Graduate Success Story - Parveen Kumar (BMIHMS - '00)

Mr. Parveen Kumar – BMIHMS Graduate (2000)

My intention was always to be a global player in whatever industry I chose,” says Blue Mountains Hotel School graduate Mr Parveen Kumar, Director of Sales (Corporate) with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, responsible for key corporate account clients.

While Mr Parveen Kumar was completing his Bachelor of Commerce at Delhi University, he undertook an industrial traineeship at the Hyatt Regency in New Delhi to familiarize himself with all the major departments of a hotel. He then went on to study a Diploma in Hotel Management at the Institute of Hotel Management in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

In 1999 Mr Kumar enrolled in the post-graduate program at the Blue Mountains Hotel School (BMIHMS), one of Australia’s leading private hotel management schools with over 2,500 graduates working in industry worldwide. “What BMIHMS had to offer was exactly what I was looking for,” says Parveen, “It gave me an insight into the industry in Australia. With six months’ training out in industry and the theory classes on campus, it was just the right balance.”

The Blue Mountains Hotel School offers a undergraduate program in hospitality and tourism management studies from Diploma level up to a Bachelor of Business (International Hotel and Resort Management, International Event Management [Canberra Campus] and Internationa Hotel management [Canberra campus]) with quality endorsement from its strategic academic partener the University Of Queensland. The undergraduate program has a strong operations, business and management skills focus with electives in e-commerce, event management and ethics.

The School’s teaching aims for a rich mix of theoretical study and “hands-on” industry-relevant practice. During their academic semesters on campus students have the opportunity to experience all roles – in the kitchen, food and beverage, front office and rooms division including supervisory and management duties– in the School’s on-campus ‘virtual’ 220 room hotel. “The School is run exactly like a hotel,” says Parveen, “You are living in a real life scenario just like what you will do when you finish the course. It gives you a clear picture of the different roles available and by the end of the course you are ready to become a manager.”

BMIHMS also do fully paid industry placements (800 hours per semester) with accredited employers as part of their studies. This experience reinforces the practical and theoretical lessons learned on campus as well as providing a chance to impress future potential employers. Parveen did his placement semester as a senior food and beverage attendant with the five-star luxury Four Seasons, Sydney, responsible for supervising dinner operations in the hotel’s restaurant. In a short time, he impressed his managers and was nominated for Employee of the Month.

On graduation, Mr Kumar joined Four Seasons as a Sales Coordinator and within a year was taken on as a Sales Manager for the pre-opening sales team of a new Hyatt Regency hotel in Mumbai. He did so well in producing business for the new hotel that just over a year later he was offered a more senior position in Hyatt’s head office in Sydney. “My regional Director of Marketing suggested I would like to stick with Hyatt and that he would put in a good word for me,” says Parveen.

Mr Kumar enjoys his current position as Director of Sales (Corporate) for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Australia based in Perth. “I love traveling,” says Parveen, “and in this job I have a great deal of opportunities to travel. It is a perfect mix for my personal and professional life,” And the future looks promising too. “If you are working with an international hotel chain, it gives you lots of scope” says Parveen, “. I see myself now on a global platform.” In ten years time Mr Kumar hopes to be either a General Manager with one property or a Regional Director of Marketing across several properties.

“Students benefit from our close ties to industry, our knowledge of industry practice and the increased opportunity to impress future employers,” says Mr Guy Bentley, School Principal. All members of staff have industry backgrounds and the studies have a strong focus on relevant current practice and case studies. The School is also guided by an Advisory Board chaired by Mr Stephen Lewis, GM Four Seasons Sydney with senior industry representatives.