Three Takeaways

After a cultural exchange trip to China this past summer, I have recently been reconsidering my major and career path as a whole, so this class was extremely conducive to help me in discerning how my major will affect my career path. The biggest takeaways come from the guest lecturers, the case studies, and the informational interview project.

The variety of guest lecturers we had in class really allowed me to get a feel for the different brands in the industry. I enjoyed learning more about the brands, Marriott and Kimpton, from a first-hand perspective. The lecturers shared knowledge that applied both to our careers as well as to what we were learning in class. There are so many different brands in the hospitality industry and I am thankful to have dived a little deeper into these two.

Reading and analyzing the case studies also allowed me to get a sense of the different brands in the industry, but they also helped me to get a feel for the industry overall, especially some of the major challenges that industry leaders face. My favorite cases included Ritz Carlton and Mission Hills. From these cases I learned how strategic the opening of a hotel has to be and major challenges that companies face when they are expanding, especially when considering their employees. Reading these cases makes me want to keep up to date on these brands and the newest developments in the industry. 

In regards to the informational interview, this project actually turned into the perfect opportunity to learn more about this position and what the career path to get to this position looks like coming from GW. It was also beneficial to strengthen this relationship I have within the industry and be inspired to sustain and continue building relationships. After further reflecting upon this experience, I believe that I will continue to conduct informational interviews. As my future plans are still up in the air and I have several different paths I could follow, it is important for me to gain as much information as possible and simply build relationships with people. This is something that I am very excited about and I hope that through further informational interviews, I will start taking steps in the right direction.