Those pursuing a degree in hospitality management could benefit from the hands-on experience and face-to-face customer interaction that comes with a summer job or internship. According to the Financial News & Daily Record, eight hospitality management majors from across the country are currently pursuing some valuable on-the-job training through an eight-week internship with Omni hotels. Each of the students has chosen a different area of hospitality to work in, from manning the front desk to organizing housekeeping, food service and engineering departments. One of the students, Sophia Rutledge, said the work has taught her "so much about the fundamentals" of hotel management, while fellow intern Calvin Olson said he has "learned a lot about managing people". However, for another of the majors, Ashlyn Kendrick, it is the face-to-face interaction that has been most valuable. "The thing I will always remember about this summer is that guest service can't be taught in a classroom," he said. The continued growth of the US hotel industry is expected to generate many new jobs between 2006 and 2016, according to the Department of Labor. In 2006, some 1.8 million people worked in American hotels. Some 94,000 of these posts were at management level.  |