Newham College students turn hotel managers in national hotel takeover week

Newham College students have been running hotels for a week as part of InterContinental Hotel Group’s national hotel takeover.

Designed to get young people working in the hospitality industry, from February 26 to March 2 students were checking in guests, serving food and drinks and running housekeeping.

They spent three days in charge of the Park Royal Holiday Inn Express, and five days at the City branch of the Crowne Plaza by Blackfriars.

Paul Stephen, principal and chief executive of the college, said: “Newham College is focused on giving its students the education and opportunities that launch them into successful careers and running Holiday Inn Express at Park Royal and Crowne Plaza’s City Branch with the hotel team members will give them invaluable employability experience.”

The students were shadowed by hotel team members and given practical guidance on running busy departments.

Since 2013, the InterContinental Hotel Group Academy has run 2,133 programmes reaching almost 50,000 trainees.