The global hospitality industry has undergone a major transformation in recent years, diversifying into areas such as wellness, lifestyle branding and property investment. An innovative and resilient industry, hospitality is now full of new opportunities for businesses and for savvy young professionals.
“The hospitality industry offers a number of career pathways, including hotel operations, investment, transactions, valuations, development, tourism, technology, and the list goes on,” according to Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) alumna, Amelia Perez.
“Initially, I was not fully aware of the diverse opportunities. I find it fascinating how in many cases hospitality tends to be associated mainly with hotels. Through consulting, I’ve had the opportunity to explore many areas of the industry, such as investment and development, which are interesting and dynamic.”
In this dynamic landscape, new hospitality jobs emerge every year requiring talented young professionals who are capable of innovation, flexibility and lifelong learning.
“Working in hospitality is definitely different from what I expected,” said BMIHMS alumnus, Dimitri Karam.
“I’ve come to realise that we are in ‘the people business’ selling coffee, and not in ‘the coffee business’ selling to people.”
Myriad of opportunities
BMIHMS graduates put their broad skill sets to use across a diverse spectrum of careers. Four BMIHMS alumni who’ve taken their hotel management education to unexpected places are Elise Dao, Senior Analyst at Salter Brothers; Amelia Perez, Development Manager at Hilton; Ben Salter, Director of Distribution for Accor Pacific; and Dimitri Karam, Area General Manager and Group Compliance Officer, Oscars Hotels.
All four of these talented BMIHMS alumni have ended up in diverse roles across areas, such as consulting, investment and business analytics. Today we’re celebrating these students, their entrepreneurial spirit and their successes in the industry.
“My ideas about working in hospitality have definitely changed since I moved to my current role. Now, hospitality for me is a much broader concept,” said BMIHMS alumna Elise Dao.
“It is not only just about operating hospitality venues ,such as hotels and managing the day-to-day guests’ interactions; it’s also about being able to look at hospitality assets through a different lens, and seeing all the different investment potentials.”
Education evolves
As the industry changes, hospitality and hotel management education must also evolve. At BMIHMS, we have a responsibility to provide our future hospitality and hotel leaders with the education they need to tackle the realities of a rapidly changing industry.
Hotel professionals today need to be prepared to handle change, navigate crises with confidence and meet uncertainty with innovation. They need to be flexible, responsive, and trained to step up into a diverse range of roles and career paths, depending on where the industry takes them – even if it takes them into roles that didn’t exist when they completed their studies.
“When I started my course, I believed I would progress through to a Hotel General Manager at some point, but my career trajectory took another turn,” said BMIHMS alumnus, Ben Salter.
“My current role simply did not exist in 1995, but the skills I learned at BMIHMS all contributed to the trajectory I have been on. With the skills I learned, I was able to slot into different hotels and different roles.”
Hotel Management students at BMIHMS receive a broad, transferable educational experience covering every aspect of contemporary hospitality and hotel businesses. Preparation for the real world requires more than a standard education.
Through innovative soft skills and leadership training, plus a significant focus on personal and professional development, students become lifelong learners capable of adapting to new challenges in real time. In the fast paced and shifting industry of today, that’s an essential skill set for any business.