Former student makes his name in hotel industry

A former masters student in Hospitality at the College is now making a name for himself in the hotel industry, working as a regional manager in the fast-expanding Chinese market.

Billy Jin, from Beijing, graduated from the MA Hospitality Management course last year. He is now Senior Regional Business Development Manager at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, responsible for developing the firm’s business in the mainland China market.

Billy had already worked in the hotel industry for six years before coming to the UK, but he decided to join the College to further his academic knowledge and English language skills.

He said: "Apart from the basic skills - strategic planning and English language - the managerial skills I studied in the college such as leadership, empowerment and motivation are truly beneficial to my current role and enable me to be a good team leader.

"The module of Research Methods is particularly useful in business because the methodology I have learned is quite practical. Also, my in-depth study of the implementation of Yield Management for my dissertation enabled me to master this practical marketing strategy and I applied this in my work to help the company maximise revenue.

"I particularly liked the group work with students from other countries so that I could be exposed to different cultures and ideas. Case studies with real-life business examples are ideal for people like me who have past work experience."

In the future, Billy hopes to either move up to a position such as Regional Director of Sales and Marketing at a major hotel group, or to set up his own business in travel or events planning.