Luxury Hoteliers Magazine 2nd Quarter 2019 | Page 34

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR RECENTLY OPENED COLLEGE OF HOSPITALITY? Hospitality Hall is a $60 M dollar facility with over 98,000 square feet of experiential learning spaces. We have a café, a 10-station executive kitchen, convertible classrooms, and a golf center complete with a 3-D biometrics lab and golf simulator. Not only is this facility beautiful, Hospitality Hall is user-friendly, with ample study and research space for students and meeting space for guests. HOW DOES ITS RESORT- LIKE SETTING PREPARE HOSPITALITY STUDENTS FOR A CAREER IN THE HOSPITALITY FIELD? Hospitality is not a job, but both a lifestyle and a mindset. In order to prepare students for this life-style and mind-set it is critical that they are exposed to what it means to be in hospitality; and, there is no better way to be exposed to hospitality than to be in a “hospitality space.” A hospitality space is a place where people love to come to and hang out; it is a place that has lots of nooks and crannies that allow for impromptu meetings. Students will very quickly decide if this is the environment they want to be in. If they hate coming to Hospitality Hall, then they will know this is not the field for them and they will change majors. Of course, we hope the opposite will be true. All this means is that when a student graduates from the College of Hospitality employers will know that this student is committed to hospitality and should be looked at not as a recent college graduate, but as an investment 34 ILHA