Two hospitality business real estate investment management minor students, Andrew Williamson (BA ’19) and Jack Rose (BA ’19), traveled to Lessburg, VA to represent The School at the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) annual conference from April 12-13, 2018. The students participated in the annual undergraduate student case competition against teams from several other universities. The students were recognized finishing third in the competition. During the conference students were able to network with several asset managers and alumni.
The research topic entitled, Value Creating Food and Beverage Practices. The presentation featured trends in revenue generation for food and beverage outlets in hotels. It focused on creative ideas that many hotels are adopting in this area to add value to the hotel. The two also concluded that the future of hotel food and beverage lies within the independent and soft branded hotels who are operating hotels with a larger focus on the food and beverage. The students also analyzed a case that focused on re-positioning a concept to better fit the market at the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta. Special thanks to alumnus, Jim Anhut (MBA ’85), for providing such a hands-on learning experience.
The students who attended the conference were also able to sit in on multiple education sessions including hearing an AHLA legislative update who are focused in lobbying in Washington. The students also learned about negotiating franchise and management agreements and actively managing the increasing costs of credit card fees. Lastly the students were also to heard from Peter Cole, Managing Director of Business Integration at Marriott who spoke about how Starwood and Marriott merged employee benefits, information systems and rewards programs.
- “The entire HAMA experience from conducting the research to attending the conference was very rewarding. It was great to research a topic I am passionate about and share my thoughts with some of the industry’s best asset managers.” – Jack Rose (BA ’19)
- “Attending the HAMA conference was an amazing experience. Meeting some of the most important asset managers from all over the US was especially memorable. It was great researching F&B and now feel more confident speaking about it. An added bonus was hearing several industry professionals during sessions, especially Peter Cole who oversaw the Starwood and Marriott deal.” – Andrew Williamson (BA ’19)
