Elevating Service

Hospitality schools—and their graduates—adjust to a new environment.

By Malia Jacobson | September 2010 | FROM THE PRINT EDITION

Credit: Courtesy of the Art Institute of Seattle

An instructor demonstrates
making sushi at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of
Seattle.

Social networking, shifting consumer tastes and emerging
sectors are changing the game for hospitality schools and their graduates. In a
dynamic, competitive market, schools are exploring new industries, stepping up
technology training and tuning in to trends to give students an edge.

As hotels scale back on entry-level management jobs, new
graduates should consider other options, says Nancy Swanger, director of
Washington State University’s (WSU) School of Hospitality Business Management.
New sectors such as the gaming or cruise industries are promising.

In 2009, the state’s tribal casinos posted $1.6 billion in
net receipts, growing 6.2 percent from 2008, and the cruise industry forecasts
6.3 percent growth for 2010. “Last year, our top graduate accepted a great
position with a hospitality-oriented senior living company,” says Swanger.
“That was a big cue that we should develop new industry relationships.”

New hotel hires may also need to adjust their expectations.
“They might come in as an hourly employee, and they’ll wear many hats,”
explains Seattle Sheraton General Manager Matt Van Der Peet. He works with
seven to 10 hospitality graduates per year, cycling them through different
roles every six to 12 months.

“The industry today needs employees who can manage and work
in any position,” says Bill Baldwin, president and CEO of Baldwin Resource
Group and a member of WSU’s hospitality advisory board.

Technical knowledge is critical for graduates with their
sights set on upper management or corporate roles. As travel websites and
applications create new distribution points for properties, managers interact
with systems analytics on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis.

The environment calls for sophisticated software and people
who understand it, notes Carla Murray, Starwood Hotels’ senior vice president for
operations for the western United States. “The more distribution points you
have within your business model, the greater the importance of technology that
allows you to make minute-by-minute decisions.”

To that end, the three-year-old Hospitality Business
Management bachelor’s degree program at South Seattle Community College (SSCC)
offers technology training, including a standalone computer applications class
in which students design a complete computer system for a hotel including
reservations, yield management and revenue management modules.

In addition, social networking presents unique opportunities
for new hospitality hires. The Sheraton’s new social networking committee leans
heavily on the digital savvy of younger employees to shape online outreach on
sites like Facebook, Yelp and TripAdvisor. SSCC students can prep for such a
role in a new