HIGH-TECHNOLOGY HOSPITALITY

Imagine some typical Americans traveling for business or pleasure, suggests Fred DeMicco, the new Aramark Chair in CHEP's Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, as he describes a common scenario:

The travelers check out a hotel chain's web site, select their accommodations and make an online reservation. When they arrive at the hotel, a bell person meets them at the door and types their relevant information into a wireless, hand-held "personal digital assistant," enabling them to skip a check-in line at the front desk. They're given a card that electronically unlocks their room–a room complete with Internet access, movies on demand and a high-speed phone line. During their stay, a computerized system keeps track of any extra charges they incur, adding them automatically to the bill.

All that reliance on technology is just the part of the hotel operation that's visible to the customer, DeMicco noted. Behind the scenes, he said, computer software is continually adjusting room prices according to changing supply and demand, controlling energy use within the building, providing online training programs for employees, tracking and ordering inventory in the hotel's restaurant, setting employee work schedules and monitoring security operations.

What this means for HRIM is clear, DeMicco said: "The whole hospitality industry needs people who understand, not just technology, but technology specifically related to the demands of their business, and that's what our students are learning."

Beginning last fall, HRIM students have had the option of selecting an "interest area" in information technology, and a proposal has been approved to create a master of science degree program in hospitality information management. The interest area and the graduate program, DeMicco said, offer information management courses focused on the needs of the hospitality and tourism industries, preparing students to analyze problems in the hotel and restaurant businesses and devise solutions using technology.

The hospitality industry is becoming increasingly dependent on technology and on managers trained in its use, according to national trade associations.

"Operators today simply cannot afford to ignore new technology," said Steven C. Anderson, president of the National Restaurant Association. "Technological innovations translate into more efficient ways of running a business, training employees and helping to increase productivity and the bottom line."

At the American Hotel & Motel Association, members recently formed an E-Business Committee to exchange high-tech information and ideas. "The world of technology continues to evolve rapidly, and e-business is becoming a fundamental part of companies' overall business strategies," said Richard Jackson, the association's vice president and chief information officer.

DeMicco, who came to UD in January, said the University's geographic location near major hospitality management and technology firms is a benefit to students, faculty and the companies themselves. Two major hospitality technology companies, MICROS Systems and Cyntergy, are headquartered nearby in Maryland, DeMicco said, adding, "Present and future relationships with these companies will lead to research opportunities and internships for students and faculty."

Partnerships with industry are nothing new for HRIM, which emphasizes hands-on learning through real-world opportunities with numerous hospitality companies in Delaware and nationally, he said. For example, the department works especially closely with Aramark and Marriott, which offer internships and summer jobs to students, recruit graduates for career positions and support the department with scholarships and special programs, DeMicco said.

"The students at the University of Delaware show strong skills in the key competency areas that we target–communication, teamwork, customer focus and work execution," said Nina Madoo, director of university relations and recruitment for Marriott International. She cites the practical experience HRIM students receive as part of their coursework, in addition to their frequent participation in internships, as reasons her company likes to hire graduates of the program.

"This experience helps them hone their skills in other competency areas necessary for success, such as leading, developing themselves and others and managing change," Madoo said.

DeMicco said partnerships, which range from those within CHEP to those with industry, are a key to the way HRIM operates. In the college, he said, HRIM works with other departments and centers to share teaching expertise, especially in the area of technology, and is involved with CHEP's new minor in leadership.

"All the companies we hear from say they want students with leadership skills," DeMicco said, "so that's a very useful area for our students to develop."

Within the larger UD community, HRIM partners with the College of Business and Economics to offer the "4+1 MBA" program, in which students earn a bachelor's degree in HRIM and a master of business administration degree in a total of five years. It also works in collaboration with the Office of International Programs to offer study-abroad programs in Hawaii, Switzerland and elsewhere.

A new partnership with Hong Kong Polytechnic University is being developed, DeMicco said, and the school's director and chaired professor, Kaye Chon, will visit UD in the fall to teach and share his expertise. Meanwhile, the department envisions a study-abroad trip to China and eventual exchange program with Hong Kong, which "will provide a strategic 'beachhead' to the Chinese and Asian markets," DeMicco said.