Leading Quality Assurance (LQA), the global market leader in quality assurance and benchmarking analysis for the luxury hotel industry, has officially opened ACADEMY by LQA’s doors today in Lisbon, Portugal, marking a major milestone for luxury hospitality training.
Since its conception in 2000, LQA has partnered with some of the finest hotel groups, including One & Only, Four Seasons and Belmond, setting standards for over 80% of the luxury hospitality market worldwide. LQA's UpFront training programmes, delivered by experienced assessors at hotel properties worldwide, provide bespoke, interactive development covering all guest touchpoints from arrival to departure. Building on this, the opening of ACADEMY by LQA represents the natural evolution of the company's commitment to laying the foundation for world-class hospitality by unlocking the potential in people to deliver exceptional service and unforgettable guest experiences.
The opening of ACADEMY by LQA comes at a time when the luxury hospitality industry is experiencing unprecedented demand for skilled professionals who can deliver exceptional service standards. With its innovative approach to immersive learning and practical application, ACADEMY by LQA is positioned to address this critical industry need.
Located in Lisbon's vibrant Benfica district, ACADEMY by LQA represents a major milestone in LQA’s mission to elevate hospitality excellence through transformative people development. The state-of-the-art facility features a fully immersive, simulated luxury hotel environment complete with reception area, bar, lounge, restaurant, and bedroom, with a spa treatment room currently in development - creating a learning experience for hospitality professionals, that blends high interactivity with practical "real world" activities. The versatile space is also available for private hire and leadership sessions, offering bespoke training solutions for hotel partners.
ACADEMY by LQA is set to welcome hospitality professionals from around the world throughout 2025 and beyond, with July fully booked and October sign-ups currently ongoing, demonstrating clear industry demand.
The Accelerator Programme, the first to be introduced at the training facility, is tailored for rising stars in hospitality - especially junior managers and quality leaders and directors in luxury hospitality, offering a five-day intensive experience that develops the guest-centric mindset, leadership skills, and operational excellence needed to drive meaningful change across all hotel departments.
Edward Hooper, CEO of LQA, comments: "The official opening of ACADEMY by LQA in Lisbon marks a very special milestone for us as we take our commitment to luxury hospitality further, not just by shaping service, but by nurturing the people who bring it to life every day.
More than a training centre, ACADEMY is designed to connect real people with real purpose: to inspire, empower, and motivate our future leaders to be the best version of themselves. It’s about providing students with the tools to help drive their teams forward whilst opening doors to social mobility and career progression across our industry.
Our vision is to help grow a new generation of leaders who recognise that true excellence in luxury hospitality is never achieved alone. It comes from teamwork, support and trust to deliver experiences that guests will remember for a lifetime.”
The Accelerator Programme moves beyond traditional departmental training to focus on intuitive service delivery within a fully immersive and simulated luxury environment at the hotel-wide level. Designed by LQA’s UpFront Training team of expert assessors, the programme is built on LQA's signature 'quality cycle' - a continuous process involving assessment, feedback, action planning, implementation, and re-assessment to ensure ongoing improvement becomes embedded in organisational culture. Participants undergo continuous evaluation by LQA's expert trainers throughout the programme, with certifications of Pass or Distinction awarded upon completion to those meeting the required standards.
A notable feature includes a mid-week assessment of local fine-dining restaurants that LQA works closely with, providing participants with valuable hands-on experience in identifying service gaps and refining their auditing skills. Participants develop the ability to take what they learn, identify improvement opportunities, and teach others - returning to their properties as confident leaders equipped to train their teams in the LQA philosophy. The intensive curriculum concludes with group project presentations and individual assignments, supported by personalised one-on-one feedback sessions tailored to each participant's specific role and context.
Diego Renda, Head of Training Development at LQA, adds: "What we’ve created is a real hotel environment so that our participants don’t just learn about service excellence, they experience it, assess it and practice delivering it. When they conduct live assessments alongside our expert trainers, they develop critical analytical skills and confidence needed to identify improvement opportunities back at their properties. Most importantly, they leave equipped not just as better professionals, but as quality ambassadors who can train and inspire their entire teams to elevate guest experiences.”
ACADEMY by LQA partners with premium brands to create an authentic luxury experience, including Molton Brown, featured within the ACADEMY with both Reviving Rosemary and 1971 Scent Experiences ensuring participants experience the same high-quality products found in the world's finest hotels. In addition to this, ACADEMY has also partnered with LAMEIRINHO, whose exceptional Portuguese textiles crafted since 1948 bring the same premium quality and comfort found in the world’s finest hotels.
All training is delivered by the LQA UpFront training team, professionals who actively assess top-tier luxury hotels globally, ensuring participants receive current, real-world perspectives on service excellence. This unique credential means trainers bring fresh insights from their ongoing work in the field. The programme's strong networking element allows attendees from various hotels to collaborate and exchange best practices, creating lasting professional connections across the industry.
Together with LQA’s industry-leading assessments that examine over 1,000 standards across all hotel departments, these services offer hospitality partners a complete ecosystem to achieve excellence with every guest interaction.
