Applied AI. Human strategy.
Project Aureola is a joint initiative of Aura AI Agency and Acerola Strategies. We help Puerto Rico's businesses put artificial intelligence to work on real problems, with the judgment to use it well.
Now enrolling · First project
AI for Hospitality, a four-session workshop series
- Oct 16, 17, 23 & 24, 2026
- Engine-4, Bayamón
- In person
- Taught in Spanish
The alliance
Two firms, one practice
Technology alone rarely changes how a business works. Project Aureola pairs people who build AI tools with people who help organizations adopt them.
- Applied AI tools and automation
- Audiovisual production
- Digital marketing and reach
- Strategy and complexity management
- Hospitality and service expertise
- Workshop design and facilitation
AI for Hospitality is the alliance's first project. New programs will be announced on this page.
First project
AI for Hospitality
Four hands-on mornings for owners, managers and teams in Puerto Rico's hospitality and food service. Bring a laptop or phone and leave each session with something working in your own business.
- Hotels and inns
- Restaurants
- Catering and events
- Tourism operators
What you will be able to do
- Give guests more personal attention by handing repetitive tasks to technology.
- Answer reviews on time, in your own voice, and win back trust when service fails.
- Cost recipes, set rates and plan campaigns with data instead of guesswork.
- Keep service standards and training clear and current so every employee works the same way.
Why this series
Hospitality problems don’t sit still
Running a hotel, restaurant or tour business means making decisions while conditions change every week. That is why this series brings together three things that rarely share a room: hospitality know-how, practical AI, and a way of managing built for change.
Why hospitality is complex
Guest expectations shift with every review, platform and trend. Demand moves with seasons, flights, cruise ships, events and weather. Food, energy and labor costs change, staff come and go, and suppliers, booking platforms and tourism agencies all shape the result, yet no one controls them. Many small moments add up in ways you can only see afterward.
Why traditional tools fall short
Annual plans, fixed budgets, thick manuals and one-time trainings assume tomorrow will look like yesterday. They work for problems that are complicated but predictable, like repairing an oven. They struggle with problems that are complex, like winning back guests or pricing a slow month. Treating a complex problem as if it were merely complicated is the most expensive mistake a business can make. And buying an AI tool without changing how decisions are made adds another subscription, not better results.
What works instead
First, tell complicated problems apart from complex ones. For complex ones, act in small, low-risk steps: try something for a week, measure what changed, and decide what to keep. Involve the people closest to the guest. Let AI handle repetitive work and spot patterns faster, while people keep the judgment. We use practices from Strategic Doing, a discipline developed by the Strategic Doing Institute, to turn good ideas into short pilot projects.
- HospitalityWhat guests value and what your team needs to deliver it.
- Artificial intelligenceSpeed, pattern-finding and time back for your team.
- Adaptive managementHow to decide and learn when conditions keep changing.
The program
Four sessions, one practical toolkit
Each session runs 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and builds on the one before.
Guest experience and customer retention
What guests live before, during and after their stay, and the moments that shape how they see your place. What makes a guest come back and recommend you.
Complexity lens. Loyalty comes from many small moments that no script fully controls, so you learn to read patterns and adjust as you go.
Using AI. Hand technical and repetitive tasks to AI tools, and give your team more time to listen to guests, recognize them and treat them personally.
VIP lunchReviews and service recovery
Every review reflects an experience and an expectation. Read what guests are telling you, reply well and on time, and rebuild trust when service fails. Reviews also point to what to improve in your operation.
Complexity lens. A service failure rarely has a single cause. You practice small recovery steps, watch how guests respond, and adjust.
Using AI. Sort hundreds of reviews by theme in minutes and draft replies in your own voice, which you check before sending.
Costs, sales and profitability
The decisions behind your profit: recipe costing, standardization, margins and inventory in the kitchen; sales, marketing and campaigns; and revenue management, from forecasting demand and travel trends to setting rates by occupancy. All seen through their effect on the value guests perceive.
Complexity lens. Prices, demand and costs move each other. You test changes on a small scale, measure the result, and decide what to keep.
Using AI. Cost recipes, spot demand patterns and draft campaigns faster, while you make the final pricing decisions.
Service standards, procedures and staff training
Service quality depends on everyone knowing and applying the same standards. Operating procedures, department manuals and protocols, and new-employee orientation, and how clear, up-to-date information strengthens a service culture.
Complexity lens. Standards handle the routine; your team’s judgment handles the unexpected. You design procedures that leave room for both.
Using AI. Turn manuals and protocols into information your staff can find and ask about quickly, and prepare onboarding materials in less time.
VIP lunchWhat to expect
Each morning, from idea to something that works
Every session follows the same rhythm, so most of the time goes to practice, not to listening.
- Frame the problemThe instructors open with what makes the topic hard in hospitality, and whether it is a complicated problem or a complex one.
- Practice with AIGuided, hands-on work with AI tools on your laptop or phone. Before the first session we tell you what to bring and which tools to set up.
- Apply it to your businessYou work on a real situation from your own operation, with the instructors moving between tables.
- Leave with a next stepEach session ends with something you can use the next day and one small experiment to try during the week. You bring what you learned to the next session.
What you take home
- Session 1. A map of your guest’s journey with the moments that matter most.
- Session 2. A review-reply guide in your own voice and a simple service-recovery routine.
- Session 3. A costed recipe or rate plan, and one pricing or promotion test to run.
- Session 4. One standard procedure turned into a clear, easy-to-find reference for your staff.
No prior AI experience is needed. Sessions are in Spanish, and each participant receives a certificate of completion.
Instructors
Taught by practitioners
Hospitality
Prof. Marilyn Rodríguez-Cruz
Customer Experience and Communication Strategist at Acerola Strategies. She focuses on the moments that shape a guest's experience, from the first message to the last review. In this series she keeps every AI tool tied to real service: what guests expect, what your team needs, and where technology helps instead of getting in the way.
LinkedIn
Complexity management
Dr. Ubaldo M. Córdova-Figueroa
Founder and CEO of Acerola Strategies, a firm specialized in adaptive and complexity management. He is a Fellow of the Strategic Doing Institute and Senior Advisor for Ecosystem Building and Mapping at the Agile Strategy Lab (University of North Alabama). He helps leaders tell complicated problems apart from complex ones and make sound decisions when conditions keep changing. In this series he shows you how to try AI in small, low-risk steps, measure what it changes, and decide what to keep.
LinkedInCristián J. Fuenzalida Cuello
PLACEHOLDER bio, 2–3 sentences Founder of Aura AI Agency.
LinkedInDates and venue
When and where
| Date | Workshop | VIP lunch |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct 16 | 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct 17 | 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | None |
| Friday, Oct 23 | 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | None |
| Saturday, Oct 24 | 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. |
Coffee and a light breakfast at every session. In person only; sessions are not streamed or recorded.
Complejo Deportivo Onofre Carballeira
PR-5 Jct. PR-2, Bayamón, PR 00959 Open in Google Maps
Parking: free parking on site. Once inside the Complejo Deportivo Onofre Carballeira, drive toward Engine-4 (see the map). The main Engine-4 building has several entrances.
Tickets
Choose your seat
Limited to 100 participants. Sessions are taught in Spanish.
Regular
- All four in-person sessions
- Coffee and light breakfast each morning
- Workbook and certificate of completion
VIP
- Everything in Regular
- Lunch with the instructors on Friday, Oct 16, and Saturday, Oct 24
- Small-table time to work on your own business questions
Registering a team of three? Team of 3, Regular: $399 ($133 each). Team of 3, VIP: $609 ($203 each).
How to pick your ticket at checkout
- The checkout opens with one Regular seat in your order. If that is what you want, just fill in your details and pay.
- For VIP or a team of 3, scroll to “Add to your order” and tap Add on the ticket you want. On a phone, swipe or use the arrows to see all options.
- Then tap Qty on the Regular seat and set it to 0, so you only pay for the ticket you chose.
- Paying for other people? Enter their names and emails under “Other attendees.”
Secure checkout by Stripe.
Questions
Before you register
What language are the sessions in?
All sessions are taught in Spanish. Materials are in Spanish, with key terms also given in English.
What should I bring?
A laptop, or a phone if you do not have one, and questions from your own business. No prior experience with AI is needed.
Is food included?
Every session includes coffee and a light breakfast. VIP tickets add lunch with the instructors on October 16 and 24. After you register, we ask VIP guests about dietary needs.
Can my company get an invoice?
Yes. Stripe emails a receipt right after payment. If your company needs a formal invoice, write to info@acerolastrategies.com with the company name, address and the names of the people attending.
What is the refund policy?
Through Friday, October 2, you get a full refund minus the card processing fee. From October 3 to 9, we refund 50%. From October 10 on, refunds are not available, but you can transfer your registration to a colleague at no cost any time before October 16. If we cancel or reschedule a session, we refund your full payment. To request a refund or transfer, write to info@acerolastrategies.com.
Do prices include IVU?
No IVU is charged on registration. The price you see is the total you pay.
Will there be photos or video?
Yes. Aura AI Agency and Acerola Strategies will take photos and short videos during the sessions and may share them on our websites and social media to show the program. By registering, you agree that your image may appear in that material. If you prefer not to appear, tell us at check-in and we will mark your name tag and leave you out of anything we publish. If a photo of you is already on our channels and you want it removed, write to info@acerolastrategies.com and we will take it down.
Where do I park?
Parking is free at Engine-4. Once inside the Complejo Deportivo Onofre Carballeira, drive toward Engine-4 (see the map in the “When and where” section). The main Engine-4 building has several entrances.
