The team at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester has created a partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) to inspire future hospitality leaders. General Manager Mr Adrian Ellis has been working with fellow general managers in the Manchester Hoteliers’ Association (MHA) to provide mentorship opportunities for undergraduate students, allowing them to understand the practicalities of managing a successful hotel.

The Lowry Hotel hosted a final year Hospitality and Business Management student Ms Rebecca McHugh, who commented, “I feel very lucky to be given a chance to work with Adrian Ellis. It’s a great chance to job shadow someone I very much look up to.”

“It’s an exciting opportunity as I very much want to learn as much about the hospitality industry as possible before I graduate and then start my career,” she added.

The hotel also welcomed 16 students to participate in “HOTS2018”, or Hotels Operations Tactics and Strategy, in November. The dynamic training and development experience is based around a realistic computer exercise that simulations the management of a hotel. The students, who are all in their final year in university, spent the day planning their strategies before doing two presentations to the panel.

General Manager Mr Ellis, who is also the Chair of the MHA, said, “Our partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University is all about inspiring people to get into the industry. Unfortunately, students can spend a few years studying hospitality and then end up not working in the industry, which we think is a shame. The hotel industry offers fantastic progression and is a rewarding and enjoyable career that I can only recommend.”