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Enhancing the Journey: Hospitality Masters in the Post-Pandemic World
Thibault Dumas, a revenue management executive at the luxurious Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel in Dubai, has had quite the learning experience. From researching hospitality masters degrees in the serene French countryside during lockdown to beginning his career in one of the tallest hotels in the world, Dumas’s journey has been filled with challenges and growth. Last year, he graduated with a masters from the prestigious EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, specializing in Global Hospitality Business. This program, like many others around the world, is preparing students for a sector that has been severely affected by the pandemic.
Dumas’s studies were directly impacted by Covid-19, and its effects continue to loom over the industry. “Starting a masters in global hospitality during a pandemic might seem crazy,” Dumas admits. “But in 18 months, we had the opportunity to study on three continents, including Asia, which had strict sanitary measures, and had to apply for three different visas.”
Although their European field trip had to be cancelled, Dumas and his classmates were able to experience the hospitality industry in Hong Kong, meeting executives from iconic hotel brands such as Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, and Rosewood. The program is a collaboration between EHL, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and the University of Houston in Texas.
Dumas now utilizes data analytics in his current role to understand customer behavior and optimize hotel revenue by offering the right room to the right person at the right time. He credits the revenue management courses he took during his masters for providing him with valuable skills. “We were divided into teams and competed against each other using revenue management simulation software to generate the best results,” he recalls. “Knowing the challenging situation of the hospitality industry at that time, and the shortage of job opportunities, pushed me to study even harder.”
The hospitality sector has faced numerous challenges in recent years, from lockdown closures to staffing crises to rising costs. Restaurants and hotels have seen their average costs surge over 80% in the past year, with increasing bills for energy, rent, borrowing, food, insurance, and cleaning materials. The continued trend of working from home has resulted in lower footfall in city and town centers, posing a particular challenge for hotels and restaurants that depend on business customers. As a result, many young people view hospitality as a riskier career choice, and businesses struggle to recruit staff due to shortages, especially following post-Brexit restrictions on the movement of people from Europe. Inflation and labor shortages are expected to disrupt the hospitality industry for the next three years, according to Deloitte’s latest European Hotel Industry Survey.
These challenges have also impacted specialized masters in hospitality business and management. Cohort sizes have only recently returned to pre-Covid levels, with a 10% drop in enrollments in 2020 and a 25% drop in 2021 at France’s EMLyon business school. Professor Eric Vogler, director of the MSc in International Hospitality Management at EMLyon, acknowledges the difficulty of finding jobs or internships for their cohorts in recent years. To provide students with professional experience, alternative options such as research projects and entrepreneurial projects have been implemented.
In addition to the existing challenges, the post-pandemic landscape requires hospitality management programs to prepare students for new trends and demands. These include less long-haul travel, more fragmented stays, a mix of work and leisure, and fewer business trips and events. “Revenue management is now more complex because there’s a higher mix of leisure and business,” says Vogler. “There’s new thinking in marketing about customers as tourist-business people, with restaurants becoming co-working spaces and hotels becoming more welcoming to non-guests.”
In response to these new challenges, programs are incorporating various changes. The MSc in Hospitality Management at Essec Business School has observed a growing interest in entrepreneurship and sustainability among students, reflecting their desire to make a positive impact on the world. The MA in Tourism and Hospitality Management at GBSB Global Business School in Barcelona is emphasizing entrepreneurial skills and digital tools to adapt to the evolving work environment.
EHL’s graduate school has also adapted to the changing landscape by incorporating more digital tools and rethinking field trips. Virtual meetings and interactions with industry leaders have become more accessible, providing students with deeper insights even when physical visits to different countries are not possible. With more job openings available and fewer people pursuing careers in the hospitality industry, ambitious students have a unique opportunity to fast-track their careers in this sector.
By staying informed about the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in masters in management programs, you can be prepared to navigate the ever-changing landscape of the hospitality industry. Sign up now to receive free updates on Masters in Management programs and stay ahead in your career journey.
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