Industry experience through hotel “take-over”

FROM power cuts to missing televisions, these are some of the problems that hotels face on a daily basis. The experience of dealing with and solving such problems effectively can only be obtained hands-on and on-site. This is what 38 students from Taylor’s University’s Bachelor of International Hospitality Management and Taylor’s College’s Diploma in Hospitality programmes got to learn recently when participating in the Taylor’s Step 2.0: Hotel Takeover programme.

During the programme, the students took over operational and managerial duties for five days at Holiday Inn Express Kuala Lumpur, overcoming difficult situations along the way.

First launched last year in partnership with Holiday Inn Express, this year’s programme saw students being accompanied and trained alongside Holiday Inn Express Kuala Lumpur’s staff, who provided guidance and experience in cultivating students’ skills in customer service as well as crisis and employee management across various departments, such as front-of-house, human resource, finance, housekeeping and more.

“Surprise” simulations were thrown in along the way, such as a power cut, a customer complaint, a stolen television set from a guest room and an armed robbery.

Muhammad Namiq Rameez, a Diploma in Hotel Management student appointed as duty manager, said the most challenging simulation was the mystery of stolen television set, which the students were left to solve on their own.

“We were not given the exact time the incident occurred, which resulted in us taking a much longer time than expected to get to the correct closedcircuit television camera footage. We figured out that if we took note of time readings of the room door lock, we could get an idea of CCTV timings we should look at,” he said, adding that they managed to solve the mystery.

Grace Tan, a Bachelor of International Hospitality Management student elected as “general manager”, said participating in the programme gave her an unforgettable experience.

“I was able to learn about how a hotel is managed. Not just that, it’s a great opportunity for students to be part of this programme as it teaches one to solve problems, cater to customers’ needs and manage relationships among colleagues.

“The Taylor’s Hotel Takeover programme is beneficial because it gave an insight into experienced managerial positions through front-ofhouse tasks — an experience not all internship programmes provide. We were exposed to real-life training simulations to gauge how we would react and overcome these situations as hotel personnel. This gave us the opportunity to communicate as a team, exercise our knowledge and put the right action into place.”

Namiq’s and Tan’s duties included handling customer complaints, reviewing reports, conducting morning briefings, floor inspections, and learning the operating system of the hotel. Tan managed to organise a spring cleaning of the hotel’s lobby, lifts and dining areas.

Executive dean of Taylor’s University’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Dr. A. R. Neethiahnanthan, said the institution prides itself in matching every stride of the fast-growing hospitality, tourism and events sectors.

“We continue to raise the bar in providing a comprehensive education experience for our students through integrated new learning approaches as well as skills-based methodology to develop holistically balanced graduates. That’s where our Taylor’s Hotel Takeover programme comes in.

“Work-integrated learning is an essential component if we’re looking to produce industry-ready graduates who will apply their knowledge and someday lead an organisation. This is one of the ways to move towards the new era — by getting students to be more involved in industry-led projects, practical simulations and work placements.

Bachelor in International Hospitality Management students, Grace Tan (standing, left) and Ayla Khan (centre) working on a sales project with the help of Holiday Inn Express Kuala Lumpur director of sales Jessy Chan. Wong Tien Ci, a Diploma in Hotel Management student, dusting the ceiling of The Great Room, as part of the Housekeeping’s Deep Cleaning project.

At Taylor’s, we strive to empower students from an early stage to gain knowledge and experience they need because it will be beneficial when they look for jobs.”

The programme was first initiated in 1999 with Holiday Inn Norwich North in the United Kingdom, which provided opportunities for more than 1,300 students studying and working in the hospitality industry. Taylor’s initiated a strategic partnership with InterContinental Hotels Group Academy, Holiday Inn Express Kuala Lumpur and Taylor’s Faculty of Hospitality, Food and Leisure Management to form the Step 2.0: Hotel Takeover programme.

“The programme does not only equip students with the industry knowledge and training they require, but staff from Holiday Inn are also able to understand what today’s students and graduates are lacking, which can be taught or improved through the programme.

“Students are able to ask questions and do training, whereas staff get to train and teach. This programme gives students the opportunity to decide if hospitality is for them, and they can

be industry-ready when they graduate,” said Jonathan Lai, Holiday Inn Express Kuala Lumpur general manager.

He said with the development of artificial intelligence, which can take over manual labour such as laundry and room services, programmes such as these are even more crucial.

“Managerial and leadership skills are needed in the industry, and you can’t learn these from books.”

Set to be an annual event, the Taylor’s Hotel Takeover programme provides opportunities for final-year students to be involved in and out-of classroom activities. The programme enrolls selected final year students from Bachelor of International Hospitality Management and is a compulsory unit for the Diploma in Hospitality students.

Students who have successfully completed the programme will receive two certificates from Taylor’s University and Holiday Inn. Grace Tan (centre) and Muhammad Namiq Rameez (second from left) receiving their certificates from Taylor’s University and Holiday Inn Express Kuala Lumpur after completing the Step 2.0: Hotel Takeover programme. With them are Taylor’s University’s Head of the School of Hospitality and Leisure Management Associate Professor Dr Toney K. Thomas (left), Jonathan Lai (second from right) and Professor Dr A. R. Neethiahnanthan (right).