Dr. Esther Kim — Hospitality & Tourism Researcher

Dr. Esther L. Kim is an Assistant Professor of Hospitality & Tourism in the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University. In addition to her faculty role, she contributes to academic associations, serves as a reviewer, and organizes sessions at major hospitality conferences. 

Her research focuses on consumer decision-making in hospitality settings and how firms can design pricing, service, and communication strategies that align with consumer psychology, perceptions of fairness, and digital interactions. 

Her interests have expanded to explore topics such as:

1. Revenue Management and Behavioral Pricing: An integration of behavioral economics and consumer psychology to understand how consumers perceive fairness, risk, and value in pricing, discount framing, and add-on selling. 

2. Consumer Behavior and Decision-Making: A focus on how perceived control, cognitive effort, and heuristic processing influence satisfaction, value perception, and purchase decisions. 

3. Sustainability, ESG, and Social Impact: An investigation of how ethical framing, digital transparency, and choice architecture promote sustainable and responsible consumption. 

4. Technology and Emotional Intelligence in Service: An exploration of how empathetic and adaptive AI communication shapes user trust, emotional fulfillment, and loyalty in digital hospitality experiences.

Dr. Kim’s interdisciplinary approach combines experimental design, behavioral modeling, and cross-cultural analysis to generate insights that connect theory and practice. Her research contributes to advancing sustainable, inclusive, and emotionally intelligent hospitality practices that align with Montclair State University’s mission of social impact and innovation.

Academic & Professional Journey

Dr. Kim’s academic path began in Seoul, South Korea, where she earned a B.B.A. in Hospitality Management from Sejong University. She went on to pursue a Master of Science at Purdue University and later a Ph.D. in Hospitality Management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). 

Before entering academia, she gained over five years of industry experience. Her roles included lodging operations management at Marriott, revenue management and corporate planning at Millennium Hotels & Resorts, and distribution channel management at Sceptre Hospitality Resources (SHR). These professional experiences deeply inform her scholarly perspective, particularly regarding the intersection of operations, consumer behavior, and digital strategy. 

At UNLV, Dr. Kim served as a Graduate Assistant and Instructor, teaching undergraduate courses and mentoring student research. Since joining Montclair State University in 2020, she has taught courses in hospitality, tourism, and revenue management while continuing to mentor students through research and experiential learning.

Degrees, Awards & Honors, Affiliations

Education

• PhD in Hospitality Management, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• MS, Purdue University

• BBA in Hospitality Management, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea
  
  

Select Honors & Awards

• Outstanding Paper Award, AKHT 2025

• Best Poster Award, THEREPS Conference 2024

• Best Paper Award, Tourism Sciences Society of Korea 2022

• Best Paper Award, 25th Annual Graduate Education & Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality & Tourism (2020)

• Best Presentation Awards, iHITA 2017; UNLV Graduate Research Forum 2019
  
  

Affiliations & Roles

• Vice President, Korean American Hospitality & Tourism Educators Association (KAHTEA)

• Co-Chair, THEREPS Conference (2024–present)

• Reviewer, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Travel Research, Journal of Services Marketing, etc.

• Active contributor and session organizer in academic conferences (KAHTEA, THEREPS, TOSOK, iCHRIE, etc.)

• Academic mentor to graduate and undergraduate students in hospitality and tourism