We need exposure the trendsetting hospitality industry
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Posted By: Elliott Murray on June 29, 2020 My name is Elliott Murray and I want to share my 39 years of experience in sales and guest service hotel leadership. By trade, I am a certified opening Task Force consultant in hospitality sales and guest service training. I was certified by Westin Hotels when Westin was still headquartered in the state of Washington. My career began when I opened the Westin Hotel-Galleria Dallas in 1980. I hold the same certification from Ritz Carlton hotels. I am the only active person in the US to hold this distinction, and I am African American. I am excited about the opportunity to speak with you about my unique background and my passion for Minorities concerning Hospitality & Tourism programs. I welcome various options of engagement to the recruiting, motivational speaking, and relational hotel management placement aspect of these programs. My primary purpose was to recruit, hire, and train the sales and guest service staff. It was also my responsibility to introduce the hotel to the local and feeder markets for that specific project. In my recruiting for these types of positions, I noticed a tremendous disconnect with minority exposure and knowledge of the industry. My experience with recruiting people for these types of positions for full and limited service hotels has given me inside exposure to what will help sell and motivate a person for your hospitality programs. The hospitality industry is overlooked or undiscovered by the minority community as a whole. Although there are minorities who now own or manage hotels, the typical urban exposure is lacking. High school and Niche market penetration is required to share this tremendous vehicle to those who are unaware of how lucrative this career can be, and the relatively short time it takes to achieve financial and occupational stability and success. Both of these components are a necessity in our community of young upstarts who may not have knowledge or perception during these vital formulative decision making years of their life. Last May, I thought about what I could do to share this opportunity from an academic standpoint. I called around to 80% of the HBCU schools and I was shocked that most of them either dropped their programs because of poor recruiting or the students just did not graduate while others who have programs, are not achieving the success of expectations concerning enrollment or graduation. I know I can bridge that gap, and influence the desired results. My goal is to open doors to this horizon. It is equally imperative to establish relationships with hotel management companies that are interested in dedicated, motivated, and hungry young professionals. The fact the student displays a discipline to start and complete a program will be a chosen journey that will best prepare them to be a competent energetic employee. It is most common that the dominant brands will employ a graduated student after they have completed an internship (free labor for the hotel), but their focus is not always in the best interest of the student. Whereas, a small to mid-size management company will utilize them in their area of desire, and promotional movement if proven, will come much quicker. It is important for a recruited student to discover via guided discussion which side of the industry is their natural passion, which will somewhere be in their DNA.. Operations or Sales! Would it be beneficial to produce proteges of this nature? In closing, I am a Chicago native. My career began in 1980, and I became a single parent in 1986. My son was with me for 18 years during my career,,just he and I. My journey is my story, as I can relate to urban areas and other niche' groups. I guarantee that because I can speak their language, one that resonates across the board. I welcome further communication about how I can introduce this to the minority community. They deserve the exposure to a niche' industry that has been cornered by a chosen few who have been exposed, some generation to generation. Please visit my website at www.Hospi-Linc.com to review a thorough understanding of my journey and capabilities. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Elliott Murray
CEO-Founder-Hospitality consultant, Hospi-Linc DePaul Univ class of 1980 Member Since June 2020 |
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