“Hard work will always overcome natural talent when natural talent does not work hard enough” (Sir Alex Ferguson)
Dr. Jose Luis Ximénez de Sandoval is a tourism researcher and lecturer with a strong academic background and international experience. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Seville, a Master’s in Tourism Management and Planning, and a PhD in Tourism from the University of Málaga. His doctoral dissertation, Critical Theory of Hotel Rankings: The Case of TripAdvisor, received the highest distinction.
At Les Roches, José Luis is a full-time faculty member, where he teaches economics, finance, research methods, and data analysis across Executive, Master’s, and Bachelor’s programs. He also serves as a part-time lecturer at the University of Málaga, teaching courses such as Fundamentals of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship.
His research focuses on online rankings of hotels and restaurants and their impact on consumer behavior and business performance. He has presented at major international conferences and published articles and book chapters in peer-reviewed outlets.
Before joining academia, José Luis built a solid career as an international financial controller, working in Poland, Germany, Turkey, Morocco, and South Africa.
PhD, University of Malaga, Spain, 2020
1. Books
The Hidden Side of TripAdvisor. SCLibro Publishing (2022).
2. Book Chapters
Qualitative Research Using ChatGPT: A Step-by-Step Thematic Analysis of Interview Responses in Hospitality Education. In The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Hospitality Education. IGI Global Scientific Publishing (2026).
Rise and Fall of TripAdvisor: The Lack of Participation and Its Causes. In International Conference on Tourism and Information and Communication Technologies (pp. 93–100). Springer (2024).
3. Journal Articles
Ximénez-de-Sandoval, J.L., Fernández Morales, A., Guevara Plaza, A (2019). Creating a Mobility Index for Hotel Rankings. Revista de Métodos Cuantitativos para la Economía y la Empresa, 28, 68–94.
Ximénez-de-Sandoval, J.L., Fernández Morales, A., Guevara Plaza, A (2018). Mobility in Hotel Rankings: Primary Movements and Paired Movements. International Journal of Information Systems and Tourism (IJIST), 3(2), 7–18.
Ximénez-de-Sandoval, J.L. (2018). Modelling Mobility in Hotel Rankings. Cuadernos de Turismo, 42, 561–586.
Ximénez-de-Sandoval, J.L. (2017). The Mobility of Hotel Rankings in Europe: The Case of TripAdvisor. International Journal World of Tourism, 4(7).
Molinillo,S.,Ximénez-de-Sandoval, J.L. (2016). Hotel Assessment through Social Media: The Case of TripAdvisor. Tourism & Management Studies, 12(1).
Ximénez-de-Sandoval, J.L. (2002). Football and Stock Markets. Revista de la Bolsa de Madrid, 111 (July), 58–62.
4. Conference Proceedings
Using ChatGPT to Evaluate Open-Ended Essay Questions. VI International Congress Nodos del Conocimiento (2025).
Thematic Analysis with ChatGPT: A Study on the Adoption of AI in Qualitative Research. III International Congress of European Communication (CICOMEU-2025).
Measuring Mobility in TripAdvisor Hotel Rankings: A Longitudinal Analysis of Mediterranean Cities. Mediterranean Smart Cities Conference (MSCC-2025), Tetouan, Morocco.
Mobility and Concentration in TripAdvisor Hotel Rankings. XV International Conference on Tourism and Information and Communication Technologies (TURITEC 2025), University of Málaga.
Rise and Fall of TripAdvisor: The Lack of Participation and Its Causes. XIV International Conference on Tourism and Information and Communication Technologies (TURITEC 2023), University of Málaga.
The Representativeness of TripAdvisor: A Challenge for Scientific Research. XIII International Conference on Tourism and Information and Communication Technologies (TURITEC 2021), University of Málaga.
The Dark Side of TripAdvisor. Looking at Human-Centered Technologies for the Future. International Conference on Creative Economy, Cultural Development and Social Equity (2019), University of Málaga.
Mobility in Hotel Rankings: A Sign-Based Analysis. XII International Conference on Tourism and Information and Communication Technologies (TURITEC 2018), University of Málaga.
Fake Reviews and Hotel Rankings: From Myth to Reality. XXVI National Conference of the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN) (2018), University of Málaga.
How Ranking Positions Evolve over Time in TripAdvisor. II International Conference on Tourism Dynamics and Trends (2017), University of Seville.
Has the TripAdvisor Ranking Collapsed? An Analysis of Its Evolution over Time in Spanish Cities. XI International Conference on Tourism and Information and Communication Technologies (TURITEC 2016), University of Málaga.
A Longitudinal Analysis of the TripAdvisor Hotel Ranking. IX Tourism Research Conference (2016), University of Seville.
The Monday Effect: Correlation between Sports Results and Stock Market Performance. World Congress on Sport Economic Management (2003), Barcelona.
“Hard work will always overcome natural talent when natural talent does not work hard enough” (Sir Alex Ferguson)