Schweiz, 22.-23. Juni 2023.
• Merkle, T. (2021) 'Foodflow – und plötzlich ist alles digital', in FM Perspektiven: FM Innovationen in HC digital, Wädenswil, 26. November 2021.
• Merkle, T. and Kaeuper, P. (2021) 'DIGINUT : Digitalisierung im Verpflegungsbereich', in FM Perspektiven: FM Innovationen in HC digital, Wädenswil, 26. November 2021.

Affiliations

Past Affiliations

Special Interest Group Chair
International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education, Richmond
International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE): The Business of Ageing in Hospitality SIG: Chair
03 / 2025 - 08 / 2026

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