Denver, November 14, 2001 � If you want college freshmen to learn about the hospitality industry � just send them on a road trip. But make sure they go to one of Denver�s finest hotels. This is just what first-year students in the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management (HRTM) in the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver did on September 28 and 29, 2001. 

�It was a perfect way for new students to get a first-hand look at what hotel and restaurant management is all about,� said Peter Rainsford, director of the HRTM program. Students stayed at one of six participating hotels: the Adam�s Mark, the Courtyard by Marriott, the Hyatt Regency/Denver, the Magnolia Hotel, the Marriott/City Center, or the Oxford Hotel, all of whom donated the rooms for the students� overnight stay.

The idea was brainchild of Andre Van Hall, general manager of the Adam�s Mark Hotel.  But in order to make it work, general managers from other downtown Denver hotels were asked to participate.  So John Schafer, general manager of the Hyatt Regency/Denver and Patti O�Keefe, general manager of the Marriott/City Center, quickly agreed to take this opportunity to work with DU.  �These students are the future of our industry, I really enjoyed getting to work with them from the beginning of their careers,� said Schafer.

The students were required to check in their hotels by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, where their respective general managers gave them a brief tour of their hotel and spoke with them about career opportunities.  That evening, all 66 students in the course met at the Marriott/City Center where General Manager Patty O�Keefe gave a tour of the entire hotel before providing the students with dinner. They also heard from other key employees of the hotel about their decisions to go into the hospitality industry. �It is such a delight to work with these students and see their enthusiasm for this wonderful industry,� said O�Keefe.

After spending the night at their respective hotels, the entire class reconvened on Saturday morning for breakfast at the Adam�s Mark.  After breakfast Andre Van Hall, general manager, provided an extensive tour of the 1,200-room hotel.  In addition to a traditional tour of the hotel�s public spaces and guest rooms, students were taken behind the scenes to see loading docks, kitchens, food and beverage storage areas, and even the three-story high boiler room.  �Mr. Van Hall exposed our class to operations normally hidden from the public eye.  Until now, I never realized the expansive operations that exist behind the scenes,� said Brandon Intrater, freshman at the university.

The road trip was concluded with a tour and lunch at the Hyatt Regency/Denver given by general manager John Schafer and three of this department heads.  �Learning is not always done in the classroom,� said Schafer. �We wanted to give these students a jump start on learning what this industry is all about.� 

Although the road trip concluded with the students� return to the DU campus on Saturday afternoon, the work is just beginning.  Students have to prepare a written analysis of their stay and the levels of service the hotels provided.  The reports will not only be graded as part of their course work, but will also be sent to the hotel general managers where they stayed.

�I know this may seem like quite a bit for the students to absorb all at one time,� said Rainsford.  �However, the faculty knows that over the next few years these students will be able to apply what they have learned in this two-day event to much of their course work.  And, the faculty will be able to refer to what the students saw when they teach the academic theory in the classroom.�

For more information about the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management at the Daniels College of Business, visit /www.daniels.du.edu/hrtm/index.html. 

The Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver was ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the top 25 regional business schools in the country in 2000. Daniels offers a broad array of programs that enhance students� ability to thrive in the 21st century. Daniels is located on the 125-acre University of Denver campus. The Daniels College�s $22 million headquarters has been hailed as one of the country�s most technologically advanced business school facilities.

The School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management in Daniels College of Business was founded in 1946, is one of the oldest four-year hospitality management programs in the U.S. Its mission is to be the leader in hospitality and tourism business education by preparing outstanding leaders for the business of hospitality and tourism through relevant educational experiences for students, alumni/ae, and industry partners.