RRU hotel management learners to study at luxury hotels in Dubai
For immediate release – October 10, 2007
Victoria, B.C. – With the world’s fastest-growing tourist market, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is setting an international standard for hotel management. That’s why eight learners in the MA in International Hotel Management program at Royal Roads University in Victoria, B.C. are going to Dubai Nov. 15. They will spend three weeks there for one of their three residencies in the two-year degree program that blends online and on-campus learning.
“For people aiming for careers in international hotel management, the value of having an intensive residency is considerable,” says Stephen Webb, vice-president of strategic planning and operations for Stone Creek Resorts in Calgary and one of three instructors leading the Dubai residency. “Many of the most challenging issues that new hotel managers face are culture, language and customs. Sure, you can learn about those things in the classroom, but there is nothing like experiencing them first-hand.”
Because this is the first cohort of learners in the Master of Arts in International Hotel Management at Royal Roads, this residency is also breaking new ground for the university. Even though most learners and faculty in the program have previous hotel management experience, Webb says they are excited about seeing and studying at some of the world’s best – and in some cases most unusual – hotel properties. These include the world’s first seven-star hotel property, the Burj Al-Arab.
“They’ll come away being able to apply what they’ve learned in their distance courses and with first-hand appreciation of cross-cultural issues and a chance to experience some of the most stunning and leading edge hotels in the world. It will be a solid, well-rounded learning experience,” Webb says.
RRU’s MA in International Hotel Management, which begins its next cohort Oct. 22, is the first of its kind in Canada. It is a blend of distance courses and on-campus learning with a schedule that works around the seasonality of North America’s tourism industry. It is aimed at professionals who want to advance their hotel and hospitality careers with skills marketable in a world-wide sector.
Royal Roads University also offers a Bachelor of Arts in International Hotel Management, and new graduate certificate programs in Tourism Leadership and Destination Development.
For information on these and other tourism and hospitality programs at Royal Roads University, go to www.royalroads.ca/tourism or call 1-877-778-6227.
-30-
For media queries, contact:
Communications Officer, Phil Saunders
phil.saunders@royalroads.ca (250) 391-2526, cel (250) 812-5065 or,
Community Relations Director, Stephanie Slater
stephanie.slater@royalroads.ca (250) 391-2712, cel (250) 361-5020
More news and events at Royal Roads University
