Edge Hotel School students gain experience at top London hotels

With a growing recognition of the importance of practical experience, the University of Essex’s Edge Hotel School has partnered with top hotels to provide placement opportunities for seven of its students studying hospitality.

Each student spent two days living and breathing hospitality at a different hotel including The Ritz London, Shangri-La Hotel At The Shard, Rubens at the Palace, London EDITION, Georgian House, Egerton House Hotel and The Chesterfield Mayfair.

As part of the placement, the students worked alongside industry professionals and experienced the ins and outs of working at a top hotel where they greeted guests, managed bookings and ensured every guest had a first-class experience.

“In today’s competitive industry, work placements are essential”, says head of department Andy Boer. “As part of our courses students work in a real hotel as part of their learning but we wanted to go even further. These additional placement opportunities reinforce students’ excitement for working in hospitality and illustrate the variety of roles available for anyone with a passion for providing excellent customer service."

“Practical experience, along with a strong academic background, are the two key areas employees look for and these professional development days give students a fantastic foundation to build upon. I was very impressed with how they all threw themselves into their work and we are very grateful to all the hotels for their involvement.”

Natasha Thakker, Assistant Human Resources Manager at The Ritz London who mentored one of the students said: “We are delighted to continue working closely with the Edge Hotel School to provide a unique experience for their students at The Ritz. We firmly believe that supporting young people and helping them to develop in their hospitality career is a key part of our role. It has been very heartening to see such enthusiasm, determination and an eagerness to learn from the talented students and we wish them every success with their future careers.”