Teaching resource
Courtyard Newark-UD campus hotel celebrates 10th anniversary
11:26 a.m., Nov. 11, 2014--The Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware marks its 10th anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 15, and William Sullivan, managing director, has been at the helm every step of the way.
During a decade of providing fine lodging for UD alumni, parents, students and guests, more than 1,000 students in the University’s Department of Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Program (HRIM) have completed their lodging management training at the hotel. Developed by the HRIM faculty, with the expertise of Brian Miller and hotel leadership, the lodging practicum module has become an integral part of a planned semester for HRIM juniors.
Campus Stories
From graduates, faculty
Doctoral hooding
The University marked the 10-year milestone with a reception held Monday evening, Oct. 27, at the hotel. Attendees included UD President Patrick Harker; Scott Douglass, executive vice president and University treasurer; Sullivan; Vance Funk, former Newark mayor; Plato Ghinos, president, Shaner Hotels; and Bill Mabrey, chief operating officer of Shaner Hotels; Sheryl Kline, HRIM department chair; and frequent hotel guest Paul Sellers.
For Sullivan, service as managing director began when contemplating retiring from a managing career at the Hotel du Pont that included hospitality related operations for DuPont.
“I was still at DuPont and had started teaching 'Introduction to Hospitality Technology' for Paul Wise, founder of HRIM,” Sullivan said. “I mentioned my plans to David E. Hollowell, former executive vice president and treasurer, who told me he had a better plan -- he wanted me to manage the Courtyard Newark and hire staff who were also going to be teachers and mentors in the HRIM program.”
The HRIM program, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, was the vision of several University officials, including the late E. Arthur Trabant, former UD president; Alexander R. Doberenz, dean of what was then the College of Human Resources; Hollowell; President Emeritus David P. Roselle; and Wise.
Students in the HRIM program are fully integrated into all aspects of the operation for the semester as part of the experiential learning at the hotel, spending 140 hours working closely with hotel staff and real guests, Sullivan said.
“Having an educational mission is what makes the UD program unique,” Sullivan said. “Our hotel is the only one that does this.”
The partnership developed with the Shaner Hotel Group of State College, Pennsylvania, and Marriott International to build and operate the 126-room hotel has been good for all parties involved, Sullivan said.
“We have been good to our people, and we’ve become a successful business, with many corporate clients in addition to our regular guests,” Sullivan said. “The experiential learning component of our hotel and the Vita Nova restaurant in the Trabant University Center also provide a higher level of learning for our students, who get the chance to work in a customer-facing business and gain real world experience.”
Sullivan credits the success of the hotel to having a good staff that keeps on top of things and support from faculty and a UD administration that benefits students and staff.
“The HRIM program has a high retention rate, with 92 percent of our students placed in jobs before graduation,” Kline said. “We are so proud of the reputation we have developed within the industry, and recruiters really respect UD HRIM students and look at them as more likely to be hired in the hospitality industry.”
The hotel has excelled in guest service, winning numerous service excellence awards from Marriott, and in 2008 was rated the second best Courtyard for guest service worldwide, Sullivan said.
Along the way, the hotel has garnered a reputation for the culinary achievements of its staff, including Mark Chopko, executive chief, whose crab cakes creations have been named editor’s best upstate by Delaware Today magazine for four straight years.
The hotel also plays an important role in welcoming many visitors to the UD campus and developing a successful Very Important Parent (VIP) program for the parents of more than 5,900 students for their lodging needs in Newark.
“We experience very high customer service ratings and have won nine straight highest service awards from Marriott International,” Sullivan said. “I attribute this to the teamwork between the students and the staff.”
Also helping to enhance the experiences of its guests is a 2014 full renovation of the hotel’s guest rooms and public spaces, including the addition of a Bistro with Starbucks products and a full service lobby bar.
A landscaped patio area also provides a great venue for seasonal dining, entertainment and banquet events, Sullivan said.
“The hotel is the front door to the University, and we are often the first and last experience people have when this visit our campus,” Sullivan said. “The alumni reunion weekends are becoming more popular each year, and we are the people who welcome our alumni back to UD.”
Sullivan credits Marriott International as being an exceptional supporter of the hotel since its inception.
“Marriott provided initial funding for the Marriott Center for Hospitality and Tourism, the classroom located in the hotel, and recently agreed to donate $560,000 for a new state-of-the-art classroom addition to the hotel,” Sullivan said. “Marriott Chairman J. Willard Marriott came to the grand opening of the hotel in 2004, and returned in October 2013 to visit the hotel and address students of UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, which is home of the UD HRIM program.”
Sullivan also noted that the hotel has engaged with other Newark-area hotels to form the Destination Newark Hotel Partnership. The partnership is designed to encourage group travel and sports events to develop new sources of citywide businesses for the Newark area hotels, local shops and restaurants.
The UD hotel leadership also has engaged with local charities and has partnered with Delaware Autism, the UD Center for Disabilities Studies and the Delaware School for the Deaf to provide skill training, jobs and social integration for people with various disabilities, Sullivan said.
At its heart, Sullivan said, are the students who work in the hotel operation -- 24/7, 365 days a year -- and provide a personal touch between parents and students.
“The students are pleasantly surprised at how great it is to interact with customers, and the guests often ask students about their hometowns and the courses they are taking at UD,” Sullivan said. “This helps break the ice and when the customers talk with the students they form a bond and they want to learn more about the HRIM program.”
Sullivan said that the 1,000 students who have completed the program is just a start in building the hotel’s reputation for excellence in customer service.
“For me, this has been an extremely satisfying job as well as a great experience that never changes with the newest group of students,” Sullivan said. “We are very proud of what we have accomplished and we look forward to continuing our mission in hospitality and education.”
Article by Jerry Rhodes