This article looks at Centennial College’s Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Management program, which prepares students for career possibilities managing departments such as human resources, sales and marketing, and many others.

1. Wide Range of Skills Allow Centennial College Students to Manage Various
Hotel Departments
It is vital to recognize that all aspects of hotels and resorts as well as the restaurants that
are attached to them are interconnected. As such, it shouldn’t take numerous programs to
teach students to manage the various departments such as: general hotel and restaurant,
human resources, sales and marketing, convention services, housekeeping, hotel revenue
and financial.
At Centennial College’s hotel management program — Hotel, Resort and Restaurant
Management — not only are students prepared for all of these areas but mature students
can also graduate in just two semesters. As an Ontario College Graduate Certificate offering,
this program requires applicants to have completed a college diploma or university degree
in hospitality, tourism or related discipline. Also considered are applicants with a diploma or
degree in an unrelated discipline whom have related work experience or applicants with
partial post secondary education and relevant work experience in hospitality. It is worth
noting that a resume describing relevant work experience may be requested.
As the offering only takes two semesters to complete, each included hotel management
course has been well thought-out in terms of its relevance and delivery format. For this
reason, courses are facilitated from operational lab practice facilities that enhance student
learning through hands-on application of theory, and modern computer labs that are
continually updated with the latest hotel management software. The facilities housed at
Progress Campus that benefit students of this offering include a full service student-
operated restaurant as well as an on-site conference centre.
Among the specific courses offering in this undertaking are: Human Resources and Labour
Resources Management (covers relevant topics such as staffing, employee training and
development, appraisal and reward, and career planning in effectively employing an
organization’s human resources toward the accomplishment of organizational goals and
business strategy); Managing Service Quality and Business Excellence (the Total Quality
Management and Business Excellence statistical theory is used to explore the principles of
service management from inspection to business excellence, what constitutes quality, the
nature of service, and strategies for improving it); Hospitality Revenue and Distribution
Management (offers in-depth knowledge of optimizing hotel revenues by using forecast
information in capacity management, discount allocation, duration control and other yield
management tools).
Prior to graduation, students get to put their newly acquired knowledge to the real world
through a field placement that encourages students to better understand the dynamics of
the industry and increase their knowledge of industry practices. It also provides them with a
competitive advantage of experience in the job market.
Students have gone on to be hired by reputable organizations such as: Choice Hotels
International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Delta Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels &
Resorts, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Groups, Hyatt Hotels &
Resorts, Wyndham International, and Marriott Hotels & Resorts.