Raymond Bickson, managing director and chief executive of Indian Hotels Company, will step down by the end of this month. He had been the MD and CEO for more than a decade at IHCL, the country's largest hotel company. The board of IHCL had approved Bickson's re-appointment as a director for a period of five years at last year's annual general meeting.
The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) and Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management of the University of Houston (CNHC) have come together to sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish a tripartite master's degree in global hospitality business. The three institutions, representing the best of the East and the best of the West, join hands to nurture talents of a new generation and define the future of the global hospitality industry's development.
Members of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute's executive staff kicked off their 10-day visit to China with a VIP dinner in Shanghai for hospitality professionals who hold the designation of Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA®), the highest professional certification for hospitality industry executives.
The last decade witnessed some far-reaching and significant changes in the way business is conducted in the Indian Hospitality spectrum. Regardless of the recent year's contentious and challenging economic climate, the hospitality landscape continued to evolve, and new international hotel brands entered the Indian subcontinent. Needless to say, in its effort to stay one step ahead, the growing sector had to work twice as hard and revolutionise its business and human resource (HR) strategies. HVS Executive Search provides an outline of the key HR trends we believe have been the drivers of the hospitality sector in the last few years and will continue to play a dominant role going forward.
Employer expectations of job creativity can cause high stress levels in service employees, according to Dr Alice Hon of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In a recently published research article, Dr Hon shows that given pressure to ensure high quality customer service and lacking the time to change their approach, service personnel can suffer from stress, emotional exhaustion and reduced morale. Yet having conducted a survey of hotel and service organisations in Shanghai, Dr Hon also shows that helpful and supportive coworkers, and managers who encourage employee teamwork and mutual support, can alleviate this situation. Having creative employees might be critical in today's business environment, but it should be approached in just the right way.
Dusit Thani College (DTC) in association with the world famous Swiss hospitality school Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) is pleased to present the first"International B.B.A. programme in Hotel and Resort Management (with the academic certification of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne"in Thailand.The program is comprised of eight distinct semesters, alternating between classroom studies and real industry experience for a diverse and comprehensive academic experience. This curriculum gives students a 360-degree learning experience: they will gain the necessary body of knowledge, build professional skills and develop a true hospitality mindset. At the end of the fourth year, the degree will culminate with a senior project designed to tackle a real-life challenge in the industry. Two intensive supervised field training periods are part of the program."International B.B.A. in Hotel and Resort Management (with the academic certification of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne"prepares students for management and leadership positions in the vibrant and growing national and international hospitality industry. Positions as front office manager, guest relations manager, executive housekeeper, sales manager, restaurant manager, food and beverage director, and -at the end- general director, are just examples of jobs graduates of this program obtain. But students are also prepared for starting up and developing their own business in the hospitality or service sector.This Bachelor's programme operates with the academic certification of the world famous Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, means that the Ecole Hôteliere de Lausanne has secured the international standards of the programme, has further developed and guided our instructors and monitors frequently the quality of the curriculum and the courses.Mr.Chanin Donavanik, MD & CEO of Dusit International, said that this programme is not a carbon copy of the course offered in Switzerland but a combination of Swiss and Thai hospitality values. "We should never start trying to copy each other as we both have our strengths based on our values, traditions, history etc. In my view we should further develop our own uniqueness and identity, because that is the reason people travel to Thailand or Switzerland. Having said that, it might be that we can learn from Switzerland more about the way they coordinate and manage hospitality and tourism on their different levels, whereas Switzerland can probably learn from the ways we have developed hospitality and service here".Ms. Veera Pardpattanapanich, Rector of Dusit Thani College, added that the four-year degree programme, brings together the strengths of both institutions and is anticipated to lead to a significant transformation of hospitality education within Thailand ahead of the forming of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. "The new programme will become a blend of the highest possible international standards together with renowned Thai hospitality values. DTC has a unique advantage in that it is a dedicated learning institute for hospitality, and has been appointed by Ministry of Tourism and Sports to develop a curriculum and training materials for ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals. We can specialize and pass on to the students in-depth knowledge and skills that will ensure they are in a much better position to gain employment when graduating whether it be here in Thailand, in the ASEAN community or further afield".The recruitment for this programme is now opened for the students from both Thailand and neighbouring countries.For more information or to apply, please contact the Marketing and Communications Office on +66 (0) 2361 7811-3 ext. 146-148 or [email protected]
Peter Hildebrand is the General Manager of W Hong Kong. He is an ambitious and driven man, who would not settle for just an ordinary career path. He is from Australia and has spent most of his career in Asia. He has an indepth understanding of the Chinese culture and speaks the language. Perhaps, he understands the Chinese culture better than other Westerners who are living and working in Hong Kong or in the Chinese mainland. Peter likes nontraditional luxury hotels, which explains why he ended up leading the W Hong Kong.
The Chinese government uses tourism as a form of ‘soft diplomacy in its dealings with other countries writes Dr Tony Tse of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in a recently published research paper. By exerting control and influence over the development of outbound tourism, the government inextricably links tourist flows to its political agenda. Dr Tse surveys the use of tourism in Chinese international relations, showing how the country uses it to both offer support to and impose sanctions on other countries. Given the sheer size of the Chinese outbound tourism market, this has the potential to have significant effects at both the economic and political levels around the world.
Students from Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa (LEH), were declared winners of Accor Take Off Challenge 2013, held in Singapore. 'Novotel Reinvented 2020' – was the theme for Accor Take Off Challenge, this year. Participating teams had to imagine the next generation of Novotel hotels, in terms of products and services to match the expectations of the guests in 2020, keeping the brand positioning and brand vaues in mind. This competition comprised of three rounds - an online collage submission, a two minute video showcasing Novotel 2020 'services' concept and a finale in Singapore with a presentation to Accor Executive Committee. Students from LEH created 'NOVA' - Novotel's Own Virtual Assistant, where a guest can check in, ask questions, open doors and customise their experience as per their needs. The jury selected their project titled 'InNOVAte' amongst top 50 entries from 120 entries worldwide as they moved to the second round. The Accor jury then chose 20 entries for the second round where they had to express their ideas through a video. The students from LEH excelled in the second round too and were amongst the top five teams that were invited to present at the Finale. The final round was held at Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore where the students from LEH were declared winners. The team exhilarated by their performance said, "We are incredibly thrilled to win Accor Take Off Challenge 2013. The journey from first round online to the finale in Singapore has been really exciting. It was a great learning experience at every level. Competing on a global level was really inspiring and brought out the best of us. We are really grateful to Accor for giving us the platform to showcase our ideas. We think it's amazing that a hospitality leader like Accor is valuing ideas from students. We want to thank our college Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa for the immense encouragement and support they have given us."Rony Kurien, COO, Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa, said, "This award is a testimony to the talent that is being nurtured at Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa. Our students are not only trained for their chosen fields but they are also mentored to become accomplished individuals.'LEH recently celebrated the convocation of the first batch of its students. The four year hospitality management programme of LEH is a comprehensive hospitality education program. The students are exposed to best in class industry practices and the entire focus of the program is to develop students as hospitality leaders and entrepreneurs. The rigorous curriculum based on this unique pedagogy puts the students through a rigorous self learning process and lays emphasis on practical training.
Hilton Worldwide and Christ University's Department of Hotel Management, have signed an agreement to cultivate talent for the country's rapidly growing hospitality industry. Under the Hilton Class programme, Hilton Worldwide will offer students from Christ University rigorous on-the-job practical training and a theoretical curriculum designed to equip them for successful careers in hospitality.
The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is preparing students for leadership positions in their chosen careers by offering the cutting-edge Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Hotel and Tourism Management programme and the world's first professional Doctor of Hotel and Tourism Management (D.HTM) degree.
The world's most famous hotel training academy – the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration – will return to Australia for the first time in 25 years, when it offers its Summer School development programs for Australian hotel executives in May 2014.
IDS NEXT, global leader in ERP and total technology solutions for the hospitality and leisure industries, announces the promotion of Binu Mathews to Chief Executive Officer of IDS NEXT. This promotion comes after his three year stint with IDS NEXT where he led the effort to significantly grow the company's revenue, steered the business to newer geographies, and deepen its presence in existing markets. IDS NEXT has also grown significantly in employee strength, and product offering.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) announced a new appointment to the GBTA AUS/NZ Advisory Board. Matthew Goss, Managing Director Australia, joined Concur in 2002 where he has held a number of senior management positions including that of Regional Vice President, Client Services where he was responsible for Concur’s Consulting and Product services in Asia Pacific.
Singapore announces today six senior appointments to oversee the internal and external operations of the luxury design hotel, which marks the Sofitel Luxury Hotels group's first strategic foray into the local market. Joining General Manager Tony Chisholm to firmly establish the upcoming hotel as one of the country's treasured landmarks and the benchmark of 'glocalisation' in the hospitality industry, are:
InterContinental Hotels Group IHG today announced a formal partnership with the Institute for International Management and Technology (IIMT) which expands IHG's existing IHG Academy programme across India. India's workforce, those between 15 and 64, is expected to rise to 67 percent in 2020 and the challenge is to turn those people into an employable workforce. IHG wants to contribute to the education of the future generation in India through its IHG Academy programme.
Bandung Institute of Tourism in West Java, Indonesia, has signed an agreement with the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) to be a Global Academic Partner (GAP) school, offering EI's courses and certifications to hospitality students and professionals in Indonesia.
The fourth edition of the India Hotel Compensation Study© includes salary data from 196 hotels across 54 cities in India, reporting on 70 positions across the entire hotel hierarchy. The India Hotel Unit Compensation Study ©, is designed to provide you with current and credible information concerning salary trends across all job roles in a hotel hierarchy. The survey findings will assist you in benchmarking salary, and accordingly structure compensation. Thus, enabling you to manage businesses better and allow companies to attract and retain talent through equitable compensation practices. The study which was conducted across all hotels in India includes data from 196 hotels across 54 cities in India, reporting on 70 positions across the entire hotel hierarchy.
Marriott International today launched the 'Marriott Institute of Hospitality Education' in co-operation with Anhui Zhong-Ao Institute of Technology. This is the latest college partnership model Marriott International has embarked upon in China to develop the future generation of the hospitality workforce to support its growth in the country. [Regan Taikitsadaporn, Chief HRO of Marriott International Asia Pacific (center left) and Wang Yuan Hao, President of Anhui Zhongao Institute of Technology (the third from the right) along with other Marriott and Anhui government executives at launch event.]
Interstate Hotels & Resorts announces Deepak Sarin as chief operating officer of JHM Interstate India Hotels & Resorts. Sarin will be responsible for the Company's operations in India, including maintaining a dynamic team of hospitality experts, integrating and supporting the Company's intelligent systems within the portfolio, maintaining the current portfolio and owner relationships and executing on the Company's overall growth strategy, driving JHM Interstate India to become the premier independent hotel management company on the Indian sub-continent. JHM Interstate India is a joint venture between Interstate Hotels & Resorts and JHM Hotels.