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Today in Azerbaijan, we know that the competition among hotels increases each year. Hotels and guesthouses will have to distinguish themselves to draw clients, not only by their prices but also by their service. Right now, the service in most Azerbaijan hotels in general is not that good. When we teach students, we show them that they have to be the best according to Western standards of service. Practical Experience To understand the work involved in running a hotel, the students learn by doing it themselves. Our students learn by working in housekeeping, in the reception and in the kitchen. We have four students working in shifts, two at a time. Two of the students work here permanently and receive a salary. The other students are interns. We want them to become good managers with strong theoretical backgrounds and practical experience.   This summer, we hope
to open the restaurant so that the students will have a chance
to practice there, too. The kitchen equipment was brought in
through a program sponsored by TACIS (Technical Assistance of
the European Community to the CIS Countries). We plan to serve
European cuisine and, of course, the local cuisine.As far as courses, the students take English, Spanish, French, Food and Beverage Service, Food and Beverage Systems, Hotel Management, International Hotel Management, Hospitality Management, Tourism Management and Work of the Tourism Agencies. No other academic institution in Azerbaijan offers this kind of hotel management training. The curriculum was developed with the help of three European schools: Dublin Technological Institute, Queen Margaret College in Scotland and the Hague Hotel Business School. These schools also helped train our instructors through a grant from the TACIS program. Two of our teachers trained at each school (six teachers total) over the course of three years. Some of our students have also been able to train abroad for several months. Some of our students train at Hyatt, too. After four years at the hotel school, each student graduates with a bachelor's degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management. We train them so that after graduation they can easily manage hotels or guesthouses - maybe not big hotels like Hyatt and Radisson - but small hotels and restaurants. They can start their own business or be a consultant for other businesses. We currently have 40 students in the program; our first class of eight students will graduate this year. Three to four years ago, there was no tourism to speak of in Azerbaijan. There's still not much competition today, but it is growing. We're trying to show our students that they can succeed in this field. Already, we're getting considerable repeat business. Visitors to Baku like the friendly, personal attention we offer in our small Inn. Ruslan Samadov is the former Managing Director of the Old City Inn. Old City Inn Back to Index
AI 9.2 (Summer 2001) |
