Sustainable Hospitality Management professors are keeping busy
Sustainable Hospitality Management professors help students make community connections.
Students in Dr. Atzori’s Sustainable Event Management course volunteer with local organizations. In September, they volunteered for the Jazz Festival, at Corral De Tierra, and at the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Poppy Hills. An upcoming volunteer opportunity is November’s American Red Cross Farm to Table event.
This course also completes a ‘Sustainability Initiative Project’. Students are analyzing the sustainability practices of the Intercontinental The Clement to determine what the facility is currently doing and what can be done as a facility. The student teams each focus on one aspect of sustainability (i.e. water, waste, energy). The students will produce a written report that will constitute the outcome of their project and the report will be shared with the Intercontinental The Clement of the semester.
Hospitality Capstone students are working with Dametra Fresh and the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCCVB). One capstone group is doing a study of franchise expansion for the fast casual concept of Dametra Fresh. The other group is studying sustainable tourism marketing initiatives for MCCVB.
Professionally, they’re making contributions to their field through research and furthering their own education with professional certifications. Angel presented his paper “Factors in Tourists’ Food Decision Processes” at the iCHRIE Annual Conference. Roberta’s paper, “The Sustainable Tourist Experience: Antecedents, Components, and Consequences,” was accepted at the October EuroCHRIE Conference.
Dr. González qualified as a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE®) through the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). This program is the only professional development opportunity designed for postsecondary hospitality educators. Educators with this certification are able to strengthen students' critical thinking and motivation to learn, share ideas with fellow educators, and receive recognition for their teaching abilities from students, colleagues, and the industry.
