We used to think of luxury hotels as those lavish palaces with crystal chandeliers, marble, waiters wearing white gloves, serving caviar on mother of pearl spoons, and champagne in crystal flutes. Luxury accommodation was expensive, ostentatious, and elitist. We search for the term “luxury accommodation” today and Google comes back with 1,670,000,000 results. Among these, holiday rentals, Airbnb, six stars resorts, serviced apartments, holiday shacks, international hotel chains, small boutique hotels, even dog hotels. Luxury seems to have become more of a buzzword than a defining characteristic. This has created unrealistic expectations in guests and reduced the effectiveness of advertising material.

In certain societies, today’s hotel guests have more time and discretionary income than before to spend on travel and leisure activities. Time and money, which Weaver and Lawton (2014) refer to as “push factors”, have driven the growth of luxury accommodation consumption in recent years. In Australia alone the 2020 IBIS World Luxury Accommodation report has estimated that luxury accommodation accounts for 36.4% of the total hospitality product, producing more than 50% of the overall hospitality product revenue.

Equally, staying at a luxury hotel or resort has become progressively more affordable, accessible to a wider segment of the market, and, therefore, less exclusive than what it used to be in the past. The concept of luxury has, therefore, been diluted from his original meaning in the mind of both hotel guests and operators.

The misperception around the idea of luxury accommodation is also to be attributed to some wide-spread industry practices. The growing inclusion of additional “luxury” services to existing lower grade hotels has contributed to heightening market confusion. Additionally, operators often use “luxury” simply as a catching word in their marketing strategies, promising “luxury” in every situation. The word “luxury” is being overused and misconstrued.

Star rating systems, industry guides (e.g. Forbes, AAA, LHW, Qualmark), governmental regulatory bodies have attempted to provide definitions and guidelines to clear the confusion. Needless to say that these, often skewed, definitions have often largely focused on the tangible characteristics of luxury accommodation, and only increasingly blurred the lines. This is not only because these systems are not universally accepted, which has highly affected guests’ expectations and their experiences, but also because they do not take into account the individual and ever-changing nature of luxury.

As it turns out, defining luxury accommodation is not that simple. If we ask one hundred people what is luxury accommodation to them, we will end up with one hundred different definitions. The main reason for this is that luxury is a personal and fluid concept. What one person perceives to be luxury another person might find ordinary. For some, luxury is represented in the caviar and champagne experience. For others, luxury is being able to simply disconnect from their beeping phones for a day.

Luxury is also an evolving concept. What was once considered luxury, an elitist, exclusive, and expensive consumption display, has now changed. Luxury these days, thank to baby boomers and millennials, is more often associated with experiences, sustainability, and authenticity. Here lies the success of Airbnb which has majorly affected the broader hospitality industry because guests believe it provides more “authentic” experiences. Luxury in the future might look very different from the past, where a luxury hotel experience might not be necessarily expensive or lavish, but instead authentic, unique, ethical, and sustainable.

As the meaning of luxury continuously evolves, agreement on what is luxury accommodation may never be reached. There is, however, a light at the end of the tunnel. Gradually now, efforts are moving away from trying to define luxury accommodation. Instead, more attention is being devoted to understanding what a luxury accommodation experience is and how this can be created taking into account the personal and ever-changing nature of luxury.

It is time the luxury accommodation industry desists from using the word “luxury”. The focus should be, instead, on shifting from the word to the meaning, from the “promise of luxury” to create chances for hotel guests to experience luxury. As we have established luxury to be a personal value, the only way for hotel guests to truly experience luxury accommodation is for hoteliers to move from mass-production and consistency to the craftsmanship of mass-personalisation. And if you want to know what a luxury hotel is, ask hotel guests. Who better to ask to if not the people that experience it first-hand? Ultimately, their definition of luxury accommodation is the only one that matters.

From last July borders within the European Union reopened to tourism for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Tourists from some countries outside the EU considered safe are now permitted entry. Many in the hotel, hospitality and tourism industry see this as the beginning of a much-needed recovery.

The initial outbreak saw countries such as Italy and Spain dealing with some of the highest rates of infection and mortality in the world. As borders shut hotels emptied, occupancy rates for hotels in Europe dropped to just 11.1%, from over 60% on February.

Now, the European Union is essentially running an experiment in how to resume international tourism during a managed (but still active) pandemic.

Tourists are being tested for the virus at airports in many countries such as Greece and Spain as they enter, while sanitation and social distancing restrictions still remain in place for the foreseeable future.

The next few months will serve as an example and potentially a roadmap to the hotel industry in other regions and countries that are similarly re-emerging on the right side of the health data.

Here are some of the approaches that hotels in Europe are already employing in order to recover, respond to changes in the market, and adjust to the ‘new normal.’

1. Focusing on regional domestic tourism or ‘microtravel.’

Forward-booking data in Europe has highlighted a rise in local, regional travel or ‘micro travel’, from nearby city centres, to destinations within a four-hour drive.

• Domestic tourists wanting to escape the cities they’ve essentially been trapped in during lockdown, and spend time in rural and coastal retreats.
• Hotels and Airbnb’s reporting growing demand from the major cities specifically the smaller operators and boutique properties in rural and coastal areas compared to major city-based hotels.

2. Hotels have lowered their prices

Data collected by Protourisme, the French accommodation booking company, shows that visitors to French towns such as Nice this month will find prices for hotel rooms significantly lower than normal.

Discounts appear to be the new normal across Europe at present, with most hotels still at less than 25% occupancy. Luxury hotels in Rome are reportedly advertising for as little as $50-70 per night.

In hotels and Airbnbs, travellers currently expect cheap deals, and until occupancy climbs properties will have to be competitive with pricing. However, it is important not to undercut your business too much, while staying competitive. It’s a fine balance.

3. Flexibility is essential during recovery.

Flexibility with refund or cancellation policies is also a key strategy for reassuring guests who are still uncertain about booking.

The Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and all the major global hotel chains with properties in Europe have extended their cancellation and refund policies for the remainder of the summer season.

For extra consumer confidence, some hotels are partnering with banks to offer special deals. In Greece, the Greek Villas luxury holiday rental company recently formed a corporate partnership and created a tailor-made travel insurance package with Lloyd’s of London, guaranteeing that guests won’t lose their money if they can’t come.

4. Marketing your hotel and destination as ‘coronavirus safe’.

Of course, a hotel can’t control where it’s located, but they can promote their region as ‘coronavirus safe’ in their marketing, if it has been less affected.

Tourism has picked up more rapidly in regions that are known to be less-affected areas (such as the French Cote d’Azur). Safety and freedom from lockdown restrictions have become selling points, in the post-pandemic market.

Hotels are also investing in stringent sanitation and safety procedures, and leveraging strong marketing around how they are keeping guests safe.

Marriot publicly announced that the company is significantly broadening its cleaning protocols in Europe and worldwide, stating that they are “requiring that public space and guest room surfaces are thoroughly treated with hospital-grade disinfectants.” The company is also testing new technologies such as ‘electrostatic sprayers’ to disinfect entire guest areas.

5. It’s not social distancing; it’s an exclusive isolation getaway.

One way to make lemonade out of lemons is to turn social isolation into an exclusive boutique holiday deal, where tourists can enjoy the small crowds and the full attention of staff. After all, who doesn’t want to be the only guest on the entire Greek island? Or maybe this is the only time in your life you’ll get to see Rome without the crowds.

Marketing rooms as a more intimate, ‘club style’ experience with personalized service, and adding unusual perks or deals to your social distancing measures will ensure guests feel privileged, rather than inconvenienced.

With a resurgence of coronavirus hitting Australia, many in the hotel sector and more broadly the hospitality industry is again feeling uncertain about the future.

After a brief period of respite, the second round of lockdowns has forced many Victorian businesses reliant on tourism back into crisis management. Internationally, the pandemic continues to have a substantive impact across the industry, with global giants such as Marriott and Hilton recording significant losses for this quarter.

Whether you’re a hotel professional looking for work, or you’re trying to keep your business afloat, the big question is – ‘when can hotels look forward to better times, and what’s the best way to approach a recovery?’

Our academic team has compiled a collection of informed opinions, expert knowledge, and interviews with some of our exclusive industry contacts.

 
1. Analysts and hoteliers offer opinions on the amount of time it will take for the hotel industry to get back to ‘normal.’

Abhijay Sandilya, Head of Business Development for InterContinential Hotels Group (IHG), Australia, advises that it will be “not a matter of weeks” to reopen a hotel that has been temporarily closed. The process of restarting a hotel will take months, and many will operate at low capacity for some time, slowly picking up in stages.

IHG operates 34 hotels in Australia, and of these, 18 had to temporarily close during the first months of the pandemic, some are now reopening.

Globally, IHG has reported signs of early economic recovery in their latest quarterly results. In China, they initially had to close 180 hotels – that figure is now down to just 10.

“I don’t see a massive rebound in business, but rather a slow and gradual increase,” Sandilya told Financial Review. “Having sufficient airlift into Australia and the ability to travel are so interlinked. We need affordable airfares to keep the flow of business coming.”

 
2. Analysts from McKinsey have developed 9 different recovery scenarios for the US and the global hotel industry, each with it’s own timeline.

The most likely scenarios, as determined by surveyed hotel businesses, were A1 (economic recovery by 2021) and A3 (recovery by 2023).

Gus Moors, Head of Hotels at Colliers International, is fairly optimistic.

He told the Sydney Morning Herald that while the coronavirus was likely to result in a short-term slowdown for 2020, experience from the SARS outbreak in 2003 suggested the accommodation market has the ability to bounce back faster than some other sectors of the property industry.

“This is due to the daily dynamic pricing of room rates, which could move up quickly as demand recovered,” Mr Moors said.

In June, Mr Moors, Karen Wales and Nigel Greenaway, also of Colliers International, published their findings from the Colliers analysis of STR Global Figures – a report assessing the impact of coronavirus on their hotel brand, and suggesting recovery tactics.

The report anticipated a recovery for Australian hotels fuelled by ‘revenge’ spending, increasing over the second half of 2020. Read their additional findings here.

 
3. Many hotel industry analysts are looking at China for guidance, and a realistic recovery timeline.

Although China’s outbreak was severe, it was brought under control through strict social distancing restrictions within a matter of months. So far, figures on the recovery of their industry have been hopeful.

Mainland China’s average hotel occupancy bottomed at 7% in early February but rebounded to as high as 52% the week of June 13. Clearing the 50% threshold meant business travel had begun to return, according to STR hotel news. See the full analysis here.

 
4. Our industry partners recently offered exclusive advice to students, graduates or aspiring hoteliers who will be entering the workforce soon.

As part of our Leadership Speaker Series, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) and Torrens University Australia held a recent talk, where we invited three of our eminent industry contacts to come and discuss the ‘road to recovery’ for hospitality and aged care after COVID.

They gave us optimism, and gave our students optimism too – particularly students who may feel anxious about graduating into the post coronavirus economy. As it turns out, progressing into hotel management during a crisis may actually be an opportunity!

You can watch the video here – but if you want to get straight to their advice, read on.

“We’re now planning how we come out of this now, and how do we restructure our business. You know, I don’t think in my experience in hotels – and I’ve been in it for a long time – I’ve quite experienced what we’re dealing with at the moment.

Certainly the challenge now – and it’s a great challenge, almost an exciting challenge – is how do you rebuild our industry.

I would say to students that this is a golden opportunity that’s presented right now. There’s no greater challenge than to be part of rebuilding an industry, and what they will learn over the next two or three years will stay with them for the rest of their careers. In my mind, this is a fast track to these people being our industry leaders of the future.”
– Peter Tudehope (Regional Manager, Radisson Hotels Australia Pacific)

“COVID has given us a different lens and accelerated speed, and given a bit of a reason for change. You only ever get great change when there’s discomfort, and COVID’s created a hell of a lot of discomfort.”
– Simon McGrath A.M (Chief Operating Officer, Accor Pacific)

“Think about what skills you have that are transferrable. Everything that you have been taught is about dealing with people, about relationships – which we’ve spoken about as the underpinning of everything in pretty much any sector that you can think of. So, look at your transferrable skills, look at how they can apply, and back yourself.”
– Rachel Argaman (CEO, Opal Aged Care)

Companies hoping to catch and keep the brightest young graduates have increasingly used mentoring programs in the hotel and hospitality industry.

However, there’s surprisingly little research out there assessing whether or not these programs are actually successful. Do they help mentees achieve their career goals, and do they help hotels retain young staff?

This recent study by Dr Madalyn Scerri and Associate Professor Rajka Presbury from Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) and Dr Edmund Goh from Edith Cowan University just published answers to some of these important questions.

The study applied a systematic approach to evaluate the mentoring process, and to assess the effectiveness of different forms of mentorship.

The study looked at mentoring as a four-stage process:

1. Initiation
2. Goals and action plans
3. Cultivating the relationship
4. Evaluating the relationship

Mentors and mentees were asked to share their opinion on the mentorship, at each stage of the process. Overall, the study found positive outcomes when Alumni hospitality industry partners and students were matched in a hospitality-mentoring program.

Find out below exactly what the benefits are for mentees and mentors, and what types of mentor programs proved the most successful.

 
Who participated?

This study collected data through interviewing 48 hospitality student mentees and 14 industry mentors, to find out their perceptions on how effective their mentor program was.

• Mentors were predominantly male, between the ages of 25 and 45, who graduated between 1991 and 2012 and who hold management positions across a variety of hotels or hospitality businesses.
• Mentee respondents were both undergraduate and postgraduate students, both male (35%) and female (65%), and were working mainly in four-star and five-star hotels, predominately in Front Office positions (61%).

 
What participants wanted to get out of the experience

Of course, everyone has their own reasons for wanting to participate in a mentoring program. What you expect from a mentoring program, and whether you even have clear expectations, will define whether or not you consider your experience a success.

Mentees participating in the study had a number of pre-written goals, linked to anticipated outcomes of the mentoring process. These included a desire for:

• Industry knowledge and learning
• Advice and guidance
• Assistance with career progression
• Professional networking opportunities

These goals were similar to the goals of the mentors. They recognised that the key outcomes of the program were:

• To support mentees in setting goals and choosing a career path
• Assist in setting goals and working towards those goals
• Obtaining technical advice about skills, service or role in hospitality
• Psychological or emotional support

 
How mentoring benefitted mentors and mentees

The study found that mentorship delivered a range of positive outcomes for mentors and mentees, generally in line with their goals. In addition, the researchers reported some interesting feedback on how the relationship functions most effectively.

For the mentor, the relationship provided them an opportunity for reflection on their own skills and experience. They also gain a sense of value and altruism, as they share skills and insight with the mentee during a pivotal time in their lives.

“I find the program very rewarding when the students build a connection and grow.” – Mentor 9.

For the mentee, the formal mentoring program brought many benefits when combined with their studies:

• A practical insight into the industry
• Building knowledge and skills
• Developed networking opportunities
• Confidence building
• Emotional support

Career benefits was listed as the main outcome for most mentees, indicating their mentoring relationship has provided them with professional networking and job opportunities, as well as industry insights regarding “alternate career paths instead of the obvious one” (Mentee 11).

The study found that overall, the majority of mentors and mentees had a positive experience and gained value from the program. Having a better understanding of the industry enriches the learning environment for mentees, and may also contribute to a long-lasting career in the hospitality industry.

 
What makes for a successful mentoring program?

Of course, not all mentoring programs are created equal. There are factors that will influence the success of a mentoring program from the outset, such as:

• Initial pairing
• Personality traits
• Formality of the arrangement
• Commitment between mentors and mentees

The study found that the most successful mentoring programs were ones with a formal matching process, where there was initial preparation and goal-setting that set the stage for positive relationships.

Through interviews with mentors and mentees, the study also uncovered some important points regarding the relationship dynamic. For example:

• Although the achievement of positive outcomes relies on commitment from both parties, the study also found that mentees have to drive and initiate the relationship. Overall, mentors expect this of them.

  “They must opt in first and foremost. They have unlimited ability to explore the business mechanisms, but only if they want to.” – Mentor 5.

• An area of mismatch that emerged was the high proportion of female mentees and lack of female mentors. This could be due to the under-representation of females in higher management in hospitality. Female mentees expressed a preference for female mentors and were unable to access them.

  “I would have loved to have a female mentor to tell me her experiences on how to make it work when you are a woman working in hospitality, a wife and a mother.” – Mentee 40.

• Mentees expressed preference for more emotionally supportive qualities in their mentors, including honesty, transparency, kindness and willingness to help. Enhancing the depth of emotional support provided to mentees was found to be an important factor in building the relationship.

  “[The mentor] was very open to any sort of conversation, personal and professional, was flexible with time, took time to understand what I wanted and what I needed to be, where I want to be.” – Mentee 39.

• The motivations driving mentors during the preparation stage is important. A mentor’s reasons for participation will influence the style of mentoring they provide.

These are just some of the insights provided by this research. This useful information can help mentors and mentees learn how to foster a more effective mentor relationship.

The findings of this study can also guide the establishment and continued evaluation of mentoring programs in the future.

You can read the full case study here: https://research.torrens.edu.au/en/publications/an-application-of-the-mentoring-framework-to-investigate-the-effe

50 days’ free access to the article is available through our Torrens page by clicking access to document link before October 22, 2020.

 
The research team:

Associate Professor Rajka Presbury

Dr Rajka Presbury is an Associate Professor at the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) at Torrens University Australia. Her PhD is on the topic of service quality in hotels, and her research interest remains in and around the issue of service experience, exploring perceptions of customers, managers and employees in hotels. More recently, she has become fascinated by the triadic service relationship of educational institutions, corporate service providers and students as current and future employees of the hospitality industry. Thus exploring topics such as Work Integrated Learning and Mentoring.

 
Dr Madalyn Scerri

Dr Scerri is a Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) at Torrens University. From a hotel food and beverage background, Dr Scerri was awarded her PhD from Southern Cross University in 2014. Her research focuses on the dynamics of service language and interaction, primarily in the context of Australian hotels. With interest in the complexity of customer service, Dr Scerri is applying this unique hospitality knowledge to research different service settings such as health care and peer-to-peer accommodation in the sharing economy. She has presented her research at national and international conferences and in peer-reviewed publications.

 
Dr Edmund Goh

Dr Edmund Goh is the Deputy Director, Markets and Services Research Centre, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. He has published in leading journals such as Tourism Management, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Journal of Tourism and Travel Marketing, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Tourism Recreation Research, Tourism Management Perspectives, and Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics. Edmund sees his research as the nexus to address education and industry gaps.

Are you considering a career in hotel management, but you are not sure what it will take to succeed in that top job?

Working your way up to a management position in a hotel is not going to be easy, but it’s an incredibly rewarding and exciting experience. You get to work with all kinds of people, in exotic locations and luxurious settings around the world.

If you enjoy a challenge, have a thirst for adventure and you’re passionate about hospitality, you may just be the right person for the job.

Here are eight essential leadership qualities you’ll need to become a successful, international hotel manager

1. Passion for the job

There is no easy way around it; managing hotels will take up a lot of your time and energy. You will work long hours, have a lot of responsibility and be managing a million tasks at a time. To commit to this demanding occupation, you need to be absolutely passionate about what you do.

You need to care about customers, about your brand, about your employees, and about the service your hotel provides. You need to be obsessing over details and thinking of ways to improve or grow your business all the time. You can only give your hotel the physical and mental energy it needs to succeed if you truly love what you do.

1. Ability to pull a diverse team together with shared goals

There is a lot of discussion and research going on about the benefits of diversity in hospitality (and across all businesses) today. Not only are more Gen Y employees prioritising diversity in their choice of workplace, it is also linked to better business performance and innovation, and even higher profitability.

International hotels typically attract diverse employees, particularly when it comes to junior positions. However, if you want your hotel to outshine the competition, you are going to have to work at creating a diverse workplace across all levels. It is also important to promote an inclusive culture within the organisation, and clearly communicate shared goals, to foster a sense of unity.

Staff need to feel valued to believe in the group to be committed to what you are collectively trying to achieve – that is how you get the most out of your employees.

1. Great communication

Great communication occurs in many different forms, and it is a core element of good hotel management. It many involve regular feedback, a friendly approach, clarity, regular updates, or choosing the appropriate medium.

A great hotel manager is able to listen to guests and staff effectively, and to communicate not just how, but also why things are done. This is important, because once your staff understands the motivation for a certain task; they may actually be able to improve it. A manager could be missing out on new innovations in their hotels because they are not open to hearing what junior staff may have to say.

Communication is not a natural talent, it’s actually a skill, and it can be exercised. Active listening, and nonviolent communication are two potential strategies that can help you do your job more effectively, as a manager. Check out a few more ideas on good communication for managers, here.

1. Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

There is a substantial amount of research showing that executives with a high level of emotional intelligence receive more favourable performance reviews, and their organisations perform better financially. Emotional intelligence is not only essential when managing others, but equally important when developing your own leadership style.

Peter Drucker, renowned author of ‘Managing Oneself’ and business guru, advocates for CEOs and corporate leaders to work on understanding their own strengths and weaknesses. He argues that this knowledge is key to their success, and is just as important as understanding how your business operates.

1. Leading by example

The old saying, ‘actions speak louder than words,’ is particularly important for those who are visible and in positions of seniority. Junior staff look to their managers for inspiration and guidance. You have to exemplify the principles you stand for in your own behaviour, to make sure you create a positive culture within the organisation.

This is about more than just cultural leadership: it is about maintaining credibility and authority.

If there is a gap between what you say and what you do, if you use double standards or expect more from others than you offer yourself, your employees will inevitably notice. This will lead to dissatisfaction and mistrust. Leading by example is essential to getting the respect, trust, and ultimately cooperation you need from staff to do your job.

1. Creativity and an open mind

The hospitality sector is evolving constantly. The use of new technologies is expanding rapidly, with data playing a major role in service delivery. Amazon and KAYAK are now offering hotel bookings through Alexa, and an increasing number of players are stepping in to explore this new space.

When it comes to marketing your hotel, creativity is key. Competition is fierce in this space with many hotels already using integrated social media platforms, linked to events or special offerings, to promote their business.

Take Kimpton Hotel Palomar’s “Live Like a Local” campaign, for example. This involved a city-wide scavenger hunt in San Diego, with customers searching for local landmarks and bars, linked to its own social media hashtag.

As a leader, it is essential that you are open to new opportunities, and that you are actively promoting creativity and innovation to keep your hotel on par with competition. If you are not sure how creativity can help your business, check out tips on different creative strategies for innovation in hotels.

1. Understand your organisation

In a recent study of the hospitality industry, when asked to describe their organisation, most managers discussed the kind of hierarchical reporting relationships you would find in an organisational chart. This understanding of your company does not consider the work flow across different sections, or how the external environment affects internal operations.

Much of what happens within an organisation which involves invisible, informal networks, in large hotels in particular can become incredibly complex. A good leader understands and can coordinate all the different activities within the organisation, to maximise efficiency.

1. Balancing autonomy and authority

According to research on the hospitality and hotel industry, employees’ contribution of skills and knowledge is crucial to the success of a company. As a manager, you need to empower your employees to share their ideas and innovations, and be willing to put suggested improvements into action.

However, as a manager, you have also got to balance the need to give employees autonomy, while also maintaining direction over organisation activities. This a special skill, and one that is essential to learn.

Click here for more information on courses available at the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School.

This important discussion will focus on how hospitality, healthcare and related industries are implementing recovery strategies due to COVID-19 and also discuss predicted employability trends within the industry.

I’ll be joined by prominent senior industry panellists Simon McGrath A.M (Chief Operating Officer, Accor Pacific), Peter Tudehope (Regional Manager, Radisson Hotels Australia Pacific) and Rachel Argaman (Chief Executive Officer, Opal Agedcare).

Check out the Leadership Speaker Series promo here.

This year has certainly presented unique challenges. We know it’s important to pause and reflect and draw from our impressive industry connections here at BMIHMS to gain advice from experts in our field. I’m really excited by our panel and look forward to sharing the conversation with industry partners.

Our Leadership Speaker Series (LSS) engages industry experts at the forefront of the hospitality industry in panel discussions on relevant Leadership topics for BMIHMS students and the industry in general. Hospitality professionals discuss current trends within the sector while providing an open Q&A forum, giving viewers the chance to gain greater insight from those leading the field.

Previous lead panelists have included hotel general managers from leading hotel chains, restaurateurs and boutique hoteliers, and leading travel industry consultants.

Please enjoy the discussion live this Wednesday 17th June 9.30am – 10.30am on Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School Facebook and YouTube channels coming to you LIVE directly from our Town Hall Campus in Sydney.

Associate Professor Dr. Simon Pawson
Associate Dean for Hospitality
Academic Director Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School

We live and breathe the principles of 5-star professionalism and quality – for our students, staff and our esteemed alumni.

Beginning on our Leura campus in the Blue Mountains of NSW back in 1991, our history has been written by almost thirty years of successive generations of teachers and students. Together we have established a world-class curriculum that encompasses the traditional hotel management model alongside innovative practices to help you thrive in today’s industry. This history now involves the school playing a pivotal part in the formation of Torrens University Australia. From humble beginnings in the Blue Mountains, the school is now pivotal in Australia’s fastest-growing university.

For me personally, the Blue Mountains community has been part of my life for a decade. I joined the school in 2010. At the time it was an honour to join such a passionate and engaged school. The growth I have witnessed, that has led to the school’s place within Torrens University and the continued growth and innovation, has been nothing short of remarkable.

In 2020, the future of the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School is bright and bold. Today we offer entry-level diploma, bachelor and post-graduate qualifications. We have programs in Leura, Sydney, Melbourne and China as well as the first fully online MBA in Hotel Leadership. Very soon, we will launch new programs in Adelaide.

Most importantly, we’re always considering how we can innovate to ensure our students are industry-ready.

To grow and thrive in a highly competitive global sector that is rapidly evolving, we’re moving forward. We’re acknowledging our rich history and energised by the opportunities that lie ahead. Refreshing our brand is an essential step in the same direction.

Of course, our name and heritage remain. Our legacy even influenced the new style — our distinctive blue and orange ‘mountains’ once seen in our logo now come to life as dynamic ribbons that elevate us above and beyond the hospitality landscape.

This isn’t just a change of symbol for us, but a symbolic message of innovation and growth for our brand and offering. It’s one we don’t take lightly.

One change today, but the beginning of a massive next chapter. A chapter in which we remain committed to enhancing the way BMIHMS is perceived across Australia and the world for years to come.

Jerome Casteigt – GM of Hospitality