On Monday 28/05/18, the annual Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Jerusalem held an annual convention to which all were invited to manage hotels and tourism in Israel. The conference was initiated by the Hilton chain. The conference was attended by the students and lecturers from the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Guilford Glaser Faculty of Business and Management GGFBM, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
During the conference, students and lecturers were presented with lectures by Hilton executives from Europe and the United States, and representatives of the Israel Hotel Association.
A panel of students was held regarding the integration of students in the hotel industry during the course of studies. At the end of the panel, the students were invited to take part in escape rooms on a career in the hotel industry.
Prof. Yaniv Poria, Head of the GGFBM Department of Hotel and Tourism Management and Academic Director of the BGU Eilat Campus, took the opportunity to praise Gilad Shloush, VP Human Resources of Hilton Israel, on how he employs people with special needs into Hilton hotels in Israel, “showing true responsibility and intelligent management," Prof. Poria lauded, “Gilad, in his work, illustrates the difference between human resources management and human capital management.
“The main message at the conference is to demonstrate to students in hotel and tourism management that they have made the right choice," says Gilad, "This unique and diverse field of academic study enables countless possibilities for career development into challenging and high level management."
The students got to meet with graduates who have are today in a wide range of senior hotel and tourism management positions, in Israel and around the world. They were presented with the possibilities of integrating into the Hilton chain even during their years of study.
Each year, Hilton offers scholarships to students, based on criteria for excellence in studies combined with work in hotels, and video interviews.
The scholarship itself is a week of learning and employment experience in one of the chain's hotels in Israel and Europe.
This year, out of seven national scholarships, three students from the GGFBM Department of Hotel and Tourism Management were awarded: Yarden Sharashov, Or Caspi and Einav Kandler.
The students' reactions from the day of the conference in Jerusalem: "It's fun to know that you can combine studies and work." "Meetings with people in the field show that academics in the Hotel and Tourism Management Department open horizons for working abroad as well." "I appreciate listening to lectures by industry leaders, even staying in their luxurious hotel - that's what I call studies!"
The Department of Hotel and Tourism Management is a core part of the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management since its establishment at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The vanguard of hotel and tourism research and studies in Israel, the Department is the only one offering BA, MA and PhD degrees in this field. The unique curriculum imparts relevant and knowledge for the future generation of leaders in the industries of hotel, tourism, aviation, beverage and catering and more. The studies sharpen analytical-business thinking, providing students with experience that prepare them for management, innovation and entrepreneurship in the industries, underscored with leadership, sustainability and social responsibility. The Department has an international reputation for quality research achievements and is ranked among the top 50 in the world by the Shanghai ARWU Global Ranking.
