Hospitality overview

One of the biggest, most exciting, and fastest-growing sectors in the world economy today is travel and tourism Ð the engine that drives the many-faceted hospitality business.

A few statistics will give you an idea of the size and dynamism of the travel and tourism industry, and help you see that the opportunities to build a career in this business are practically unlimited.

People love to travel. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), people around the world spent about $2.1 trillion in the year 2003 on their personal travel Ð which amounts to almost 10% of consumer spending worldwide. If you add in business travel, the amount of money flowing into the travel and tourism sector is even higher, by an additional $700 billion.

To care for the needs of all these travelers, huge amounts of money are invested to build hotels and restaurants, resorts, theme parks, conference centers and the dozens of other types of businesses that look after them. In the year 2003,

about 1 dollar out of every 10 that went into a capital investment was directed into the tourism or travel business. Altogether, the sector accounts for over 10% of the world's GDP, making it the largest slice of the world's economic “pie”. And it is set to grow at a healthy pace, too. Projections for the next ten years forecast average growth of about 3.7% each year.

What do all these figures mean for you? In a word: opportunity!

All round the world, more than 200 million people work in the travel and tourism industry, making it the largest employer on earth. Forecasted growth means that the industry will constantly be in need of talented people who understand the business and have the drive to excel as managers.

For the foreseeable future, qualified managers will be in great demand by this industry, so the potential to advance in a hospitality management career is excellent, especially if you are flexible, hard working and know how to manage people.

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Hospitality Executive Committee

Member	Position	Employer
Dave Costain	General Manager	DoubleTree Hotel
Joe Dworak	Partner	Berliner Cohen Attorneys
Dan Fenton	CEO	SJCVB
Ryan Hubris	Partner	Titanium Pacific Properties
Colin Johnson	Chair, HSPM	Dept. of Hospitality Mgmt. - SJSU
Alvin Magcale	General Manager	Staybridge Suites
Manou Mobedashi	Owner	Mobedashi Hotel Group
Mark Polachak	Managing Director/ Silicon Valley	Joie de Vivre
Rod Rankin	General Manager	Paramount's Great America
Barbara Ratcliffe	General Manager	Biltmore Hotel and Suites
John Southwell	General Manager	Hilton Towers
Woody Wade	Partner	Wade & Co.

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Executive Cabinet

The purpose of the Executive Cabinet is to provide a professional point of view in guiding the direction and programs of the department. In addition, the Executive Cabinet provides a public/private sector bridge between the department and the cabinet members respective emphasis.

• Emphasis: Public
  
  Albert Balagso,  Asst. Director
  City of San Jose
  Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services Dept.
  4 N. 2nd St.
  San Jose, CA 95113

• Emphasis: Tourism
  
  Caroline Beteta, Executive Director
  California Travel and Tourism Commission
  801 K Street
  Sacramento, CA 95814

• Emphasis: Parks
  
  Ruth Coleman, Director
  California State Parks
  1416 9th St. #1405
  Sacramento, CA 95814

• Emphasis: Therapeutic
  
  Sandy Mayfield, Retired, SCVMC

• Empahsis: Leadership
  
  Molly Polidoroff, Executive Director
  Center for Excellencein Nonprofits
  546 Valley Way
  Milpitas, CA 95035

• Emphasis: Nonprofit
  
  Mark Walker, President & CEO
  United Way Silicon Valley
  1922 The Alameda
  San Jose, CA 95726

• Emphasis: Business/Community Member
  
  Shirley Lewis, AVP, Commercial Divison
  Old Republic Title Company
  1900 The Alameda
  San Jose, CA 95126

• Emphasis: Recreation Students' Association
  
  Ashleigh Lanning & Matt Milde

• Emphasis: CPRS
  
  Barry Wiess, President
  Parks and Recreation Director
  City of San Carlos
  P.O. Box 3069
  San Carlos, CA 94070-1309

• Emphasis: Educator, Resource Consultant
  
  Dr. Charles Whitcomb
  SJSU Provost Office

• Emphasis: Marketing
  
  Dan Orloff
  Two North Second St., STE 100
  San Jose, CA 95113-1302

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News and Events

May 25, Friday
Spring 2007 Departmental Graduation at Crowne Plaza, Downtown San Jose
Reception starts at 5:30 pm
Ceremony starts at 6:00 pm

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Alumni Information

The Department of Hospitality Management opened its doors as an interdisciplinary program in 1991 with 10 majors welcomed. It has now grown into close to 200 majors, graduating 20-25 students in December and May annually. There are over 500 alumni of Hospitality Management who have earned the Bachelor of Science degree and are proud of their alma mater! These alums have landed very prestigious positions throughout Silicon Valley, the region, the state, the nation and the world. Because we are a metropolitan campus with a “living laboratory” of hotels, restaurants, convention centers, etc. just blocks away, our graduates entered our department with work experience and a rich ability to blend academics with this experience. After completing their apprenticeships and internships of 800 hours or more, these graduates were easily placed in management positions in any number of locations. We are proud to say that our alumni are now general managers, food and beverage directors, sales managers, catering coordinators, front office managers, restaurant owners, restaurant general managers, purchasing coordinators, resort and golf managers, private club leaders, tradeshow specialists, convention coordinators, event managers, meeting planners, and so many more titles which they have earned over the last fourteen years the department has been graduating students. They are the “founding fathers and mothers” of this outstanding curriculum, which was designed to create leadership, entrepreneurial and creative qualities in these individuals, most of whom excelled in the classroom and outside.

What's fun about our alumni is the networking that has been established. There is a strong commitment among our graduates to help current majors as they, too, move into internship and entry level positions. If one of our alums sees an application at his or her facility that identifies a hospitality major from SJSU, they take care of them and provide them with as much opportunity as they can to secure them the position they seek. This chain of friendship and loyalty to our department continues to grow. At several locations, for example, you will find 4, 5 or 6 alumni all working in one office together, demonstrating the leadership and cooperative skills learned here in Hospitality Management.

Our alumni also give back to our department by attending our annual fund-raiser, the International Hospitality Celebration, a food and wine tasting extravaganza held in downtown San Jose every Spring with over 700 hospitality industry professionals in attendance. Our alumni help the students as they plan this event and contribute greatly to the strong bond of pride that we feel that evening about what has been established here at San Jose State. The alumni also make financial contributions to the department and will, hopefully, continue to do so to show their support for what we are building here.

Just as our motto says, truly our outstanding alumni are not just “serving the world from Silicon Valley!” but serving the world with a fine education, a hospitable service excellence, and a willingness to help the new majors just beginning their journeyÉ

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